Reclaiming the magical way of life via your lost animist landscape
This week’s show is with Rob Wildwood. Rob Wildwood is an author, a photographer, a tour guide and a folklore researcher from the North of England.
Rob Wildwood was born in a seaside town in Yorkshire and spent his childhood exploring the local countryside and the myths and folklore of the North York Moors. He was introduced to Norse shamanism in his early twenties and had a keen interest in history, particularly the history of Britain’s pagan past. He spent many years taking part in Viking festivals all over Europe and spent some years living in Scandinavia where he expanded his online business called ‘The Jelling Dragon’ which sells hand-crafted reproductions of Viking artefacts.
He was fascinated by the animist beliefs of primitive cultures, which see everything in nature as being imbued with spirit. This led Rob to travel the world experiencing indigenous cultures, including spending time with the Kalahari Bushmen, the nomadic Penan of Borneo and the forest Naikas of India.
These travels revived his interest in shamanism and he eventually returned to England to study core shamanism in Glastonbury. While there he also became involved in the faery scene where people dressed as magical beings and even practiced a form of pagan faery spirituality. This marked the beginning of another long adventure where he sought out and photographed magical places all over Britain, tuning into the energies of these places and receiving channelled messages using shamanic journeying techniques. This led directly to the publication of his first book ‘Magical Places of Britain’ which is a richly illustrated photographic guide to the folklore of these sites. His spiritual adventures and visionary experiences while visiting these sites have now finally been collated into this book you are holding, ‘The Land of the Fae’.
Rob has subsequently visited many more sacred sites and magical places, both in Britain and while travelling extensively around the world, including sites in Ireland, Scandinavia, North America, Hawaii, New Zealand, Indonesia, India and eventually Australia, where he spent several seasons studying Aboriginal culture and exploring the dreamtime legends of the sacred landscape there. These experiences led to the publication of his book ‘Primal Awareness’ which seeks to answer the question: “Why did mankind become so separated from nature and world of spirit?” The book also offers exercises that seek to redress this imbalance.
Rob also became interested in dowsing, ley lines and earth energies, and has followed ley lines extensively across Britain and Europe. He eventually settled down in Glastonbury, Somerset where he still lives and is self-employed as an author, photographer and tour guide.
In this conversation, Rob and Lian explored the magical history of Britain, how we can reconnect to this land and its spirits, and reclaim the magical, mythical worldview that’s our human birthright.
I’d love to know what YOU think about this week’s show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment below.
What you’ll learn from this episode:
The folklore and tales of the land can act like maps showing us the magical places and beings that inhabit those places that are waiting for us to re-discover them
To commune with the spirits of the land, we need to create the right conditions to open to them - whether that’s a shamanic journey, following the breath or entering trance in some other way.
Rob has seen that the beings of the land want to be recognised and honoured again - we can give them that with our attention and offerings
Resources and stuff that we spoke about:
For more information about Rob, visit his website and Facebook page:
Website: themagicalplaces.com
Facebook: Rob Wildwood's Magical Places
Thank you for listening!
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Thank you!
Lian & Jonathan