S2 #15 / Gordon MacLellan on Sacred Animals

Today we welcome Gordon MacLellan to the Spirit Box to discuss his book Sacred Animals He is a writer, storyteller, animist pagan and environmentalist who has recognised that to really involve people with a renewed interest in, and commitment to, the world around us we may need more than traditional stories or religious parables and moral fables. The stories that grow from direct experience are powerful ways of building connections, building a sense of belonging and when we pare away the green-washing, the jargon, the endless blurbs, a lot of environmental urgency and anxiety just now can come down to connection: to renewing (or refreshing) that sense of really being part of the world. This connection forms a deeper purpose, one of rewilding the soul. His book Sacred Animals is not always animals to see or touch or run away from, but animals to see with the eyes of your mind, to encounter in the other ways. Animals to wonder over in the Otherworld and in this, the physical, world. The heart of this book is a spiritual adventure into contact and friendship with the animal world. It draws on ancient knowledge, surviving traditions, memories of other customs and the simple imagination that helps fill in the gaps. In the Plus show we discuss rewilding the soul. We discuss the human - nature divide and Gordon treats us to one of his wonderful Kelpie stories. Show notes: Ordering books: https://creepingtoad.blogspot.com/2023/05/sacred-animals-new-book.html Twitter: https://twitter.com/creepingtoad Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creepingtoad Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creepingtoad/ Website: https://creepingtoad.com/ Blog: https://creepingtoad.blogspot.com/ Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Creepingtoad Films on youtube mentioned in conversation: Trolls: https://youtu.be/S-XtWbAC3bQ Pond ripples: https://youtu.be/6xLPhiosBfg Keep in touch? https://linktr.ee/darraghmason Music by Obliqka https://soundcloud.com/obliqka