Belonging to the Wild

Ep. 26: Cultivating a Secure Existential Attachment with Mackenzie Amara

In this episode, Mackenzie Amara and I explore the idea of cultivating a secure existential attachment. We talk about what that means and explore what it feels like to have a secure attachment to source, life, or existence itself.   In this fascinating conversation, we also explore themes of love and shame, the experience of spiritual bypass, and what Joseph Campbell really meant when he encouraged us to follow our bliss. We talk about the experience of gods dying and being born, as well as the necessity of living with what Mackenzie calls “crucifying paradoxes.”   Mackenzie Amara is a writer, researcher, consultant, & 5Rhythms® teacher. She is a Diploma Candidate at the International School of Analytical Psychology in Zurich, training to become a Jungian analyst, and she is a clinical psychology doctoral student at Saybrook University in Oakland, CA. She holds a Master's degree in Clinical & Counseling Psychology from Columbia University & a Bachelor's degree in Psychology & Spiritual Experience with a minor in Child & Adolescent Psychology from New York University. She is certified in Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy (The New School & Center for Optimal Living), 5Rhythms® (The Moving Center), and Holistic Psychology (The Open Center). Her research interests include psychedelic psychotherapy, psychedelic integration, dream analysis, mythology & symbolism in clinical practice, and the application of nondual teachings to human growth.    Connect with Mackenzie: Website [http://www.mackenzieamara.com/] Substack [https://mindthepsyche.substack.com/] IG [https://www.instagram.com/__mackenzieamara__/] U [https://www.drdaniellealexander.com/wild-woman?utm_campaign=7af4099e-4cfd-4ff7-964f-f9c210ffaa6a&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail_lp&cid=c7cb3986-ddab-44f8-bb31-1a2e0baa6023]pcoming retreat [https://www.drdaniellealexander.com/wild-woman?utm_campaign=7af4099e-4cfd-4ff7-964f-f9c210ffaa6a&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail_lp&cid=c7cb3986-ddab-44f8-bb31-1a2e0baa6023] Connect with Vanya: Website [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/] Join the Belonging to the Wild Collective [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/pricing-plans/list] Contact Vanya [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/contact] https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/ebook Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/drvanyaleilani/] Download free eBook: A Guide to Leaving the Obedient Life [ https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/ebook]

Ep: 25: The Long Story of Our Souls & Calling on the Dead with Perdita Finn

In this conversation, Perdita Finn and I talk about the generosity of the long stories of our souls, explore what it means to have meaningful relationship with the dead, and circle around deep questions of belonging and connection. Acknowledging that our species often feels lonely, bereft, and disconnected, Perdita invites us to wonder about what it would be like to live in an “economy of prayer.” She asks this beautiful question: How would we live if we all remembered we have been each others mothers? Her work invites us into a sense of deep belonging with all beings ~ human and more-than-human, living and dead.   Perdita Finn is the author of Take Back the Magic: Conversations with the Unseen World and the forthcoming Mother Spell: Summoning the Love at the Heart of the World. She is the co-founder with her husband Clark Strand of The Way of the Rose, an international fellowship of beings dedicated to the earth, the rosary, and the Lady by any name you want to call Her. They are co-authors of the book of the same name. They live with their family in the moss-filled shadows of the Catskill Mountains.    You can connect more with Perdita and her work at here: https://takebackthemagic.com/ https://wayoftherose.org/ IG: @perditafinn   Join the Belonging to the Wild Collective [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/pricing-plans/list] Connect with Vanya [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/] Sign up for Vanya’s Letters [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/ebook] Download free eBook: A Guide to Leaving the Obedient Life [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/ebook]

Ep. 24: Finding Inner Permission with Amy Wilding

In this episode, Amy Wilding joins me in this wonderful conversation about finding inner permission, cultivating body sovereignty, and decolonizing our inner landscapes as we walk into more fullness and freedom. Amy shares about how her body led her into a powerful awakening of her wise and wild knowing. We talk about ways patriarchal consciousness uses our disconnection from our bodies as a tool of oppression, emphasizing the importance of body autonomy and cyclical literacy. As we weave our way through this conversation, we explore the significance of finding the voice of our pleasure and honoring what feels good right now as powerful ways of knowing, guidance, and liberation.   Amy has been leading women's circles and mother-daughter circles in the Louisville area for over 15 years. Her soul work is, first and foremost, dismantling patriarchy by creating safe spaces for women to access their wild wisdom and reclaim their inherent power. She supports people of all ages in cultivating body sovereignty, cycle literacy, and empowered embodiment. She is passionate about guiding menstruators in connecting with their inherent wisdom, and unlearning the shame and taboo related to our amazing, powerful bodies. Amy is a queer and inclusive feminist, author, and National Board Certified Integrative Women's Health Coach. Her first first book, Wild & Wise: Sacred Feminine Meditations for Women's Circles & Personal Awakening, was published in 2017, and her next book, Period of Change: Welcoming Your Daughter's Period with Care and Confidence will be launched in March of 2026.   Ways to connect with Amy: www.periodofchange.com www.redtentlouisville.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/amywildingofficial Insta: www.instagram.com/amywildingofficial Insta: www.instagram.com/periodofchange Ways to connect with Vanya: www.drvanyaleilani.com IG: @drvanyaleilani Download Vanya's free eBook, A Guide to Leaving the Obedient Life [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/ebook] Check out Belonging to the Wild Collective [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/pricing-plans/list] Order Vanya's book, The Flesh & The Fruit [https://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Fruit-Remembering-Creative-Transgression/dp/1910559962/ref=sr_1_1?crid=193ECNKAFG0Y3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JLOxkDCyQ-nBMKMZRzceHjbUCOY4XGjaTJnm4Zrsszgdcm1OTh6iSK-yxT24IIGDh36vDzfJ7Ut86gk8YazoVKwT2hEQLGjVVvJ6qGrV3E9mYtYn5AUgiUdQJXYLrk1b6RJkK3ncynAhu5gHbROtVSwCBqNau1qNgVk-u2t-F25J2XbLVey4Y-L7OMjVSXUPC3DKwx3uNSASlnjioIDJ7XPH1shmkEjTbQ86rerRs3E.saJwdOJI0cZHpYFyEylcDtjPXs4wabrhc-fPzk72MtQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+flesh+and+the+fruit&qid=1749687792&sprefix=the+flesh+and+the+frui%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-1]

Ep. 23: Eros, Creative Transgression, & Imaginal Theology with Dr. Thomas Moore

In this conversation, Dr. Thomas Moore and I explore the experience of creative transgression and the relationship between Eros and transgression. Deeply grounded in the archetypal sensibility and perspective, we discuss the role of obedience and disobedience in the soulful life and the importance of being faithful to the creativedaimon. In this intimate conversation, Dr. Moore shares his views on what he calls “imaginal theology” and what it means to live in spiritual sovereignty. Thomas Moore is the author ofCare of the Soul, a bestseller on the New York Times list for almost a year. Since then he has written thirty books on matters of soul and spirit. He lectures in many parts of the world, recently online in Rome, Brazil, Argentina, Romania, Malta, Russia, Serbia, the United States, and Canada. In those years he has also been a psychotherapist influenced mainly by C. G. Jung and James Hillman, his close friend for four decades. He has won many awards, including an honorary doctorate from Lesley University and the 2003 Humanitarian Award from Einstein Medical School. He has been an archetypal analyst and an unaffiliated theologian. Thomas’s most recent book is The Eloquence of Silence. Thomas Moore's website [https://www.thomasmooresoul.com/] Vanya's Book: The Flesh & The Fruit [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/thefleshandthefruit] Download Vanya's Free eBook: A Guide to Leaving the Obedient Life [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/ebook]

Ep. 22: The Mythic Quest to Find Your Heart with Ben Katt

In this conversation, Ben tells us the story of realizing that at some point his heart had snuck out the back door. In that moment he heard these powerful words: “if you don’t have your heart you have nothing.” He tells us about how this experience launched him into a mythic quest to find his heart again, a journey he shares in his book The Way Home.   We talk about his experiences with synchronicities, vision quests, and the power of images to guide us on our mythic journeys. We explore practices that help us find our heart and Ben encourages us to find practices that “we feel charm around” as we court our hearts back to the center of our lives.   Ben Katt is a meditation teacher, hospice chaplain, and coach. He is the author of THE WAY HOME: Discovering the Hero’s Journey to Wholeness at Midlife. Ben teaches meditation in prisons and facilitates wellbeing experiences for companies and organizations. He is a certified advanced meditation teacher, holds a Master of Divinity degree, and is a former ordained minister. He lives in Milwaukee, WI with his wife and three children.   website: www.benjaminkatt.com [https://www.benjaminkatt.com/] book link: thewayhomebook.com [https://www.benjaminkatt.com/book] IG: @akabenkatt [https://www.instagram.com/akabenkatt/]   Here is the episode with Cherie that I mentioned: Sexuality, Spirituality, and Self-Belonging with Cherie Katt [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/belonging-to-the-wild/id1678148563?i=1000634189398] I would love to connect with you! Website: www.drvanyaleilani.com [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/] Check out my new book: The Flesh and the Fruit [https://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Fruit-Remembering-Creative-Transgression/dp/1910559962/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=HvamF&content-id=amzn1.sym.255b3518-6e7f-495c-8611-30a58648072e%3Aamzn1.symc.a68f4ca3-28dc-4388-a2cf-24672c480d8f&pf_rd_p=255b3518-6e7f-495c-8611-30a58648072e&pf_rd_r=1X26V3N57BXAYTA1K1JQ&pd_rd_wg=tSbvO&pd_rd_r=aeedc5c3-f379-4fcd-945f-de3852c1040f&ref_=pd_hp_d_atf_ci_mcx_mr_ca_hp_atf_d] Download my free eBook: A Guide for Leaving the Obedient Life [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/ebook] Offerings in The School of Wild Knowing [https://www.drvanyaleilani.com/schoolofwildknowing] Find me on Instagram @drvanyaleilani [https://www.instagram.com/drvanyaleilani/]