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Forest of Thought

Conversations that explore the ideas we live by – re-examining the familiar and catching glimpses of the new. forestofthought.substack.com

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43. In search of the sacred // PER INGVAR HAUKELAND

How do we find ways of connecting to that which is sacred to us? Can we learn to listen for that which brings us into attunement with our deepest selves and the living world? And how do we discern between true spiritual insight and wishful thinking? In this conversation, eco-philosopher Per Ingvar Haukeland takes us on a journey that begins with his deep experiences of sacred connection to the…

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42. How myth, folklore and place help us find our calling in the second half of life // SHARON BLACKIE

How can myth and folklore help us find our way in the second half of life? What can we learn from the places we inhabit, and the stories that are rooted in the land? Dr. Sharon Blackie is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author, speaker and teacher. She’s a former neuroscientist and a psychologist with a background in mythology and folklore, and her work is focused on the mythic…

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41. In between worlds – on creating cultures of care after birth // OPOKUA BRITTON CAVACO

The arrival of a new baby entails an opening between the worlds. It’s a liminal in–between space, where life is vulnerable until the baby has fully arrived and the window is safely closed. All over the world, people have developed traditions, rituals and practices to care for the new baby and parents during this special time, but many of those practices are being eroded and forgotten. The…

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40. LIVE: Is a river alive? On enlivenment, animism and nature's rights // ROBERT MACFARLANE & PELLA THIEL

What does it mean to say that a river is alive? And if a river is alive, could it have legal rights that protect it from abuse and exploitation? What kinds of practices could affirm our interconnectedness with the rest of the living world? Do our Western ideals of enlightenment need to be complemented by ideas of enlivenment? In this live podcast, writer Robert Macfarlane presents his book “Is a…

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39. Birth as a rite of passage // KRISTINA TURNER

Birth can be difficult to talk about, because it's so complex and paradoxical. It can be beautiful and traumatic, often at the same time; it’s intensely personal and highly political; it’s something extraordinary that is also entirely ordinary. You give birth to a baby and you also birth yourself as a mother. Another paradox is how birth has become much safer because of the advancements of modern…

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38. How we honor our nervous systems and cultivate pleasure as a pathway towards health // KIMBERLY ANN JOHNSON

What healing could be made possible if we began to work in ways that honoured our nervous systems? How could pleasure be a pathway to health? How can we have more true intimacy and eroticism in our lives? Kimberly Ann Johnson is a Sexological Bodyworker, Somatic Experiencing practitioner, yoga teacher, postpartum advocate, and single mom. Working hands-on in integrative women’s health and trauma…

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37. Embracing our cyclical nature // JENNY KOOS [Blood Mysteries pt. 1]

From menarche until menopause, women have a rhythmical companion, whose presence or absence tells us something about our bodies. The menstrual cycle is considered by many medical professionals to be the fifth vital sign, and just like our pulse or our blood pressure, it tells us something important about our health. And yet the general knowledge about the menstrual cycle, both in the medical…

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REPRISE: Imaginations of Control // ANDY STIRLING

A favorite conversation from the archives, with particular relevance for upcoming episodes! When our societies are faced with challenges we often call on science to provide us with the best course of action; we strive to make evidence-based decisions. But what assumptions are hiding behind this recipe for decision-making? And how can taking control of a situation reduce our capacity for responding…

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36. Thinking with plants – on Hildegard of Bingen’s ecological theology // MICHAEL MARDER

What can we learn from plants? In Western thinking, plants have usually been seen as the most lowly beings, fixed in one place and without capacity for thinking. But many cultures have known – and modern science is confirming – that plants carry their own kind of vibrant intelligence. They communicate, interpret and elaborate – could it be that we humans are more plant-like than we tend to…

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35. Walking for peace and learning with head, heart & hands // SATISH KUMAR

If you’d prefer to watch the episode, it is available here on Youtube . In 1962 , a young man named Satish Kumar set out with his friend Prabakhar Menon on a pilgrimage for peace that would take him around the world, forever changing the course of his life. Later on, Satish dedicated himself to the work of making peace with nature, as the editor of the ecological magazine Resurgence, and in…

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