This is a special 3-part episode of Bristlecone Firesides. Abbey and Madison are joined again by poet and mystic Kathryn Knight Sonntag as well as new guest Amber Richardson to explore the Wild Woman archetype. Within the shared collective unconscious lies the Wild Woman — a mythic symbol of pure womanhood, undefiled and untamed. The Wild Woman runs with wolves and embodies all the beauty and terror of life and death as well as shamelessly embraces pleasure, pain, and everything in between.

Part 3 pulls apart our images and expectations of the Divine Mother. Most of our projections of Heavenly Mother are very tame, quiet, domestic, white, and kindly. When we apply the Wild Woman to the Divine Mother, what do we get? Can Heavenly Mother be covered in soil, scrapes, sweat, and salt? Can she be wild, fierce, beautiful, and ugly? And how does the spiritual wildness, found in the Divine Feminine, ultimately lead us to Wisdom and mystical experience?

Transcript

Madison

Madison

Equal parts hippie-mystic, gastronomist, and comic-book nerd, Madison is not your average Mormon. By day he works to protect Utah's wildlands with Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. And by night he cooks, reads, and otherwise lives a pretty normal life. Madison takes great pride in being his niece’s and nephew’s favorite uncle, his three sister’s favorite brother, and his parent's favorite son (he has no brothers to compete with).