I’ve never been the kind of person who hugs trees or talks to birds or squirrels. But sometimes I wonder why not. I grew up on a steady diet of stories in which people – ok,children – routinely held long conversations with animals, often in dire situations and in the face of sharply pointed teeth. (I’m looking at you, Red. And you, Goldilocks. Not to mention Snow White, Rose Red, Beauty and all the rest). When they weren't brandishing claws, story book animals seemed like they'd be a lot more fun to hang out with than humans – at least the grown-up variety. Animals had adventures. Grown-ups just went to work.
Lately I’ve been thinking about magical animals thanks to British psychologist and mythologist Sharon Blackie, who works with the mythic and fairy tale traditions of the British Isles. Sharon thinks the old stories offer a path back to the kind of aliveness and sense of enchantment we had as children, when it seemed entirely reasonable to think that a squirrel might be someone quite interesting to talk with. In a recent conversation, she recommended a simple daily practice: Go for a walk and talk to other creatures. "Tell a plant that it's looking especially beautiful today, or say hello to a crow," she says. "You'll feel silly at first but it will become as natural as greeting your human neighbors." You can hear the rest of our conversation in this week's show. “Shapeshifting.” It'll make you think differently about the other animals in our midst.
"Shapeshifting" is the fourth and final episode in our Kinship series about our relationship with the non-human world. The series, which also featured "Eye-to-Eye Animal Encounters," "Plants as Persons," and "Sacred Mountains" was produced in collaboration with the Center for Humans and Nature and with support from the Kalliopeia Foundation.
–Anne