In this episode of The Holy Wild, Victoria Loorz speaks with Sean Ó Gaoithín, the lead gardener at Glenveagh National Park, Irish forest-tender and a third-level Hedge Druid, about his journey of ecological restoration, ancestral reconnection, and spiritual practice. They share how sacred relationship with land is remembered through language, biodiversity, and embodied gestures like Gaia Touch. Together, they explore insights on rewilding efforts in Donegal, the ancient Celtic festivals, declaring peace with nature through prayerful movement, and how despair and hope can both be holy as we return to sacred kinship with Earth.

Connect with Sean:

• Article: Native Woodlands of County Donegal Book Launch
• Instagram: @ogaoithin

Mentioned in the episode:

• Book: Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• Organization: Botanic Garden Conservation International
• Video: What is GAIA TOUCH? Interview with Marko Pogacnik
• Video: Gaia Touch 1: Body Exercises by Marko Pogacnik
• Organization: Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids
• Article: Rudolph Steiner's anthroposophy

Connect with the Center:

• Website: wildspirituality.earth
• Victoria's Website: victorialoorz.com
• Email: hello@wildspirituality.earth
• Linktree: linktr.ee/ctrforwildspirituality
• Instagram: @center_for_wild_spirituality

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction
• 08:38 The Seeded Wild Forest
• 11:45 Donegal
• 13:01 Indigenous Language As A Doorway
• 16:12 "Ecology Is My Religion"
• 17:46 Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)
• 20:09 A Gardener Hopes For Eden
• 25:01 Hope and Despair are both Holy
• 26:06 Invasive Species
• 28:45 Gaia Touch Earth Yoga
• 31:34 Transmitters and Receivers
• 34:43 The Fairies of Particular Places
• 40:48 Declaring Peace
• 43:51 Weeds Are Part of Biodiversity
• 47:44 Generational Shift
• 50:49 Sean's Druid Journey
• 54:41 Order of Bards Ovates and Druids
• 57:36 Celtic Annual Cycle
• 60:54 The 7 Directions
• 66:37 Being Drawn Home
• 71:16 Sacred Invitation
• 73:32 Ethan and Cherry Tree
• 76:43 Outro

In this episode of The Holy Wild, Victoria Loorz speaks with her sister and co-author, Valerie Luna Serrels, about the transformative movement of Wild Church. Together they explore how sacred relationship with Earth is being rekindled through embodied spiritual practice, intentional community, and the reclamation of ancient ways of knowing. They reflect on the Field Guide to Church of the Wild, a book they co-wrote to support this growing network, and share insights into the shift from dominance to kinship as a core spiritual calling.

Mentioned in the episode:

• Writing: USING EMERGENCE TO TAKE SOCIAL INNOVATIONS TO SCALE by Margaret J. Wheatley

Connect with Valerie:

• Book: Field Guide to the Church of the Wild
• Website: wildchurchnetwork.com
• Email: valerie@wildchurchnetwork.com
• Online Community: The Ecosystem

Connect with the Center:

• Website: wildspirituality.earth
• Victoria's Website: victorialoorz.com
• Email: hello@wildspirituality.earth
• Linktree: linktr.ee/ctrforwildspirituality
• Instagram: @center_for_wild_spirituality

Timestamps:

• 00:33 Introduction
• 05:00 Field Guide
• 09:45 Living Paradox
• 13:15 Wild Church Network
• 23:10 Feminine Emergence
• 26:53 Seeing Tree
• 28:51 WCL Offer *
• 31:02 Grounding
• 34:15 Redefining Church
• 36:52 Reclaiming Vocabulary
• 39:27 Acknowledging Land and Ancestor
• 43:30 Re-Placing Rituals
• 47:20 Advocacy Through Relationship
• 48:06 Wandering Saunter
• 49:59 Threshold Crossing
• 51:33 Permission Asking
• 53:00 Connect with Valerie
• 54:17 Closing Benediction
• 57:27 Melissa and Grandmother Oak
• 58:56 Outro

*When signing up for the Wild Church Leadership Course, mention PODCAST in your submitted form to get $50 off the cost of the course.

In this profound conversation, Victoria Loorz is joined by ethnobotanist, Franciscan brother, and spiritual ecologist Gary Paul Nabhan—also known as Brother Coyote—exploring themes of cultural and spiritual resistance, sacred relationship with the land, and the transformative power of remembering ancient ways. Gary shares stories of his time with Indigenous communities, his recent recovery from a traumatic head injury, and his hope for agrarian sanctuaries in a time of ecological and societal collapse. Inviting us into a re-enchanted worldview grounded in interconnection, reverence, and resilience and concluding with a poetic practice of naming the relationships in the natural world, reorienting us toward wonder and communion.

Mentioned in the episode:

• Book: Against The American Grain: A Borderland's History of Resistance by Gary Paul Nabhan
• Article: On Doors and \cracks\ by Bayo Akomolafe
• Book: Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth by Debra Reinstra
• Podcast: Refugia Podcast with Debra Reinstra
• Agrarian Trust: agrariantrust.org

Connect with Gary:

• Website: garynabhan.com

Connect with the Center:

• Website: wildspirituality.earth
• Victoria's Website: victorialoorz.com
• Email: hello@wildspirituality.earth
• Linktree: linktr.ee/ctrforwildspirituality
• Instagram: @center_for_wild_spirituality

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction
• 05:53 The Land That Raised Brother Coyote
• 07:22 Engaging All Senses
• 09:52 Old Stories Collapsing
• 11:32 Awkward Teen Phase
• 12:28 Against The American Grain: A Borderland's History of Resistance
• 15:24 Desert Spirituality
• 17:29 Practical Sanctuaries of the Wild
• 22:32 Listening Through Diversity
• 24:29 Cultural Resistance
• 28:13 Retreat to Assisi
• 29:57 Take Little Steps
• 31:34 Coming To Our Senses Through Body
• 34:09 Active Incarnation
• 36:29 Relationship > Thing-ness
• 38:53 Ancient Expressions
• 41:59 The World of Fragrance
• 46:23 Wild Invitation
• 49:26 Alex and the Ocean