Conversations that explore the ideas we live by – re-examining the familiar and catching glimpses of the new.
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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 trees and forests of his childhood. As an adult he travelled far and wide in his search for practices and words that could make sense of his experiences, ultimately finding that the answers were waiting for him at home.
Per Ingvar Haukeland (https://www.usn.no/english/about/contact-us/employees/per-ingvar-haukeland)is professor of Eco-Philosophy and Outdoor Life at the University of Southeast Norway. He has been active in the deep ecology movement, collaborating with the philosopher Arne Naess on two books Life’s philosophy (2003) and Deep Joy: Into deep ecology (2008). He co-founded the Alliance for Wild Ethics (https://www.davidabram.org/awe) together with David Abram, Per Espen Stoknes and Stephen Harding.
PREVIOUS EPISODES WITH PER INGVAR:
Episode 7: Tree Teachings (https://forestofthought.substack.com/p/7-tree-teachings-per-ingvar-haukeland-b59)
Bonus episode for members: Coming into relationship with place (http://Coming into relationship with place)
LINKS:
Per Ingvar Haukeland (https://www.usn.no/english/about/contact-us/employees/per-ingvar-haukeland)
Alliance for Wild Ethics (https://www.davidabram.org/awe)
Arne Naess - Norwegian philosopher who founded the deep ecology movement (https://openairphilosophy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/OAP_Naess_Deep_Ecology_Movement.pdf)
Carl Jung - Synchronicities (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity)
Spinoza - Deus sive Natura (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinoza%27s_Ethics)
Russel Duvernoy - Ecological Attunement (https://muse.jhu.edu/article/967882)
Thich Nhat Hanh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuVqp4KmNWk) on interbeing
Gregory Bateson - Steps to an ecology of mind (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steps_to_an_Ecology_of_Mind)
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🎵 Our theme music is by Christian Holtsteen.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit forestofthought.substack.com/subscribe (https://forestofthought.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
26 May 2026
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 imagination and its relevance to the personal, cultural and environmental issues we face today.
She is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and in two of her recent books, Hagitude and Wise Women, she explores how folklore and myth help women reimagine the second half of life.
Sharon’s lates book, Ripening: why women need fairytales now (https://sharonblackie.net/ripening/) has recently been released!
LINKS:
Sharon Blackie’s website (https://sharonblackie.net/)
Hagitude (https://sharonblackie.net/hagitude-reimagining-the-second-half-of-life/) and Wise Women (https://sharonblackie.net/wise-women/), books by Sharon
The Soul’s Code by James Hillman (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/970831.The_Soul_s_Code)
Cailleach (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cailleach), Irish hag deity
PREVIOUS BLOOD MYSTERIES EPISODES:
Pt 1: Embracing our cyclical nature with Jenny Koos (https://forestofthought.substack.com/p/37-embracing-our-cyclical-nature)
Pt 2: How we honor our nervous systems and cultivate pleasure as a pathway towards health with Kimberly Ann Johnson (https://forestofthought.substack.com/p/how-we-honor-our-nervous-systems)
Pt 3: Birth as a rite of passage with Kristina Turner (https://forestofthought.substack.com/p/e39-birth-as-a-rite-of-passage-kristina)Pt 4: In between worlds – on creating cultures of care after birth with Opokua Britton Cavaco (https://forestofthought.substack.com/publish/post/196520795)
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The FoT Substack (https://forestofthought.substack.com/) is now live! Become a free or paid subscriber (https://forestofthought.substack.com/subscribe)and receive newsletters direct to your inbox.
🎧 All episodes and more at (http://www.forestofthought.com/)forestofthought.com (http://forestofthought.com) (http://www.forestofthought.com/).
💜 Support us on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/forestofthought) (per episode) or Substack (https://forestofthought.substack.com/subscribe) (per month/year). (https://anchor.fm/forestofthought)
🎵 Our theme music is by Christian Holtsteen.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit forestofthought.substack.com/subscribe (https://forestofthought.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
5 May 2026
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 conversation you’re about to hear is not just about the time after birth, but after any challenging transition in life, where we need to be held by those around us. And why is it that we find that so difficult in our culture?
Opokua Britton Cavaco is a doula, nurse and author. She has written books about birth and postpartum culture, and hosts the popular Swedish podcast Okrystat with her sister Asabea.
Opokua’s website (https://curlydoula.com/)
Opokuas book on postpartum culture (https://mondial.se/products/det-nya-livet), co-authored by Maria Borda (in Swedish)
Previous episodes in the Blood Mysteries series:
Pt 1: Embracing our cyclical nature with Jenny Koos (https://forestofthought.substack.com/p/37-embracing-our-cyclical-nature)
Pt 2: How we honor our nervous systems and cultivate pleasure as a pathway towards health with Kimberly Ann Johnson (https://forestofthought.substack.com/p/how-we-honor-our-nervous-systems)
Pt 3: Birth as a rite of passage with Kristina Turner (https://forestofthought.substack.com/p/e39-birth-as-a-rite-of-passage-kristina)
SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE
🎙️ The FoT Substack (https://forestofthought.substack.com/) is now live! Become a free or paid subscriber (https://forestofthought.substack.com/subscribe)and receive newsletters direct to your inbox.
🎧 All episodes and more at (http://www.forestofthought.com/)forestofthought.com (http://forestofthought.com) (http://www.forestofthought.com/).
💜 Support us on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/forestofthought) or Substack (https://forestofthought.substack.com/subscribe). (https://anchor.fm/forestofthought)
🎵 Our theme music is by Christian Holtsteen at (http://stoneproduction.no/)stoneproduction.no (http://stoneproduction.no) (http://stoneproduction.no/).
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit forestofthought.substack.com/subscribe (https://forestofthought.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
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