Imagine belonging so deeply to the wild that you would breastfeed a motherless squirrel. The endangered Amazonian Awa people love wild animals so much that the women breastfeed and treat them as part of the family. In return, the animals help them with everyday tasks such as cracking open nuts and getting fruit from high trees.
When you think of “family” what comes to mind? I am willing to guess, that besides our beloved pets, we all define our family in mostly human terms. The Awa people have a strikingly different notion of family that includes wild creatures, some of whom have suckled alongside human kin. When we count wild creatures as our intimates, it radically changes how we nurture and protect our wild places – our home.
This holiday season I encourage you to expand your concept of family and home to include your neighborhood trees who continually inspire you with oxygen, and the sweet little birds who sing you awake with their song. For a moment, bring to mind your extended furry and feathered family and wish them health, joy and prosperity in the New Year. This simple act is radical because when we change how we relate to nature, we change how we treat the Earth and all of our wild relations.
This is exactly why I founded Go Wild Institute – to foster a deep sense of belonging in the great web of life. And, this is why I have launched our Wild Woman:Your Nature is Calling program that weaves modern science with the ancient awareness that the earth is alive, sentient and sacred. It is an opportunity for women to awaken our natures, build a wild sisterhood and (re)source from the Earth. The adventure begins in February. Come join us. The Early Bird Discount ends on December 17th.