The Holy Wild with Victoria Loorz

• Celtic Wisdom for Reconnecting with Place with Seán Ó Gaoithín

  In this episode of The Holy Wild, Victoria Loorz speaks with Sean Ó Gaoithín, the lead gardener at Glenveagh National Park, Irish forest-tender and a third-level Hedge Druid, about his journey of ecological restoration, ancestral reconnection, and spiritual practice. They share how sacred relationship with land is remembered through language, biodiversity, and embodied gestures like Gaia Touch. Together, they explore insights on rewilding efforts in Donegal, the ancient Celtic festivals, declaring peace with nature through prayerful movement, and how despair and hope can both be holy as we return to sacred kinship with Earth.Connect with Sean:Article: Native Woodlands of County Donegal Book LaunchInstagram: @ogaoithinMentioned in the episode:Book: Gathering Moss by Robin Wall KimmererOrganization: Botanic Garden Conservation InternationalVideo: What is GAIA TOUCH? Interview with Marko PogacnikVideo: Gaia Touch 1: Body Exercises by Marko PogacnikOrganization: Order of Bards, Ovates, and DruidsArticle: Rudolph Steiner's anthroposophyConnect with the Center:Website: wildspirituality.earthVictoria's Website: victorialoorz.comEmail: [email protected]: linktr.ee/ctrforwildspiritualityInstagram: @center_for_wild_spiritualityTimestamps:00:00 Introduction08:38 The Seeded Wild Forest11:45 Donegal13:01 Indigenous Language As A Doorway16:12 "Ecology Is My Religion"17:46 Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)20:09 A Gardener Hopes For Eden25:01 Hope and Despair are both Holy26:06 Invasive Species28:45 Gaia Touch Earth Yoga31:34 Transmitters and Receivers34:43 The Fairies of Particular Places40:48 Declaring Peace43:51 Weeds Are Part of Biodiversity47:44 Generational Shift50:49 Sean's Druid Journey54:41 Order of Bards Ovates and Druids57:36 Celtic Annual Cycle60:54 The 7 Directions66:37 Being Drawn Home71:16 Sacred Invitation73:32 Ethan and Cherry Tree76:43 Outro

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• What Is Church of the Wild? with Valerie Luna Serrels

  In this episode of The Holy Wild, Victoria Loorz speaks with her sister and co-author, Valerie Luna Serrels, about the transformative movement of Wild Church. Together they explore how sacred relationship with Earth is being rekindled through embodied spiritual practice, intentional community, and the reclamation of ancient ways of knowing. They reflect on the Field Guide to Church of the Wild, a book they co-wrote to support this growing network, and share insights into the shift from dominance to kinship as a core spiritual calling.Mentioned in the episode:Writing: USING EMERGENCE TO TAKE SOCIAL INNOVATIONS TO SCALE by Margaret J. WheatleyConnect with Valerie:Book: Field Guide to the Church of the WildWebsite: wildchurchnetwork.comEmail: [email protected] Community: The EcosystemConnect with the Center:Website: wildspirituality.earthVictoria's Website: victorialoorz.comEmail: [email protected]: linktr.ee/ctrforwildspiritualityInstagram: @center_for_wild_spiritualityTimestamps:00:33 Introduction  05:00 Field Guide  09:45 Living Paradox  13:15 Wild Church Network  23:10 Feminine Emergence  26:53 Seeing Tree  28:51 WCL Offer *31:02 Grounding  34:15 Redefining Church  36:52 Reclaiming Vocabulary  39:27 Acknowledging Land and Ancestor  43:30 Re-Placing Rituals  47:20 Advocacy Through Relationship  48:06 Wandering Saunter  49:59 Threshold Crossing  51:33 Permission Asking  53:00 Connect with Valerie  54:17 Closing Benediction  57:27 Melissa and Grandmother Oak  58:56 Outro*When signing up for the Wild Church Leadership Course, mention PODCAST in your submitted form to get $50 off the cost of the course.

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• Re-Enchanting the World Through Relationship with Brother Coyote (Gary Paul Nabhan)

  In this profound conversation, Victoria Loorz is joined by ethnobotanist, Franciscan brother, and spiritual ecologist Gary Paul Nabhan—also known as Brother Coyote—exploring themes of cultural and spiritual resistance, sacred relationship with the land, and the transformative power of remembering ancient ways. Gary shares stories of his time with Indigenous communities, his recent recovery from a traumatic head injury, and his hope for agrarian sanctuaries in a time of ecological and societal collapse. Inviting us into a re-enchanted worldview grounded in interconnection, reverence, and resilience and concluding with a poetic practice of naming the relationships in the natural world, reorienting us toward wonder and communion.Mentioned in the episode:Book: Against The American Grain: A Borderland's History of Resistance by Gary Paul NabhanArticle: On Doors and \cracks\ by Bayo AkomolafeBook: Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth by Debra ReinstraPodcast: Refugia Podcast with Debra ReinstraAgrarian Trust: agrariantrust.orgConnect with Gary:Website: garynabhan.comConnect with the Center:Website: wildspirituality.earthVictoria's Website: victorialoorz.comEmail: [email protected]: linktr.ee/ctrforwildspiritualityInstagram: @center_for_wild_spiritualityTimestamps:00:00 Introduction05:53 The Land That Raised Brother Coyote07:22 Engaging All Senses09:52 Old Stories Collapsing11:32 Awkward Teen Phase12:28 Against The American Grain: A Borderland's History of Resistance15:24 Desert Spirituality17:29 Practical Sanctuaries of the Wild22:32 Listening Through Diversity24:29 Cultural Resistance28:13 Retreat to Assisi29:57 Take Little Steps31:34 Coming To Our Senses Through Body34:09 Active Incarnation36:29 Relationship > Thing-ness38:53 Ancient Expressions41:59 The World of Fragrance46:23 Wild Invitation49:26 Alex and the Ocean

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• Life After Doom with Brian McLaren

  In this episode of The Holy Wild, Victoria Loorz speaks with author and public theologian Brian McLaren about how to live with love, courage, and imagination in the midst of ecological and societal collapse. Rooted in McLaren’s latest book, Life After Doom, their conversation invites us into a deeper spirituality that faces reality without losing hope. Together, they explore how grief, beauty, and small communities of care can become seeds of transformation. It’s a moving, grounded dialogue for anyone longing to walk a path of love—no matter what unfolds.Mentioned in the episode:Book: Life After Doom by Brian McLarenGhost Ranch - www.ghostranch.orgBook: Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope by Brian McLarenEBook: Authoritarianism: Coming To A Society Near you by Brian McLarenArticle: On Doors and \cracks\ by Bayo AkomolafeBook: Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth by Debra ReinstraPodcast: Refugia Podcast with Debra ReinstraShort Story: The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas (Kindle) by Ursula K. Le Guin Ursela LeguinBook: This Life by Martin HagglundBook: An Interrupted Life by Etty HillesumArticle: Etty Hillesum from The Jewish Women's ArchiveSong: Imagine by John LennonBook: Marx- Towards The Centre of Possibility by Kojin KarataniText: Revelation 21-22 A vision of Eco-civilizationBook: Mapping Ideology by Slavoj ZizekQuote: "It is easier to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism." (attributed to both Frederic Jameson and Slavoj Zizek)Book: Anam Cara by John O'DonohueConnect with Brian:Website: brianmclaren.netInstagram: @brian_mclarenConnect with the Center:Website: wildspirituality.earthVictoria's Website: victorialoorz.comEmail: [email protected]: linktr.ee/ctrforwildspiritualityInstagram: @center_for_wild_spiritualityTimestamps:0:00 Intro5:34 Opening Poem7:12 Interview12:13 4 Problems13:12 Collapse and Authoritarianism18:40 Comfort in cycles and grief21:41 Practically being with neighbors27:12 Repentance29:08 The Bible as Indigenous literature30:30 Adam and the dust we return to32:20 This Life vs the afterlife37:00 What is our dream?41:31 Liberation to new thinking     

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• Kincentric Leadership: The Unlearning And Emergence Of A New Kind Of Spiritual Leader with Justine Afra Huxley

  In this moving conversation, Victoria Loorz and Justine Afra Huxley explore kincentric leadership as both an unlearning and an emergence — a return to sacred relationship with Earth and a new way of living as spiritual leaders. Drawing from Sufi tradition, spiritual ecology, and deep listening to the more-than-human world, Justine invites us into a future shaped by kinship, reverence, and co-creation.Mentioned in the episode:Website: patmccabe.netConnect with Justine:Website: kincentricleadership.orgBook: Generation Y: Spirituality and Social ChangeMagazine: emergencemagazine.orgWebsite: goldensufi.orgWebsite: stethelburgas.orgConnect with the Center:Website: wildspirituality.earthVictoria's Website: victorialoorz.comEmail: [email protected]: linktr.ee/ctrforwildspiritualityInstagram: @center_for_wild_spiritualityTimestamps:0:00 Introduction4:48 Justine's Beginnings in the Sufi Tradition7:35 Sacred Earth9:15 An Encounter In Devon10:56 Inner Life Becoming Outer Life12:05 Suffering Earth Severance12:39 The Work Is Spiritual15:29 Integration At Every Level17:29 Unlearning At Every Level22:41 Kincentric Leadership25:03 Many Knowledges Integrating26:34 Readiness For This Wild Shift27:49 The Need For New Words31:35 Avail Yourself33:13 Offerings To Water36:00 A Fire Ceremony Story38:17 The Pace Of Emergence40:02 Adapting Without Appropriating41:01 Inviting Earth In To The Ceremony Markers42:14 Farewells43:58 Wandering Invitation45:34 Corrine and Golden EagleClick here to view the episode transcript.

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