Shows
The Wandering BelowTwo Projectors Answering QuestionsHey everyone! We're back with another Human Design episode. This time we're answering some questions recently shared by @samzagar on Instagram. The questions are geared toward Human Design Projectors and invited us to open up about ourselves, our fascinations, and the things we see in the world around us. If this sounds like all of our other episodes... it isn't! Not quite, anyway. Tune in to hear us share some of the things we like and don't like, even though they might not exactly fit with our usual conversations here on The Wandering Below. We'd also love to know...
2024-09-2541 minThe Wandering BelowOur Human Design Experiment: Deconditioning Check-InIt's been a year and a half since we published our first Human Design episode, so we're back with a deconditioning update! Today we chatted about where we're at in our Human Design experiments and what we've been noticing lately in terms of our aura types (projectors), our authorities (emotional and splenic), and our profiles (3/6 and 4/6).
Tune into our first episode on this topic from March 10, 2023 here ----- Our Human Design Experiment: Deconditioning as Projector Partners
2024-09-0458 minThe Wandering BelowOlympics + BelongingFun fact: Davide is a huge sports nerd and an especially devoted Olympics fan. In this episode, he shares what it's been like following his country's teams and athletes while living abroad. This sparked a conversation between him and Stella on the themes of belonging, patriotism, nostalgia, levels of identity, language, and connection.
2024-08-1542 minThe Wandering BelowTrauma, Nature, and ReconnectionIn this episode, we mention four types of trauma: emotional, chemical, electromagnetic, and separation from Nature. From there, we explore how to reconnect with the natural world, no matter where we live or what our lifestyle is like. We noticed through our wandering that there's much overlap between the ways we relate to nature and healthy human connections.
2024-07-2937 minThe Wandering BelowCan Charity Build Community?Davide and Stella talk through a web of thoughts on charity, volunteering, the gift economy, generosity, privilege, and whether or not giving builds community.
2024-07-1733 minThe Wandering BelowWe bought a house!In this episode we check in with updates on what's been happening in these past few months. We talk about buying and renovating a house, making big decisions as a couple, learning when is best to compromise within one's context, and our dreams of what community could be when spaces that foster it are accessible to all.
2024-07-0250 minThe Wandering BelowG on CommunityStella and Davide interview Gary - aka G - on community, contribution, competition, belonging, and social media.
2024-02-1047 minThe Wandering BelowCommunity-Building and the Nervous SystemThis bonus episode was inspired by a question Davide asked in our interview with Hayley and Katie (Season 3 Episode 6).
Tune in for an introduction to polyvagal theory (including a quick overview of the ventral vagal, dorsal vagal, and sympathetic nervous system responses) and our take on why understanding this theory can support us in forming connections and building communities.
RESOURCES
A book that unexpectedly changed our lives when we read it earlier this year was Waking Up to the Dark: The Black Madonna's Gospel for An Age of Extinction and...
2023-12-0415 minThe Wandering BelowHayley + Katie on CommunityHayley and Katie join us today for tea and a thoughtful conversation. Tune into this episode on community and belonging to hear our interviewees' perspectives on the queer community, connective virtual spaces, Swifties, and how symbols and labels can help you find your people.
2023-11-3054 minThe Wandering BelowCecio on CommunityTune in for this conversation on community, culture-shaping, and belonging where Davide and Stella interview Cecio.
2023-11-0831 minThe Wandering BelowGary on CommunityTune in for this conversation on community, culture-shaping, and belonging where Davide and Stella interview Gary.
2023-10-3054 minThe Wandering BelowDavide on CommunityTune in for this interview about community, culture-shaping, and belonging where Davide and Stella touch on the integral role of land in community, the loneliness of rooting into a new place where other humans aren't well rooted, the implications that king/queen/ascension mentality has on belonging, and "virtual communities."
2023-10-2945 minThe Wandering BelowStella on CommunityTune in for this interview about community, culture shaping, and belonging.
2023-09-2549 minThe Wandering BelowGathering Community, Rooting Belonging
We’re back! Welcome to Season 3 of The Wandering Below podcast. In this episode, we’ll share:
The energetics of late-summer, Traditional Chinese Medicine’s fifth season of the year
Where we’re headed with the podcast!
Inspired by this time of the earth element and of centeredness and abundance, we’re beginning to open up our conversation space to include the stories and reflections of those around us. What lies ahead are discussions with invited guests about community, belonging, and culture-building — and we hope these chats are just the starting poi...
2023-09-1519 minThe Wandering BelowSummer: The Season of Grit + GratitudeJoin us for a conversation about the rich bewitchment that gratitude brings. The natural flow of thank-yous matches the abundance of the season, so let’s anchor a practice of circular gift-giving in the form of appreciation at this time of year when feeling grateful comes so easily.
In this episode, we share excerpts from Sacred Economics: Money, Gift & Society in the Age of Transition (Charles Eisenstein) and Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (Robin Wall Kimmerer). We talk about the gift economy, how plants teach us to relate to the land wi...
2023-06-3047 minThe Wandering BelowConnecting With the Energetics of the Season: Summer 2023Happy summer to one and all! Join us for the fourth in a series of episodes on seasonal energetics. Today we engage with the time of fire and joy using Traditional Chinese Medicine’s (TCM) five-element (or wuxing) system.
We rant about the false concept of endless summer and wonder about the connection between one’s elemental constitution or personality and the season in which they tend to thrive. We highlight the distinction between climate and weather and discuss the power in being able to differentiate between emotion and spirit.
We close it out dreaming abou...
2023-06-2353 minThe Wandering BelowConscious Consumerism: Clothing LabelsThis episode is part II in a mini-series on conscious consumerism. Today we’re discussing ethical and ecological clothing labels, the basics of fabric production, and how our shopping choices relate to the health of our planet and its beings.
We talk through the meaning behind the following clothing labels and production certifications:
Organic
Fair Trade Certified™
Regenerative Organic Certified®
OEKO-TEX® Certified – STANDARD 100 and MADE IN GREEN
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified – “Made With Organic” and “Organic”
We also break down the differences between natural, semi-synthe...
2023-06-161h 18The Wandering BelowConscious Consumerism: Food LabelsThis episode is part I in a mini-series on conscious consumerism. Today we’re discussing food labels, agricultural practices, and how our choices at the grocery store relate to the health of our planet and its beings.
We talk through the meaning behind the following food labels and agricultural certifications:
Non-GMO
USDA Organic
Real Organic Project
Regenerative Organic Certified
Certified Regenerative (A Greener World)
We also break down the many descriptors used for both beef products and eggs, which tend to be particularly convoluted.
...
2023-06-0958 minThe Wandering BelowChanging the Conversation on Climate ChangeToday we’re breaking down a few basic concepts in the discussion on climate change. We talk through terminology that’s common but sometimes misunderstood including global warming, greenhouse gasses, fossil fuels, carbon emissions, and carbon sequestration.
In previous episodes, you’ve heard the etymology of “regeneration” and “sustainability.” Today we bring the root of the word “conservation” into the conversation, which delivers an interesting depth to what might otherwise be a pretty heavy topic.
Referencing an article recently published by Charles Eisenstein, we share the perspective that shifting our focus from carbon to water and from climate c...
2023-06-021h 08The Wandering BelowCultural Trajectory in a Time of CrisisJoin us for a wandering conversation on anarcho-primitivism!
If you’ve never heard of this — yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like: a movement that fuses anarchy with a primitive lifestyle. This ethics-driven framework serves as a critique of current economic and political systems.
In this episode, we’re questioning whether it’s actually possible to live in deep relationship with Nature and fully adhere to the Wise Earth paradigm (discussed at length in recent episodes) in the context of modern society.
Using anarcho-primitivism as an example of an extreme way of life with...
2023-05-261h 11The Wandering BelowExploring German New MedicineToday we’re taking another deep dive into a framework that supports viewing the world as unbroken. This healing paradigm, called German New Medicine (GNM), combines the scientific and Wise Earth traditions we discussed a couple episodes ago.
Like any paradigm, GNM is a way of seeing things. In particular, this system serves as a lens through which the human body can be understood from a biological and evolutionary perspective.
It is neither a healing modality nor a means for fixing problems. It is simply — and profoundly — a mindset that positions Nature and its creatures as inf...
2023-05-1958 minThe Wandering BelowAnchor New Beliefs to Adopt a New ParadigmSimply wanting to adopt a new mindset is not powerful enough of a technique to change your mental rules.
In this episode, we’re using presuppositions from the neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) model to talk through how to adopt new beliefs.
Neuroplasticity explains the brain’s ability to rewire itself through experience. Flexibility in our neural pathways effects changes in thinking and behavioral patterns and can have a sustainable impact on our mental health and emotional well-being.
If you want to shift your beliefs about the world, you’ll need to exercise your neuroplasticity in ord...
2023-05-1246 minThe Wandering BelowParadigms of HealingAs a follow-up to our previous episode on medicine, we zoomed out to look at the frameworks provided by three major healing paradigms. These medical- or health-based traditions gave rise to the tools, medicines, and modalities we’re familiar with today, but what we’re focusing on here is how they also provide different lenses through which we as individuals view the world.
This discussion revolves around how our mindset informs the ways we see our own personal wellbeing, yet its implications overflow into every area of human life and far beyond. We’re diving into this topic...
2023-05-051h 15The Wandering BelowWhat Is Medicine?Welcome to the first episode of Season 2 of The Wandering Below: Messages of Healing for an Unbroken World. With this season’s focus being on what we mean by “healing” and “unbroken,” the question “what is medicine?” is really just a starting point for a much broader conversation – and truthfully this episode barely scratches the surface of all there is to explore on the subject.
Join us as we talk through the etymology of “medicine” and “health,” the four bodies or levels of being, and the seven medicines of the Wise Earth Tradition.
For referen...
2023-04-281h 12The Wandering BelowSeason 2 TrailerThere’s plenty of evidence suggesting our world is broken. There’s an endless supply of stories circulating about how society is fragmented and the environment is being destroyed.
If we tune into the narratives currently firing across the collective, it’s natural to experience a sense of hopelessness. However, when we encounter even an ounce of inertia beyond the despair, it reveals to us a request for our participation.
Nature reminds us that we are not the problem, but rather that challenges arise when we shy away from our humanness. The paradox is that being...
2023-04-2103 minThe Wandering BelowConnecting With the Energetics of the Season: Spring 2023Welcome to the final episode of Season 1! We’re back with another seasonal check-in as spring is in the midst of unfurling.
In this conversation, we chat about:
Precision of language and reframing “I have to” as “I get to”
How gratitude isn’t a forced sense of positivity but rather an invisible spirit that breaks barriers and encourages flowers to bloom
Spring being the time when potential energy is activated and transformed into kinetic energy
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) associations with this season – the wood element, anger, and expansive Jupiter
How healthy early-growth c...
2023-04-1445 minThe Wandering BelowSurviving Versus Thriving in Your EnvironmentThis was an emotional episode. We talked about surviving and thriving, immigration and welcoming, grief and gratitude, place-based identity and nourishment, sankofa and remembrance, ancestors and energetic codes, and what it’s like being a bridge between the past and the future.
We opened with a bit of background on the topic that inspired this conversation: the environments in human design. From there, we allowed it to flow freely to see where we landed. As usual, we wound up wondering and wandering through uncharted depths rather than reaching a concrete conclusion.
This discussion weaves together so...
2023-04-0753 minThe Wandering BelowOn Safety: Well-Being, Fear and Fighting, and the Human Design SpleenIn this episode we share the etymology of “safety” and “protection,” discuss how a sense of safety starts from within while the ability to protect requires the development of certain skills, and explore how the Human Design splenic center relates to all of it.
As humans, we have animal bodies and conscious minds. Our reality revolves around both survival-based instincts and interpersonal relationships. We have biological on/off switches that tell us when there’s a threat in front of us and when we’re safe. We also have community and culture that impact us and are impacted by...
2023-03-311h 11The Wandering BelowCoping With GrowthToday we’re chatting about growth, eldering, and charged language. The Wandering Below is a collection of our raw conversations – and sometimes that includes calling each other out in love. We push each other’s views on growing, decomposing, and identifying what’s truly valuable.
As much as we might not want to think about it, there are fewer elders in our world now than ever before. Maybe that’s why we hold innovation in such high regard – and even why something being held in “high” regard is considered a good thing. What about things that stay low? Or things t...
2023-03-2457 minThe Wandering BelowWinter Solstice Ritual & Seasonal Check-InToday we’re reviewing seasonal energetics, sharing the script from our 2022 winter solstice ceremony, and checking in with where we’re at in this period of hibernation. We’re complex humans in simple animal bodies after all.
Winter’s darkness invites celebration. Engaging in ritual during this time keeps us grounded throughout our journey along the internal, spiritual spiral we travel upon during the season of emptiness.
In this episode, we reflect on how winter has flowed so effortlessly for us this year and posit that perhaps this could be rooted in the way we blessed...
2023-03-1753 minThe Wandering BelowOur Human Design Experiment: Deconditioning as Projector PartnersWe’re diving into something that’s been a huge point of fascination for both of us this past year: Human Design! Learning this system has supported us as individuals, as a couple, and in the ways we interact with the world.
Davide is a 3/6 emotional projector and Stella is a 4/6 splenic projector, so we have plenty of insight on being in a projector-projector relationship – and an emotional + splenic relationship (!) – that we’ll share with you during this conversation.
We’re certainly not Human Design experts, but we’re deep into our experiments and will wander through...
2023-03-101h 09The Wandering BelowConnecting With the Energetics of the Season: Autumn 2022 EditionIn this episode, we do a breakdown of seasonal energetics, focusing not only on the seasons themselves but also the phases of the moon. So much can be revealed about the nature of things when we have eyes to see the world around us.
This conversation was recorded in November 2022, so we dive deeper into the texture of autumn in particular and share personal stories about how fall feels to each of us.
We round it out with a characteristic rant about society’s disconnection from Nature and talk about how much more fulfilling harvest se...
2023-03-0349 minThe Wandering BelowThe Words We Use Matter: The Case of RegenerationIt’s easy to pick up a new phrase like “regenerative agriculture” and run full-speed-ahead toward implementing it without ever looking back. But the language we use matters. In episode 3 of The Wandering Below, we share the etymology of the words “regeneration,” “generation,” and “ecology” and reflect on the energetics of using these terms in the context of producing food and stewarding the land.
Find us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thewanderingbelow/
2023-02-2427 minThe Wandering BelowReal Sustainability Demands DeathIn episode 2 of The Wandering Below, we tear up the term “sustainable” after diving deep into the idea that death is its own natural phenomenon. We talk about our tendency to distance our bodies from Nature’s cycles, where those tendencies come from, and how living lives infused with cyclicality grounds us into a sense of home. Based on its etymology, we see sustainability as a linear concept that denies the natural endings of things.
There is an enormous conversation to be had around sustainability, and we realize that a single podcast episode can’t reach the level of...
2023-02-1744 minThe Wandering BelowYou Can't Recreate What You Didn't Create"Regeneration" is not a process we can control because it's impossible to recreate what already exists. Maybe we're missing the point when we focus on regenerating ecosystems because it perpetuates a pattern of detachment from Nature.
We explore how guilt and other emotions might invite action from Earth's crusaders and wonder what it would be like if we felt our feelings and sank into our fascinations instead.
We focus on regenerative agriculture, but we believe that how we do one thing is how we do everything.
Find us on Instagram - https://www.i...
2023-02-1038 min
The Wandering BelowAll of You Is Welcome HereThe Wandering Below: Messages of Healing for an Unbroken World
When we say "deep", we mean covered in soil, nurtured by darkness, and dancing (slowly) among the mycorrhizae.
These are our usual conversations. As playful as we intend to be, it tends to turn deep pretty quickly.
We're not seeking to fix anything. We're not even looking for answers. We're explorers traversing the terrain (and sub-terrain) wondering how the story will unfold. We feel most successful when we wander full-circle and land on another question.
It's funny how the "messages of...
2023-02-0801 min