Poet, adventure guide and ecstatic earth worshiper Jacqueline Suskin shares about poetry and cultivating relationships with the earth and all its inhabitants.
You’ll also hear about:
Using poetry as a channel for the earth
How connected we all are even though we feel alone
How the power of making things up is our strongest magic as humans
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Jacqueline Suskin is a self-proclaimed ecstatic earth worshiper, the author of eight published books, all of which center around the earth and its bounty. Currently, she’s focused on bringing her nature poetry curriculum into classrooms around the country and her new book “A Year in Practice – Seasonal Rituals and Prompts to Awaken Cycles of Creative Expression” is available at all major booksellers. This episode was recorded in July 2021 during her time as artist in residence at Folklife farm in Bayside California.
In this episode, we talk about:
Jacqueline’s calling to make poetry more accessible and help people open the door to its transformative possibilities
How poetry’s ability to condense deep concepts and quickly take us to the heart of the matter is the perfect medium for our era’s shorter attention spans
Reminding people that we are part of the earth and that to forget this connection is to forget ourselves
The delight that is possible when we align with the senses
How deep relationship with anyone or anything involves connecting and communicating on a sensory level beyond language
The importance of releasing the pressure to have a certain outcome and just responding to whatever the moment requires
How agenda, outcome and productivity are overvalued by our society at the expense of witnessing and spaciousness
Magic not having to look a certain way
How establishing relationships with the natural elements can allow one to be more spontaneous and less prescribed with their rituals
Jacqueline’s experience running an artist residency
How things can change overnight when we keep showing up in openness and presence, but the amount of time, space, and attention it takes to keep at it can be hard
Stewarding a sense of self to become more connected with our stories, wounds and joy
How healing yourself heals everything else – it’s literally all you can do
Witnessing the shift as we return to more traditional ecological knowledge
The importance of lying down and letting the earth hold you
The power of vulnerability
Poetry as a mindset and not just written words on a page
The institution of poetry vs the spirit of poetry
The importance of continuing to be open and following the signs in your life
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Learn more about Jacqueline’s offerings at www.jacquelinesuskin.com
Connect with Jacqueline on Instagram @jsuskin
Connect with Jacqueline on Substack https://substack.com/@jsuskin
Check out Jacqueline’s book A Year in Practice
References:
Native Land https://native-land.ca/
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Theme music is “It’s Easier” by Scarlet Crow http://www.scarletcrow.org/ and “Meeting Again” by Emily Sprague https://mlesprg.info/
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