SOPHIE STRAND on Myths as Maps /312
Mixed media artwork © Alexandra Levasseur titled “Biophilia” (2022) depicting symbolic portrayals of plants, elements, and human-like beings interacting within an environment; Posted with permission.
In this winding and lucid conversation, guest Sophie Strand invites us to investigate our relationality, to embrace rot and decay, to welcome our demons to the dinner table, and to prepare for uncertain futures with tenderness. Sophie brings to light the wisdom of the compost heap.
Rather than shirking the thought of death and decay, Sophie introduces myths and lessons that bring us closer to the messy and unpredictable cycles of humanity. The conversation brings rooted context to the stories that revitalize us as humans, and the proverbial compost heap brings new life to earth-sustaining ritual and relationship.
Sophie and Ayana tap into deep lines of thought and myth, weaving together conversations and concepts from thousands of years of human history. As the interview asks, “What is it to be human on our most basic level?” To be a human is to be in complicated and compromising relationships – relationships that implicate us within the other, that show us that love is a process of altering and of deep work. Purity is not an option. In challenging the eco-preciousness that guides so many movements today, Sophie provides a route to overcome the death-trap that is self-righteousness, instead prioritizing humble complexity and surrender to relationality.
Rooting into the autumnal season of rot and decay, this conversation is a perennial reminder of the vitality of good-soil, and the cycles of life and story that sustain us across generations.
“What would it mean to claim fertility inside of decay?”
Photo of Sophie Strand
Sophie Strand is a writer based in the Hudson Valley who focuses on the intersection of spirituality, storytelling, and ecology. Her first book of essays The Flowering Wand: Rewilding the Sacred Masculine will be published by Inner Traditions on November 22, 2022 and is available for pre-order. Her eco-feminist historical fiction reimagining of the gospels The Madonna Secret will also be published by Inner Traditions in Spring 2023. Subscribe for her newsletter at sophiestrand.substack.com. And follow her work on Instagram: @cosmogyny and at www.sophiestrand.com.
♫ The music featured in this episode is “Cave Vaults (Instrumental)” and “Empty Vessels” by Tan Cologne and “Texas Reznikoff” by Mitski.
Episode References
Substack: sophiestrand.substack.com
Website: www.sophiestrand.com
The Flowering Wand: Rewilding the Sacred Masculine by Sophie Strand (Simon & Schuster Publishing)
Sophie’s Recommendations
Like the rare genetic connective tissue disease I was born with, the mycorrhizal connective tissue of the soil is also underfunded and under-researched. While these fungal systems underpin and contribute to the resilience and biodiversity of ecosystems faced with increasing climatological pressures and anthropogenic incursions, they are underrepresented in conversation assessments. We cannot save the body of the forest without first attending to the fascial systems that keeps it woven together. We can help to protect and better understand these mycorrhizal communities by supporting the research and work of Spun Underground and the Fungi Foundation.
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For The Wild Podcast is an anthology of the Anthropocene; focused on land-based protection, co-liberation and intersectional storytelling rooted in a paradigm shift away from human supremacy, endless growth and consumerism.