WildWood Wanderings

Meghan Norean
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WildWood Wanderings guided by Meghan Norean will connect you to spirit and magic as we journey through the natural world. meghannorean.substack.com

  1. May 15

    Grounding through Transitions

    If you are new here to my podcast Wildwood Wandering, welcome! This is an irregularly posted podcast where I take a walk in the woods and share nature observations and reflections from my life as a druid and cyclical being. The last podcast I recorded was at the beginning of the year and it is difficult to believe that we are headed quickly towards the summer solstice. There have been so many pieces shifting and moving for me this season, much like the air element in this season of spring. Luckily, I had a 90 minute gap between the gym and my next appointment, so I thought it would be a great time to find some grounding in one of my favorite natural areas. And why not take you along with me! Oh how I wish you could come hiking with me. Until that day comes when we are together in-person walking through the forest, enjoy exploring it through my wanderings. Here is what came through in this episode: * my cycle check-in from day 25, which turned out to be the last day of my cycle * a podcast episode on stinging nettles that I can’t seem to find now to give you the link * lots of distractions with wildflower photos * difference in brushing past and grabbing a stinging nettle * finding ways to stay grounded and present through the hard things * buds bursting on an American Beech * story of hiking in the Himalayas and falling into a stinging nettle patch * feeling into the transition between spring and summer * signs of that transition in the land * reflecting back on the places I’ve lived as we get ready to move again * the exhaustion of continually uprooting and re-grounding * reflections of journeying with the air element in The Elemental Grove * the trillium patch that has dried up * how there are finite air molecules circulating in the atmosphere * the cycling and sharing of breath * an age of too much air and finding the ground * spicebush and spicebush swallowtail butterflies * magical ferns covering the forest floor * strange temperature fluctuations here in May * struggling to let go of the capitalist agenda that values expertise * creaking of a falling tree * my love for learning and sharing what I’m learning * feeling the solidity of the earth with each step * right now all we need to do is be here Photos from this wildwood wandering… Thank you for being with me and taking a moment to wander. I would love to hear: What transitions are you navigating at the moment? How are you staying grounded in the midst of change? may the earth hold you, Once a month, paid subscribers in The Elemental Grove gather live for an Awen Co-Magic Circle—where we slow down, tune in, and work with the current season together. This month we’re continuing our exploration of air: where it shows up, what it’s asking, how it moves through us. When you subscribe to The Elemental Grove, you’ll receive seasonal ritual guides with meditations, tarot spreads, nature prompts and more to support your journey through each season. Our next Awen Co-Magic Circle is Sunday, May 17th at 12pm ET. We’d love to have you there! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meghannorean.substack.com/subscribe

  2. Jan 15

    This year… let’s make room for side quests

    If you are new here to my podcast Wildwood Wandering, welcome! This is an irregularly posted podcast where I take a walk in the woods and share nature observations and reflections from my life as a naturalist and cyclical being. We are 15 days into this “made-up” year of 2026. Nothing astronomically marked our passage into a new year. A piece of paper (a calendar) simply ushered us from December 31, 2025 into January 1, 2026. And still, there’s a part of me that wants to get everything in order, to clear the decks, and begin anew. I love dreaming, visioning, and setting intentions. ✨ Yet, I’ve been wondering lately if goal setting (or even New Year’s resolutions) are still a thing in 2026? No judgment for those who have their goals mapped out and are already kicking those resolutions into shape, but I have found that living cyclically doesn’t leave much room for the linear idea of setting a goal and marching step by step toward it until completion. This linear framework just don’t work for the slow, gentle life my mind, body, and spirit want to live. When I look back on my life, I can’t recall a single time I moved straight ahead, head-down, towards a big goal. There have always been ups and downs, lefts and rights, moments of backtracking, even times of being completely turned upside down. These are what I’m calling side quests. They change the path and, in doing so, shape and inform where I’m actually meant to go. After feeling disappointed with my wish jar from last year, and with all the side quests I took throughout 2025, I’m choosing to reframe my intentions to be more expansive and spacious enough to hold more side quests. Listen in as I explore these concepts (and more) throughout the episode: * the fluctuations in temperature throughout the winter season * my cycle check-in from day 10 * introducing my pup, Cinnamon * emotional check-in around what’s happening with 🧊 * feelings of spiritual renewal since the solstice * finding warlock’s butter fungus * how noticing things in nature during the winter feels special * learning from Cinnamon about not taking a direct path * pondering about goal setting * letting intentions grow roots before taking action * allowing side quests to inform where I’m going * reflecting on my wish jar from last year * how there is no end point in nature or even our universe * perennial and annual plants that both have a cycle * finding oyster mushrooms, hearing a northern cardinal, and coming across a dead raccoon * sharing one of my intentions for the next two years, that I will be offering on here beginning in April! 💨🔥💦🌲✨ Thank you for wandering with me, for listening, and for moving through this exploration of intention without a fixed path. This space welcomes side quests, slowing down, and paths that only reveal themselves along the way. I would love to hear: What intentions are you carrying into this season and how willing are you to let side quests reshape them? may all your side quests bring wisdom, This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meghannorean.substack.com/subscribe

  3. 10/21/2025

    Gathering at the Samhain Hearth

    We are gathering around the Samhain Hearth on November 1st. Sign up to join us here: https://meghannorean.thrivecart.com/samhain-hearth/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meghannorean.substack.com/subscribe

    Gathering at the Samhain Hearth

  4. 08/20/2025

    Walking with a Heavy Heart

    If you are new here to my podcast Wildwood Wandering, welcome! This is an irregularly posted podcast where I take a walk in the woods and share nature observations and reflections from my life as a naturalist and cyclical being. I have been finding it really difficult to write these days, so I thought recording a podcast would be easier. Well, it was! And then I realized that I needed to write a description to go along with it, that was the hard part, but here it is now. I recorded this on August 1st, the day you might call Lughnasadh or Lammas. I did find and eat my first wild blackberries this season! But I feel really disconnected from the energy of abundance and harvest. There is enough food in this world for all of us to be fulfilled, yet so many go without, whether by force, by design, by systems rooted in greed and control. How do we celebrate abundance while others starve? I feel more fear and hopelessness, than I do abundance at the moment. After recent ICE raids in my community (literally 2 blocks from our house), I’m on edge and not even slow walks through the woods seem to be easing my nervous system. Here are some of the things I process in this episode: * musing on why making this podcast is easier than writing a post * my cycle check-in from day 16, inner late summer * feelings of discouragement with my body * a hillside of baby trees (which I totally misidentified!), I now believe they were northern spicebush * annoyance with the mosquito buzzing in my ears * how I feel spiritually disconnected * all the dried up crusty mushrooms * the ICE raid in our community with large support by the local police * the fear and nerves I feel for my spouse when he goes out everyday * learning from the mushrooms how to decompose * my experience at a recent forest bath * forced disconnection from the Land * the starvation in Gaza * reflecting on trees that blew down * how life feels the opposite of simple * what it means to have a high reward food system * talking about the book I’m absolutely in love with right now! * musing about how much I’ve learned being a naturalist over the last two years * a sad fern story * first blackberry harvest, fitting for this Lughnasadh season * holding on to hope Photos from recent wildwood wanderings… Thank you for witnessing me today and being open to slow walks in the woods. I would love to hear what you are noticing around you these days? What are the stories nature is telling you? holding it all, together, with you This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meghannorean.substack.com/subscribe

  5. 05/21/2025

    The Unfurling of Spring

    If you are new here to my podcast Wildwood Wandering, welcome! This is an irregularly posted podcast where I take a walk in the woods and share nature observations and reflections from my life as a cyclical being. I recorded this on April 24th, when I was close by my favorite local park and spring was just beginning to look like spring. As you’ll hear in this episode, I have been underwater and overwhelmed, so it has taken me almost a month to get from recording to uploading. 🫠 Not surprisingly, I’m in the same point of my cycle today as I was when I recorded this: inner late summer/early autumn. Sometimes it feels like I only have two or three days in my cycle when I can actually complete a task. ufff… But no more dwelling on how I feel disappointed in myself for taking so long to upload this episode and more celebration that I finally got it out there! Thanks for coming with me on my walk and having patience along the way. Here are some of the unfurlings in this episode: * nature observations on this warm spring day in Pennsylvania * the slow growth of the trillium * playfulness of the jewelweed * how I am actually unsure of my cycle day at the moment * struggling without a routine * stress of home renovations * all the busyness that has kept me away * my new injury that has put a dent in regular life * how disrupting it is without sleep * the lack of butterfly observations this year * making impulsive choices with adhd * short-term pleasures with long-term ramifications * cycles of overwhelm, numbing, and recovery…repeat * pondering on how these cycles overlap with my inner seasons Photos from this wildwood wandering… Thank you for wandering with me, and for being open to noticing the land beneath you—even in the midst of overwhelm, delays, and everyday life. What’s stirring in the nature around you these days? What’s it reflecting back to you? together in the unfurling of life, This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meghannorean.substack.com/subscribe

  6. 03/07/2025

    Traipsing Through the Mud

    If you are new here to my podcast Wildwood Wandering, welcome! This is an irregularly posted podcast where I take a walk in the woods and share nature observations and reflections from my life as a cyclical being. I visited a new park for this wandering and had a short timeline before making it to my rain water catchment workshop, yet I managed to connect to the land and myself. Here are some of the tidbits I share in this episode: * my cycle check-in for day 14 * nature observations on this late winter/early spring day in Western PA * joining the Western PA mushroom club * what is phenology * finding black bear scat * traipsing in the mud * gamifying my spiritual practices * healing from a bad ankle sprain and the disappointment of not being able to complete some goals I had set this year * what are vernal pools * my work in the world and how my purpose matters in the political climate we are in here on Turtle Island * being authentic and how the revolution needs all of us to show up in who we are Photos from this wildwood wandering… Thanks for listening along with me and opening yourself up to more awareness of the land beneath your feet and the connection within you. What are you noticing in the nature around you? What is it teaching you? may you move through the mud with grace, Wildwood Wanderings is a listener-supported podcast. To support this work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meghannorean.substack.com/subscribe

  7. 08/22/2024

    We are in a drought.

    Here we are again for another episode of WildWood Wanderings! On a recent walk through the woods, on cycle day 2, I came across a field of wildflowers struggling to live in this drought we are experiencing. I felt a deep kinship with these echinaceas, black eyed susans, and milkweeds, together, as we struggle amid this dry season. I was hesitant to take out my phone to record this episode, because I was afraid that I was going to be very negative with how I was feeling. Yet, I felt the pull of the invitation to just press record and process what I noticed through the walk. This turned out to be one of the most magical hikes I’ve ever been on, with lessons from the amethyst deceiver mushroom to hold on to hope and a snake that has shed their skin reminding us that we are capable of transformation. If you listen to the whole episode you will hear the seismic shift in my energy from the beginning to the end! I would love for you to share down in the comments: * Where you are in your cycle and how you are doing. You can also share with us over in the chat as we are on day 19 of our 30 day ritual! * How do you nourish yourself when you are experiencing a dry season? * What lesson is nature teaching you today? You can support this podcast by become a paid subscriber at $7/month. Root & Rhythm is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meghannorean.substack.com/subscribe

  8. 07/03/2024

    I failed!

    Welcome back for another episode of WildWood Wanderings! In this episode, I am sharing some recent failures and how I am moving through them. It can be really defeating to set a goal and not be able to reach it. I don’t think enough of us share those moments when we fail, so I hope that by sharing it will open up the space to normalize failure. It happens to all of us! I would love for you to share down in the comments your moments of failure and how you have moved through those tender feelings. This helps us all know that we are not alone. You can support this podcast by become a paid subscriber at $7/month. Root & Rhythm is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meghannorean.substack.com/subscribe

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About

WildWood Wanderings guided by Meghan Norean will connect you to spirit and magic as we journey through the natural world. meghannorean.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Meghan Norean
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Meghan Norean
  • Show Website
    WildWood Wanderings