Detailing her ongoing connection to the earth and the wonder she feels about humanity's place within and as a part of nature, Jacqueline details the way our rhythms are drawn from those of the earth.

Discussing his signature field atlases, Obi shares a longing to understand the whole of a place – not just the marquee places, but the systems and interconnections that keep the earth pulsing with life and shares how a simple question can crack open the complexity of life on earth.

Jason offers his deep wisdom about the ecological, spiritual, and cultural importance of buffalo, detailing the health benefits of eating buffalo, the ecological benefits of their migration and grazing, and the healing benefits of connection to these animals. 

Envisioning other ways of creating democracy,  Báyò, Madhulika, and Minna describe festival democracy, democracies of contestations and dancing, and democracies of the more-than-human.

Ayana and Stephen contemplate vital questions about the value of tradition, the importance of strangerhood, the possibility of reckoning, and the meaning of ancestry. Stephen’s questions disrupt and unsettle the status quo, and perhaps lead us to the lessons we so deeply need.

Ayana and AbdouMaliq meditate on how the design of our environments shapes us. Considering how to make marginalized places and groups more visible but not more vulnerable, AbdouMaliq offers a nuanced perspective of the “global majority.”

As Andrea shares their journey connecting to the eternal, genderless “We,” they invite listeners to contemplate their identities beyond this life alone. As we let the need to know fall away, what miracles might reveal themselves to us? 

Death is a process of decomposition, how can we come to embrace this reality? Katrina joins Ayana to discuss the possibilities of burial practices, ways to connect with death, and the value in thoughtful death plans. The way we design death rituals matters in how connected we feel to the process of death. 

We are honored to once again share this episode with you as a profound reminder of the place we share with the qwe 'lhol mechen, their capacity for memory, grief, and love, and the many ways that the Lummi Nation continues to protect, defend, and restore the Salish Sea.

Keiara shares her journey with the Compton Cowboys and her experiences as a Black cowgirl. The respect and accountability necessary for a good relationship with a horse is also necessary for a good relationship with each other. How might animals be our guides and companions in making the world more equitable? 

Bringing a rich background of research on forms of intelligence, from artificial to mycelial, James posits that it is a critical failure to use human intelligence as the benchmark for all forms of knowing.

Toko-pa considers the ways we may rehabilitate our imaginative capacities and encourages us to take time and pay attention to dreams. What is internally guiding us towards our potential? Connection to ourselves, to nature, and to each other are intertwined.

Amy points out the thresholds of everyday life and the value in sitting with uncertainty calling to mind the importance of making space for contemplation. In this life, we need many therapeutic moments. How can we make space for self-care and self-regulation as we cope with the journeys of life and death? 

Speaking about climate grief and hope, Báyò, Naomi, and Yuria build together to consider the value in tapping into the depth of emotion as we feel it, not as we are told we should feel it.

Collins dives deeply into the world of wealth hoarding and staggering inequality. Recognizing the complexity of these issues, Ayana and Chuck engage deeply with questions of philanthrocapitalism, tax spending, the wealth defense industry, and power inequities across society.

Diana of Rewilding Argentina’s Patagonia Azul project brings expert insight as she talks listeners through the complexity of international biodiversity goals and declarations emphasizing the importance of creating truly protected local areas rather than just relying on regulations and declarations.

Ayana and Báyò dance together through questions of crisis, identity, and rupture. As we attempt to break from the monoculture that cements us as citizen subjects of empire, Báyò suggests that we need an ontological mutiny. 

Abena points out, farmers are the archivists of the land, and farmers and communities have continued to preserve local foodways—saving seeds for future generations. If we recognized the true value of local foods, what capitalistic practices might we be able to evade?

What if justice gets in the way? Báyò and Keeanga consider how our quest for justice shapes us and is simultaneously shaped by systems of power and control. They ask: how can we move justice out of the existing political paradigm and move beyond a normative sense of justice and reform? 

Zipporah reminds us that our bodies and their cycles are a part of nature, not separate from it. Honoring the seasons of life, of the earth, and of our bodily cycles, Sam highlights the importance of both fallow and fertile times with particular attention to how this manifests for those with wombs.