Restoring Kindred Relationship with the Sacred Earth
In the midst of profound unknowing and unprecedented ecological, political and cultural collapse, the call of the holy wild echoes within the souls of those who are listening.
The old stories of patriarchy and empire have increasingly tragic impacts on all species and all ecosystems on Earth. But beneath the clamoring chaos is a whispering call coming from the heart of the Beloved.
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Seminary of the Wild Earth is an experiential certificate program for those who are listening -- the mystics and edgewalkers -- who are courageously saying "yes" to that call. Participants are invited to wander on the land, to enter into conversation with the wild others, and to engage in practices of rewilding their own souls. This program is a container for deep dialogue with a cohort of like-hearted friends.
a threshold crossing
Year One:
EcoSpirituality Certificate
The time has come to lift that veil of fog and return to intimate relationship with the living world. More and more of us are taking our place, once again, as full participants in the web of life,which we remember is held together by love. ​
— Victoria Loorz, Church of the Wild
​​​​The first year of the two-year Seminary of the Wild Earth is focused on your own journey to reconnect your spirituality with the rest of the living world -- no matter what tradition (or no tradition) you identify with. Restoring sacred relationship with your place, with all the beings as kindred members of the wider beloved community is not a new religion. Rather, it is a way of remembering that we are intimately connected with All That Is.
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You likely have experienced this sense of deep belonging at some point in your life. Most children do. Re membering ourselves back into relationship with the web of interconnected aliveness is a practice we all know deep within our DNA.
The word "seminary" at its core means "wild seed bed," a place to nurture the seeds placed deep within you with a vision for a kinder, more alive relationship with the holy and the wild.
Seminary of the Wild Earth is a transformative online program offering a new kind of seminary. It invites you to honor and nurture the seed of vision growing louder inside you, urging you into service of the New Story — the kin-dom of God, where all beings are interconnected in sacred, beloved community.
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The foundational year offers an immersive journey into eco-spirituality, deepening your connection to the Place you call home. Each week, you engage in experiential practices guided by the land, fostering inner transformation through soulful reconnection with the wild. You’ll gather every other week in intimate councils with a small group of fellow wanderers, cultivating a safe space for exploration. In the weeks between, experienced guides will lead thought-provoking conversations blending embodiment work, imaginal journeys, poetry, and music. Personalized 1:1 sessions with your council guides provide tailored support to help you process and integrate these rich invitations into your life.
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Upon completion, participants receive an Eco-Spirituality Certificate and are invited to embark on a summer Vision Quest, marking their transition and renewed commitment to the wild earth. Graduates can extend their journey into a two-year program, receiving a vocational certificate in Eco-Spiritual Direction or Wild Guiding to explore how to share this work with their communities.​​​​
A Community of Like-Hearted Edgewalkers
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Those who are drawn to Seminary of the Wild Earth share a common commitment to restore sacred relationship with Earth. You have likely heard a call deep within you -- a call of the sacred wild -- to step into your particular place within this emerging (and yet ancient) worldview. ​You are not alone on this counter-cultural path. There is a cohort of fellow edge-walkers to accompany you.
The companionship of like-hearted others is essential. Since 2020, over two hundred compassionate and creative souls—therapists, coaches, pastors, architects, professors, executives, lawyers, doctors, students, activists, artists, mothers, fathers—have graduated from Seminary of the Wild/Earth, each forging new pathways to reconnect spirituality with the living world.​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Graduate Stories
“(The program) was like this deep inhale — such a gift of time and space and community to learn and to grow. It was such a safe and sacred space. It's nice and cozy to just sit and read and learn, but there comes a point where you feel that now you've been given this gift. I feel like I've been given this gift to give to others.”
– Ash Rodriguez, chef and author
"For me, an identity shift happened. It has to do with being a woman who is in touch with the wisdom of the Earth, who is intuitive and wildly indigenous, who is whole, who sees the enchantment and the sacredness all around and wants to share that with the world. I am glad that I am confident in who I am and what I have to bring and give to the world. … Thank you again for giving the space to deepen into this journey."
— Wendy Janzen, wild church pastor
"This program has made me think so much about how the call of the wild is really a call to the deepest authentic self. It is about being and belonging rather than competing or strategizing. I’ve come to think of freedom as, really, the courage to live from your deepest, most authentic self. The self that is wild. That’s what Seminary of the Wild has been immensely helpful for me and I feel so much gratitude for it."
— Quentin Dunne, therapist
The Barred Owls
Each year we name our cohort after a particular being who is considered by our dominant culture to be“an invasive species” or a pest. They are often overlooked for the sacred medicine they offer. Last year was Dandelions, before that Coyotes, before that were the Starlings. (the four cohorts before that didn't have names yet!) This year, the Barred Owl has asked to be embraced as our mascot.
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Indigenous to eastern North America, these beings have been migrating west due to climate changes and human invasion of their habitats. They are settling in places like the Pacific Northwest where they are thriving. Problem is, they are more resilient than the native and endangered spotted owl.
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The notion of fixed native ranges, however, can be misleading, especially as climate changes force species to migrate into new habitats and co-create ecosystem-wide changes. Barred Owls invite us to reflect on the meaning of immigration, belonging, and adaptation within the complexities of our increasing climate crises.
A Container for Transformation
In a way, Seminary of the Wild is more of a container for your own transformation than it is a program to learn new things. We believe that each person is given a seed of a vision for their own becoming in service to the world. The journey requires each person to trust their own inner authority rather than following a prescriptive path of rewilding. It doesn't work that way.
The curriculum follows the theme of the indwelling transformative pattern built into all things. Life - death - new life: the way live evolves individually, collectively and ecologically. In Christian terms, the flow of the year honors the rhythm of the pascal mystery built into all things: seasons, sleep, maturity, enlightenment, aliveness.
The year begins with a profound understanding of our original belonging,
moves into the essential role of exile, loss, and grief as an emptying that allows for new life to emerge,
and completes with the return home--only in a deeper, more grounded
sense of belonging to a larger beloved community.
With the support of trained eco-spirituality Guides and a supportive community, the curriculum offers opportunities to explore your own story in sacred connection with the land and waters and creatures of your home place, weaving together your inner landscapes with the outer landscapes of your ancestors, your own life story and Earth as a whole.
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This path involves experiential ways of learning, using all your senses, emotions, and body, as well as your mind. The teaching comes in the form of wandering on the land, embodiment exercises, deep personal investigation, creative expression, myth making and imaginal encounters. Throughout this course, you will learn not only how to go deep to discover your own particular calling and gifts, but support in delivering those gifts in service to the world.
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Wild Earth
Wild Spirit
Wild Soul
1. Wild Earth. The work of rewilding begins by restoring intimacy with the particular beings and elements of your place, no matter where you live. You open the gates to this enchanted land and you step through the threshold. You are drawn by mystery and learn to listen to the messages that are spoken in a language beyond words.
2. Wild Soul. Tapping into your wild soul begins by asking yourself deep questions. Where do you feel tamed? In which ways are you ready to step outside the culture of domestication? Rewilding your soul means remembering that you are part of the fabric of nature, and you are called to be in deep relationship in the web of life again. A pathway of wholeness.
3. Wild Spirit. Listening deeply to the land through soul-to-soul conversation opens you to Spirit and inevitably brings about a transformation which is inherently spiritual ... and even religious (if you understand the core meaning of the word religion as re=again + ligios=connective tissue like ligament.) You are called to rewild your spirituality in deep relationship with the more-than-human others.
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4. Wild Call: Year Two. These aspects of rewilding are interconnected, of course. The work involves a process of weaving back together what was never actually disconnected! By reconnecting your wild soul's relationship with wild Earth through the power and presence of wild Spirit, you discover your unique wild calling at such a time as this. The second year is a support system to help you weave your vision to serve Earth and your community together in a kin-centric and life-affirming way.
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Program Elements
Live online sessions
The full cohort meets bi-weekly for live zoom sessions we call “seedings,” meant to sprout new ways of connecting with an alive and sacred planet. Victoria, along with a team of "wild luminaries," orient the sessions with content to shift your relationship with your place, with Mystery, and your own soul. The experiential sessions are rich with deepening invitations, embodiment practices, and immersive imaginal journeys, all rooted in wandering experiences in your own wild places.
Guided small group councils
Every other week, participants meet in council with an intimate group of 6-8 others. These are “kinship groups” that deepen throughout the year, led by Wild Guides who are gifted eco-therapists, eco-spiritual directors, and wild coaches who have deeply engaged in this work themselves. Council is a safe space to share from the heart to integrate the transformative experiences, and hold one another in mutual support.
Seasonal intensives
Each of the three modules include a day-long intensive on the first Saturday of each module. After an online opening session, participants are invited to wander on the land for an extended time and to come back together into small groups to process. The intensives are an opportunity to connect more deeply with our places and with each other. They tend to bring transformative experiences and are an important part of immersing into each new module.
1:1 Mentoring
Six mentoring sessions with your Guide are included. These calls are a chance to receive personalized guidance to deeply explore, process, and apply course content and to integrate your own discoveries and wonderings. Mentors are highly trained and equipped with diverse modalities. These sessions are a supportive space to help you unpack, integrate, and digest your rich rewilding journey.
Ecosystem community
Our online community, The Ecosystem, is an active and dynamic space to engage with peers, find resources, explore prompts and invitations, and share your journey and insights alongside a community of like-hearted friends. Hosted on the Mighty Networks platform, The Ecosystem is an accessible and connective space. You will have access to the larger cohort, as well as a more intimate space with your council group.
Weekly invitations
Every week the Guides provide deepening invitations. These include readings and listening resources, journaling prompts and creative expression, reflection papers, poems, prayers and songs, and — most importantly — weekly invitations to wander in your own sacred wild places as you deepen into relationship with the more-than-human Others who share your Place.
"What is your role in this love story of reconnection, restoration, and compassion? What part of the sacred wild is calling you to be ordained into service on her behalf?"​
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— Victoria Loorz, Church of the Wild
