Mary Reynolds Thompson

A transformative guide to reconnecting with nature through writing, presence, and ecological awareness • Teaches step-by-step writing practices that foster deep connection with place, seasonal rhythms, and the natural world • Provides practical prompts and exercises designed to cultivate wild language, ecological literacy, and personal transformation • Offers creative journaling techniques to process climate grief, restore belonging, and participate in the renewal of Earth Drawing on decades of experience as a facilitator of poetry and journal therapy, Mary Reynolds Thompson shows how to move beyond observation and into relationship with the land, using writing as a tool for presence, healing, and ecological stewardship. She introduces the concept of “wild language”—words that emerge from the co-mingling of human and Earth voices to express an embodied message. Thompson provides methods for cultivating wild language through ten themed sessions, each with stories and reflections, writing prompts, participant examples, and exercises that address topics such as grounding, naming, seasonal awareness, and animal embodiment. You will be guided to explore your immediate environment, chart the seasons, and engage with the soul of a place. Practical applications include character sketches of plants and animals, haiku and haibun writing, seasonal field notes, and reflective exercises for processing solastalgia and climate grief. Thompson’s hands-on approach will support eco-therapists, writers, educators, and anyone seeking to deepen their relationship with the natural world. Not only will you develop ecological literacy but restore a sense of belonging, and discover how writing can be a form of creative renewal in reciprocal exchange between the self and nature. The Wild Scribe will empower you to embody the principles of wild language and reimagine your role within the living world.

An initiatory and Nature-based guide to rewilding your soul. Taking you on a Nature-based journey of transformation and rebirth, Mary Reynolds Thompson reveals how to unleash your full feminine power and discover authenticity, wholeness, creativity, and healing through initiation with ancient Earth Archetypes. Providing a guided map for rewilding your soul, the author introduces the five archetypes of the Wild Soul Woman’s psyche—the untamed, unashamed, and unstoppable aspects of inner feminine power that many women have forgotten or disconnected from. You will undergo five powerful initiations, each centered on ancient Earth wisdom. You will learn from Desert Woman and her Barren Worlds how to let go of what no longer serves you, from Forest Woman and the Dark Womb how to seed new dreams and nurture them in your depths, and from Ocean and River Woman and her Breaking Waters how to ride the flow of your deepest longings. As Mountain Woman you will experience Giving Birth to a vision as you take a stand for your values, and from Grassland Woman you will learn how to support the Nurturing of the New that has emerged within. Sharing rituals, exercises, meditations, and journal prompts to help you integrate these five initiatory stages, the author also explores each Earth Archetype’s Challenge (how to overcome a core wounding), the Shift (how the Archetype empowers you to reach for a fuller, more creative life), and the Way (how to embody its wisdom). She shows how, because both women and the Earth were wounded in similar ways across the ages, restoring your connection with Nature and the wisdom of feminine archetypes can help heal both your soul and the world around you. Woven throughout with inspiring stories of women from around the world who embody these archetypal energies, as well as exquisite illustrations by Kathleen Brigidina, the book reveals how to awaken your inner feminine wisdom and true power. As you reclaim your voice and your visions, you become an unstoppable force of nature. You liberate your Wild Soul.

"In the pages of Reclaiming the Wild Soul, the forests and mountains, the deserts and the oceans, the rivers and the grasslands find their voice. Once heard, we can never forget what they have to say. Nor do we want to. May we all follow the summons and embark on such a journey. Thompson's field guide illuminates the way." --Clare Dakin, Founder, TreeSisters "Woven with enchanting stories and wise counsel, Reclaiming the Wild Soul lavishly supports us, at this time of global crisis/opportunity, to return, emboldened, to Earth and to our own human wildness." --Bill Plotkin, author of Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche and Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche Beyond the chaos and stresses of our modern age, there lies a forgotten yet primal terrain rich in wisdom, healing, and wholeness. In Reclaiming the Wild Soul, Mary Reynolds Thompson takes us on a journey into Earth's five great landscapes as aspects of our deeper, wilder selves. There, where the inner and outer worlds meet, we discover within our souls: the silence and simplicity of deserts the mystery of forests the flow of oceans and rivers the inspiration of mountains the regenerative spirit of grasslands Once awakened, these "soulscapes" reveal the beauty and magnificence of our own true nature--and a path of personal transformation aligned with the healing of the wild Earth. Reclaiming the Wild Soul is simultaneously self-help and a courageous call to action for our times.