The Great Remembering: Reconnecting to the Spirits of Nature with Your Dog with Guest Susan Raven

So, I have a question for you. Were you one of those kids who believed in fairies, who believed that animals could talk, and that even your toys might get up to no good when you weren’t home? Did you just love being outside because it felt like home? And the world was full of magic? Yeah, that was me, too! And I feel like much of my spiritual journey as an adult has been an attempt to get back to those feelings I had as a child. I think it’s probably what many of us are looking for - that reconnection, that remembering of the magic that surrounds us, and that is within us. In this episode, I welcome singer-songwriter and author, Susan Raven, who joins me in conversation about her spiritual awakening journey and how this led her back into intimate relationship with nature spirits. She talks about how coming across Rudolf Steiner’s philosophical and scientific writings on the topic of Anthroposophy and the supersensible world - the energetic world that lies beyond our 5 senses - catalysed a transformative understanding of the very nature of the energies and consciousness that is at the very heart of the natural world. She also talks about how her experience of the process of songwriting became a collaborative, intimate back and forth with the landscape itself. Susan wrote the book Nature Spirits the Rememberance: A Guide to the Elemental Kingdom as a “stirrup up to the saddle,” as she says, into the works of Rudolf Steiner and his discoveries of the supersensible world - and how this is being backed up by current research into quantum physics and biodynamic agriculture practices. It marries the mythologies of old with a contemporary understanding. The book also provides easy practices for you to try in order to connect to this unseen, energetic world, too.  Now, you might be saying, what on earth does this have to do with my dog??  Well, as I mention in the episode, our dogs really are a gateway into the natural world, and into these unseen sensibilities. I’m hoping that Susan’s perspectives that she shares in this talk and in her book might offer you a new, magical lens, as you and your dog head out on your walks, and connect with nature, with the land, - and one another -  in a deeper way. Susan has such a beautiful, poetic way about her, and I invite you to sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy the journey she takes us on.  TIMESTAMPS 00:20 INTRO 03:30 INTRODUCING SUSAN RAVEN 04:10 NATURE SPIRITS & ELEMENTALS AS OUR COMMUNITY 05:25 SUSAN’S JOURNEY WITH THE NATURE SPIRITS AS A SONGWRITER 10:15 SUSAN’S SPIRITUAL AWAKENING & HER INTRO TO RUDOLF STEINER’S WORK 16:35 THE CALL TO RECONNECT WITH NATURE SPIRITS 19:00 WHAT ARE NATURE SPIRITS AND ELEMENTALS? 28:25 RE-MEMBERING THE NATURE SPIRITS 32:20 THE LABORATORY TABLE AS AN ALTAR - bringing the soul to science 33:55 THE ROLE OF DIS-EASE 38:45 COMMUNICATING WITH OUR ANIMALS 43:35 COLLABORATING WITH ELEMENTALS TO CREATE OUR OWN REALITY 52:25 STEINER’S 6 STEPS TO SELF-DEVELOPMENT 56:35 DOGS AS GATEWAYS INTO THE NATURAL WORLD 1:02:32 EXERCISE TO CONNECT WITH YOUR OWN BODY ELEMENTAL 1:08:08 FINAL WORDS FROM SUSAN 1:20:00 OUTRO  To find out more about and connect with Susan Raven: Website: https://www.susanraven.com/ Susan’s book: https://www.susanraven.com/nature_spirits.php YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@SusanRaven Facebook: https://facebook.com/susanraven.music This episode was supported by Aspirationery, which in full transparency, is another project of mine. At Aspirationery, we make books, notebooks, and stationery to help you become all you aspire to be! You can check out our shadow work & moon magic journals and workbooks on Instagram @Aspirationery and on Amazon. DISCLAIMER: This is not a substitute for medical advice or other relevant professional advice.