Wild Voices: Rediscovering our roots by finding enchantment in nature, Sharon Blackie

Dr Sharon Blackie (@sharonblackie and www.sharonblackie.net) is a psychologist and mythologist and presenter of The Hedge School podcast (www.thehedgeschool.org/) on the theme of a new folk culture. She’s also an award-winning writer of several books including ‘The Enchanted Life’, ‘If Women Rose Rooted’ and ‘The Long Delirious Burning Blue’. We talk about Sharon’s realisation that she was unhappy in a corporate role working in London that was affecting her mental wellbeing. Her mother’s move to a tiny cottage in rural Wales spurred her to uphaul her life and reconnect with nature. We explore the impacts on our natural world of the unhappiness and disconnection that so many of us, including Sharon, have felt. The conversation also touches on how a rootedness in place, tradition, nature and the feminine can help to heal both ourselves and the natural world. In Sharon’s view, western philosophy has played a significant role in the ‘disenchantment’ with the natural world that we suffer from today. Sharon shares the beautiful story of the mythical selkies, half-woman half-seal, that she explains can help us to understand the importance of female intuition and wisdom. And I think Sharon’s explanation of this story is emblematic of her wider ability in this episode to tell beautiful and allegorical stories and anecdotes that contain powerful lessons about our connection to the natural world. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at www.wildvoicesproject.org and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitchr. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals. Learn more about the global community at wild-voices.org.

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Podcast by Matt Williams