Episodes

  • The Allurement of Nature: A Spiritual Journey with Victoria Loorz

    The Allurement of Nature: A Spiritual Journey with Victoria Loorz
    Jan 29 2025
    “We have lost relational language for the natural world and lost part of our own souls along with it.” - Victoria Loorz, author of Church of the Wild Wild Church Pastor, Eco Spiritual Director, author and founder of Center for Wild Spirituality Victoria Loorz wants us to reimagine our own wildness and our interconnectedness to the earth. Victoria’s invitation to reciprocity, relational language, and choosing to belong wherever you are is a breath of fresh mountain air in these tense times. In the face of looming empire Victoria honestly talks about what we’re facing and also imbibes us with the hope that can be found when we recognize the innate and inherent value in every living being. We are grateful for Victoria, her work around rewilding, and her reminder that the earth deeply loves us.

    Cool stuff we mentioned this episode (or meant to anyways):
    Church of the Wild by Victoria Loorz
    Seminary of the Wild Earth
    Eco Spiritual Direction
    Braiding Sweet Grass by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
    Matter and Desire: An Erotic Ecology by: Andreas Weber

    Chapters
    00:00 The Allurement of Nature and Spiritual Connection
    04:30 Journey to the Center for Wild Spirituality
    09:00 Exploring the Sacred in Nature
    12:55 The Role of Conversation in Spirituality
    17:40 Grief, Connection, and the Presence of the Holy
    21:59 Finding Belonging in Unfamiliar Places
    32:36 The Spiritual Connection with Nature
    38:07 Language and Worldview: Nouns vs. Verbs
    44:46 The Role of Religion in Shifting Worldviews
    51:01 Reciprocity in Nature and Relationships
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Rooted in a Future for Good: Inauguration Episode with Neil Moseley

    Rooted in a Future for Good: Inauguration Episode with Neil Moseley
    Jan 20 2025
    Neil Moseley, consultant, bird guide, and all around lovely human joins us for this Inauguration Day special. When we dig at the root of the word Inauguration we find an invitation to cast a future of our own imagining. If today feels particularly challenging to you, we want you to know that you are in good company. This conversation invites us all to notice how we feel, admit the reality of the challenges we face, to spend time processing with our best dumb-dumbs, to check in on our neighbors, and to be attuned to our intuition. In this next Trump era we invite you to be rooted in community, allurement, and love. We get to cast the future, friends. Let’s collectively make it something beautiful for all people.
    Cool stuff we mention this episode (or meant to anyways):
    Pleasure Activism by: Adrienne Maree Brown
    The Three Evils of Society by MLK Jr.
    Exodus 1
    Spell for Grief or letting Go by: Adrienne Maree Brown
    Where to Find Neil Moseley: He cannot be found.

    As always, reach out to us if you are looking for community to process!

    Chapters
    00:00 A Spell for Grief: Embracing Loss and Healing
    05:02 The Meaning of Inauguration: Etymology and Future
    12:58 Exodus and Oppression: Lessons from History
    21:13 Local Organizing: Building Community in Difficult Times
    26:05 The Importance of Community Connections
    30:41 Finding Joy in Simple Organizing
    36:20 Nature and Spiritual Connection
    41:09 Intuition and Truth in Activism
    50:24 The Slow and Mysterious Work of Change
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    59 mins
  • Nathan Shultz on the Wisdom of Wild Places

    Nathan Shultz on the Wisdom of Wild Places
    Jan 15 2025
    Nathan Schultz, founder of Path Wise Ventures, joins us today to talk about the wisdom of wild places. Raised as a missionary kid outdoors, Nathan’s journey from coporate funraising to pilgrimage leader is one of following his own interior knowing. We dive into the importance of connecting with natural spaces, of following the call of our hearts, and of embracing mystery. Nathan’s imaginative view of the world reminds us that we’d all be better off if we remembered we were friends with the trees.

    Cool stuff we mentioned this episode (or meant to anyways):
    Path Wise Ventures
    Center for Wild Spirituality
    Sometimes a Wild God - Tom Hirons
    Matthew Fox
    Bill Plotkin - Animist (Eco psychology)
    Gilead - Marilynne Robinson
    When I was the Forest - Meister Eckhart



    Chapters
    00:00 Exploring John Muir's Legacy and Evolution
    02:44 Nathan's Journey: From Missionary Kid to Eco-Spirituality
    05:40 The Concept of Rewilding and Its Personal Impact
    08:31 Walking in Reciprocity: A New Perspective on Pilgrimage
    11:21 Resistance and Transformation on the Spiritual Path
    13:59 Embodiment and the Journey Within
    16:47 The Monotony of Pilgrimage: Finding Depth in Repetition
    25:54 Nature as a Spiritual Guide
    27:41 Exploring Eco-Spirituality and Healing
    29:00 Encountering the Wild God
    31:25 Sources of Inspiration and Wisdom
    35:25 The Call for Reciprocity with Nature
    36:31 Emerging from Extinction: A New Perspective
    39:12 Building Communities for Sustainability
    39:18 Delighting in Connection with Nature
    43:00 Finding Guidance in Nature
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    45 mins
  • Carl McColman Invites Us into Mystery

    Carl McColman Invites Us into Mystery
    Jan 8 2025
    This week pilgrimage with us into the expansive mind of spiritual director, author, and contemplative teacher Carl McColman. Carl’s vast knowledge of mysticism, Thomas Merton, and contemplative concepts makes this a fascinating and open ended conversation. Carl walks us through four fundamental questions he journeys through as a spiritual director:

    Throughout this imaginative chat we are reminded of what is possible when we approach the world in a spirit of hospitality and carve out time for intentional silence.
    1. Who am I?
    2. Who is God?
    3. Who are we?
    4. Who are they?
    Throughout this imaginative chat we are reminded of what is possible when we approach the world in a spirit of hospitality and carve out time for intentional silence.

    Cool things we mentioned this episode (or meant to anyways):



    • Carl McColman
    • Encountering Silence Podcast
    • The Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton
    • Mysticism by: Evelyn Underhill
    • Carl’s Instagram
    • Eagle Poem by: Joy Harjo

    Chapters
    00:00 The Epiphany of Thomas Merton
    02:54 Introducing Carl McColman
    05:51 The Influence of Monastic Spirituality
    08:33 The Importance of the Interior Life
    11:30 The Future of Christianity and Mysticism
    22:28 Understanding Mysticism
    32:41 Entering Silence: Practical Steps
    38:09 Embracing Silence and Solitude
    40:55 The Journey of Self-Discovery
    43:11 Understanding Relationships: Who Am I and Who Are They?
    46:39 Saint Makers: Growth Through Conflict
    48:32 Metaphors of Mysticism: Marriage and Pilgrimage
    50:35 Interfaith Dialogue and Spiritual Growth
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Cheers to an Enchanting New Year

    Cheers to an Enchanting New Year
    Jan 1 2025
    Cheers to you dear listeners! Thank you for your support of Radical Sacred. This week we reminisce on all the ways the year has unfolded since our first episode of 2024 and we look towards our hopes and discuss our honest fears for 2025. Join us as we choose an intentional word as we head into this new year. Even if you’re not down with the Gregorian calendar, we recognize the beauty and potential of viewing each day as a new beginning.

    Cool stuff we talked about this episode (or meant to anyways):
    Radical Sacred 2024 New Year’s Episode
    Rob Bell Episode
    Kelly and Jess Love Story
    The Enchanted Life By Sharon Blackie
    A Benediction for the New Year by Sophie Strand
    For a New Beginning by John O’Donohue


    Chapters
    00:00 A New Year Benediction
    06:33 Nature's Healing Power
    12:05 Tools for Self-Reflection
    17:18 Exploring Enchantment: Four Aspects of Connection
    22:46 Imagination and Childhood: Rediscovering Enchantment
    28:26 Embracing Creation: A New Year’s Intention
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    34 mins
  • Y'all Want to See a Fresh Baby?

    Y'all Want to See a Fresh Baby?
    Dec 25 2024
    Quick note, we had a little issue with Jenny's audio in this episode. Apologies for the few places her audio drops out. If you have questions about what she said, or you think she said, feel free to reach out to us!

    Merry Christmas from Radical Sacred! This week we went on a walk instead of having a meeting and it unexpectedly led to the delight of holding a friend's brand new baby. When we’re met with the Incarnation of God in a beautiful moment whether it be through the story of Mary’s Journey and the birth of Jesus or through holding a neighbors “fresh baby” we are reminded that God is with us and invites us into Incarnation as well. This Christmas season we invite you to listen to this episode and think about the ways you too can tap into the depth and breadth and love of Mary’s sacred heart.

    Cool things we talked about this episode (or meant to anyways):
    • Rev. Bill Lamar Dec. 22nd sermon
    • Chris Yost. Dec. 22nd sermon
    • Wake up Child by: Birdtalker
    • Sway by: Kacey Musgraves
    • Luke 1:39-56 (CEB)

    Chapters
    00:00 Christmas Reflections and Introductions
    04:24 Mary's Journey and the Magnificat
    08:43 The Importance of Community and Support
    13:00 The Significance of the Incarnation
    16:47 Songs of the Season and New Beginnings
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    28 mins
  • Winter Solstice and the Pilgrimage of the Firefly

    Winter Solstice and the Pilgrimage of the Firefly
    Dec 18 2024
    When the seasons are changing how do we respond? This episode we talk about the light that is found when we begin to look within, the wisdom of learning to walk in the darkness, and the different ways that we can honor the changing weather and our changing humanity. Whether we call it Winter Solstice, Advent, or simply the movement from fall to winter- how are we being invited into our own depths and what will our response be?

    Cool stuff we mentioned this week (or meant to anyways):
    Find "Common Eastern Firefly" in the book "All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings"
    Snowy Night by Mary Oliver
    Advent from a United Methodist Perspective
    Advent: In Anticipation
    Winter Solstice
    To Know the Dark by: Wendell Berry
    Barbara Brown Taylor


    Chapters
    00:00 The Life Cycle of Fireflies: A Metaphor for Transformation
    05:22 The Winter Solstice: A Time for Reflection and Growth
    10:54 The Beauty of the Night Sky: Nature's Wonder
    16:22 The Journey of Advent: Waiting and Anticipation
    21:52 Apocalyptic Texts: The Promise of New Birth
    27:00 The Journey into Darkness
    32:17 Disorder, Reorder, and Orientation
    37:28 Finding Connection in the Dark
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    43 mins
  • Pilgrimage into Storytelling with Kim Powers

    Pilgrimage into Storytelling with Kim Powers
    Dec 11 2024
    This was a fun and wide ranging conversation with visual artist Kim Powers! Kim shares with us the importance of storytelling and the ways that our stories can either bring us together or tear us apart. We talk about why art and beauty matters, particularly when everything feels kind of dark and the importance of finding the wholeness of all the things. Kim invites us to make room for the fullness of others, and in doing so, we also make room for the fullness of ourselves.

    Cool stuff we talked about this episode (or meant to anyways):
    • Art Sanctuary by Nikki Giovanni
    • How to Die Alone
    • Adrienne Maree Brown
    • Kim’s gorgeous website
    • How to Bridge Deep Divides with Loved Ones - Ted Talk with Betty Hart
    Chapters
    00:00 The Power of Art as Sanctuary
    02:39 Creative Pilgrimage and Personal Journeys
    05:29 Storytelling as a Connective Tissue
    08:13 The Nature of Pilgrimage
    10:52 Spirituality and Creativity Intertwined
    13:19 Navigating Foreign Lands in Storytelling
    16:08 The Wholeness of People in Storytelling
    18:55 Safety and Fear in Narrative
    21:38 Creating Tension vs. Fear in Theater
    24:25 The Impact of Audience Expectations
    27:00 Balancing Personal and Professional Life
    31:23 Re-centering and Finding Balance
    32:42 Guides and Relationships
    34:23 The Importance of Connection
    36:13 Branching Out and Expanding Worlds
    38:04 Creativity and Imagining Possibilities
    39:47 Art as a Reflection of Reality
    43:50 Balancing Activism and Enjoyment
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    52 mins