So I finally decided to start offering some online classes via Zoom, starting with one on identifying edible mushrooms! This is a great time of year for mushroom hunting in the U.S., particularly as the rain increases. There are two time slots to give people options:

Sunday, October 18 from 2:00pm - 4:00pm PST

Tuesday, October 20 from 5:30pm - 7:30pm PST

To register, head to http://thegreenwolf.com/classes/ :) If you have trouble registering give me a yell at lupa.greenwolf(at)gmail(dot)com

Also, if there are any topics you'd like to see me teach workshops on, let me know!

Okay, so if you’ve ever wanted to try customizing Breyer models, I just destashed several dozen custom body-quality Breyer lots on eBay (WAY more than what you see in the pics.) If you buy multiple lots I can combine shipping to cut down shipping costs and still get them to you safely. Head over to http://www.ebay.com/str/The-Green-Wolf-Portland; if you search for “Breyer” or “Breyer lot” in my store you can filter out some of the other listings.

Hi, everyone! I’ve added two new tiers to my Patreon account:

--Monthly One Card Reading, $5: Patrons who donate at this level will get, along with access to my patron feed, a one-card reading with either the Tarot of Bones or my animal card deck (your choice). Does NOT include access to the Monthly Nature Spirit Profile!

-- Monthly Reading and Spirit Profile, $10: Patrons who donate at this level will get, along with access to my patron feed, an exclusive profile of an archetypal animal, plant or fungus spirit in the patron feed each month. You will ALSO get a monthly one-card tarot or animal card reading just for you.

This is in addition to over two dozen other Patronage options, starting at just $1/month! And you can still join today to get in on July’s Patron rewards, too. Just head over to http://www.patreon.com/lupagreenwolf :) Thank you!

I recently got an email from someone who was interested in Vulture Culture, but felt like they couldn’t actually be a participating member of this “fandom” unless they were tanning their own hides and cleaning their own bones and otherwise processing their own specimens. It’s not the first time I’ve run into this, either. It’s great that so many Vultures are learning these skills, and DIYing their way through their hobby! But it’s not absolutely necessary.

I mean, look at me. I’ve been working with hides and bones and other specimens in my art for over twenty years, and if you count my childhood collecting I’ve been part of what would become Vulture Culture for well over three decades, longer than some Vultures have been alive. And you know what? I’ve never tanned a hide, and only cleaned a couple of skulls. I can dry-preserve wings, but that’s really about it.*

And that doesn’t make me any less sincere or valid a member of Vulture Culture than all those awesome DIYers out there. There are plenty of reasons someone might not get into the messier aspects of the hobby:

Read the rest at https://thegreenwolf.com/yes-you-ca.....lture-culture/

I am pleased to announce that I have released updated and annotated editions of my three earliest books: Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone; DIY Animism (formerly DIY Totemism); and Skin Spirits! These were originally published between 2006 and 2009 by Megalithica Books, an imprint of Immanion Press. My parting with them is on good terms, and I highly, highly recommend them for anyone wishing to go the small press route for either sci fi and fantasy fiction, or pagan and occult nonfiction. I’ve just been moving more toward self publishing for the bulk of my works in recent years and was given back the rights to these earlier works. (Both the anthologies I did for IP/MB, Talking About the Elephant and Engaging the Spirit World are now permanently out of print.)

I’ve completely redone the interior layout and covers of the books; the interiors are more compact to cut down on paper usage, and the covers feature my own photos and design. My material is much the same, though I’ve added updates where information has been outdated. I’ve also changed quite a bit as a practitioner, and I’ve annotated the texts to note where I either don’t use a practice any more, or wanted to clarify things that I felt needed a little expansion.

You’ll also notice that I’ve ceased using the terms “totem” and “shamanism”. I’ve chosen to do this as these terms were appropriated from the Ojiwbe and the Evenk, respectively, and while they have been used more generally in both anthropological and spiritual settings, I’ve decided to switch to more culturally neutral terms like animal spirit and animism. I’ve done my best to update the language in these early books to use different terminology while making the text still make sense, and keeping totem and shamanism only where I discuss indigenous practices.

All three books are now available as both paperbacks and ebooks through my website at http://www.thegreenwolf.com/books. Thank you!

Here's another older blog post from back in 2012, the first of a three-part series! I'm reposting to my current blog as an archive.
The human brain is a fascinating thing. I had already learned a good deal about it just in personal reading, but when I went through my graduate program to get my counseling psych degree, I got a lot more up-to-date information. For example, I learned about the triune brain—the idea that we have the reptilian brain (the basal ganglia, the most primitive part of the brain), the paleomammalian brain (the limbic system) and the neomammalian brain (the neocortex). What I also learned is that this model is overly simplistic, that it doesn’t correspond as neatly to actual reptile and various mammal brains as is popularly assumed. Also, some non-mammalian species exhibit levels of intelligence and behavior that rival neocortical capacities, without an actual neocortex in the brain. And all mammals have some neocortical development, just not to the degree of humans. So, in short, the triune brain model has fallen out of favor due to its flaws.

Still, as very brief shorthand, the “reptile”, “old mammal” and “new mammal” models of the different sections of the human brain work if you keep its limitations in mind. It’s a good set of mnenomics to remember that the oldest portion of the brain (“reptile”) is that which is associated with primitive territorial and aggressive/defensive actions, the next part (“old mammal”) has diversified into more complex behaviors surrounding the care and feeding of young and other family as well as the first development of emotions, and the newest portion (“new mammal”) has even more complex social and communication skills, as well as planning and foresight.

My interest in it here is as a model for self-reflective meditation. Read the rest at http://thegreenwolf.com/deep-ancest.....rits-part-one/

Note: This post was originally posted on No Unsacred Place in 2011, and then later Paths Through the Forests. I am moving it over to my personal blog so I can have more of my writings in one place.

When I’m making artwork, I often enjoy having some music or video going on that I can listen to and watch while I work. The other day I finished up watching Carl Sagan’s Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which I’ve been watching segments of over the past couple of weeks. For those who haven’t seen it, it is an epic, thirteen-hour-long exploration of the Universe we live in, from the atomic level to the entirety of everything, ranging from the Big Bang itself all the way up to the present day. In each of the hour-long segments, Sagan touches on many diverse sciences, as well as history, sociology, psychology, and other disciplines. He puts into layperson’s terms the processes of evolution, the geologic history of the Earth, and the origin of life on this planet and even of the Universe itself.

What I found most invaluable, though, was how the series gives us perspective of where we fit into the grand scheme of things. Until not too long ago, most cultures had a very human-centric view of reality, where we were at the core, and everything revolved around us in importance. Cosmos is both beautiful and controversial because it shows us how very small we are, but also what amazingly intricate and long-lived processes we are an integrated part of. There were many times throughout the series where I was reminded of just how impossibly vast the Universe is, how very tiny the Earth is, and yet also how we ourselves, and everything else, are made of stars–and just how unlikely was the chance that we and everything else on Earth are here today. As humbling as it is to realize just how tiny our “pale blue dot” is, Cosmos also dedicates time to showing what does make us, as a species, so significant in our knowledge of the Universe. As Sagan said in the introduction to the series, “We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself”.

This is simultaneously humbling and inspirational.

Read the rest at https://thegreenwolf.com/carl-sagan.....n-perspective/

Note: This post was originally posted on No Unsacred Place in 2011, and then later Paths Through the Forests. I am moving it over here so I can have more of my writings in one place.

This is part two of a two-part series; you may read part one here: https://thegreenwolf.com/shapeshift.....-kin-part-one/

There are many purposes for shapeshifting—celebration, drawing on the power of the being you’re changing into, learning to change yourself, etc. There are also many techniques, some stationary, others involving dance and other movement. This version of shapeshifting is quieter, and is primarily for the purpose of creating connection with, and fostering awareness of, other beings. It’s a way to begin healing the rift we as a species have created between us and the rest of the beings we share this world with. It requires a certain level of intimacy; you can’t become a being without having some empathy for it, and the world could certainly do with more empathy all around.

Read the rest at https://thegreenwolf.com/shapeshift.....-kin-part-two/

Do you enjoy my hide and bone art, pagan books, Tarot of Bones and other nature-based creativity? Want sneak peeks, exclusive content, and more? Become my Patron for as little as $1/month at http://www.patreon.com/lupagreenwolf :)

I'm continuing to archive old blog posts onto my personal blog to keep everything in one place. Here's the first of a three part series from 2011 on magical shapeshifting: https://thegreenwolf.com/shapeshift.....-kin-part-one/

Hey, the paperback copies of New Paths to Animal Spirits have arrived! They look even nicer in person :) Pick yours up today at http://thegreenwolf.com/books/new-p.....nimal-spirits/ (ebooks are also avaiable there)

Note: This post was originally posted on No Unsacred Place in 2011, and then later Paths Through the Forests. I am moving it over here so I can have more of my writings in one place.

Ecopsychology: the psychology of how we relate to the natural environment, and the therapeutic application of the restorative qualities of nature.

When I enrolled in a counseling psychology Master’s degree program in 2008, the single biggest magnet for me was the series of three ecopsychology courses that were offered. I had read Bill Plotkin’s Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World, which explained human psychological development in part through one’s relationship with nature.

Through three straight semesters, I learned the basics of ecopsychology and who some of the key figures were; I also explored how to incorporate a client’s relationship to nature in their therapy, along with family history, spirituality, and other important parts of the client’s experience. I even spent four days out in the woods with other students learning hands-on wilderness therapy techniques. (I also gave a presentation on how Alan Moore’s run of the Swamp Thing comic book could be used in ecotherapy, but that’s a story for another time.)

Not surprisingly, I discovered much that enhanced my neopaganism.
Read more at https://thegreenwolf.com/ecopsychol.....gan-relevance/

Hey, everyone! A couple of important pieces of news about my website, http://www.thegreenwolf.com!

First, the old theme I was using was updated in such a way that it completely broke my site (yaaaaayyyyy!) So I had to apply a new one and tweak the site as needed. I actually like it better than the old one, though I’ll likely still poke at it here and there.

Second, one of the side effects of the new theme was that it borked up some of my Paypal buttons for buying my books. I’ve since gone through and fixed them (I think I did, anyway; I filled my shopping cart with over $1200 of my own works in the process of testing them all, sometimes multiple times!) Anyway, if you have any issues with ordering, please contact me at lupa.greenwolf(at)gmail(dot)com

Thank you!

There’s this meme going around Facebook right now, saying “If you don’t come out of this quarantine with a new skill, your side hustle started, or more knowledge, you never lacked time. You lacked discipline.” Thankfully multiple people have already skewered it, but it continues to be shared around by the sort of person who is trying to one-up everyone else, or who’s just plain clueless–or, for that matter, just trying to guilt you into buying whatever they’re selling.

Now, there’s not a damned thing wrong with self-promotion. That’s how indie artists, authors, and other self-employed folks get the word out. You have to be able to talk good talk in order to get people’s attention. But leading with this meme? Guilting people for not leaping from sudden unemployment straight into the thick of the ever-shifting gig economy? That ain’t gonna fly, Brocephus.

Read the rest at http://thegreenwolf.com/its-okay-to-not-hustle/

Today’s blog post is a way for me to process the rapid changes of the past few weeks, and how I’ve learned from preparing for winter storms even as spring unfolds. Read it at http://thegreenwolf.com/incoming-storm/

Hey! Today’s the last day to sign up as my Patron if you want April art and book packages! Check out http://www.patreon.com/lupagreenwolf today :) Hide and bone art, pagan books, oddities and more, plus you get a sneak peek at stuff I'm working on, too.

I am pleased to announce the newest offering in my self-publishing endeavors! To be clear, New Paths to Animal Spirits is NOT the brand new book I alluded to in yesterday's post; that one's still being written. Instead, it is the new, self-published edition of my now out of print Llewellyn book, New Paths to Animal Totems. As the title suggests, I updated the language to be more culturally neutral; however, the content is basically the same, so if you already have the first edition, don't bother buying this one unless you happen to be a completionist or something like that!

However, if you don't have this book, it's actually one of my favorites that I've written ! I was reminded of this as I was doing the interior layout for this edition, re-reading the text as I went along. Like all my books, it's a toolkit that you can pick and choose form, rather than a monolithic chunk of holy writ. I like recommending it to newbies because it breaks my practices with animal spirits down into systems, but it also offers more experienced practitioners some ideas, too, as I basically dissected my practice into the three main approaches I take.

You can read more about this book, and preorder a copy at http://thegreenwolf.com/books/new-p.....nimal-spirits/ (you can also get instant gratification and order an ebook there, too!) I just got the approval over on Amazon/Kindle, and I'll place an order for my first batch of paperbacks at the end of the week; your copy will come out of that first batch. I expect to have the box o' books in hand by the second week in April, and will prioritize getting those out to everyone who preorders now.

I have a few more books that I'll be converting to self-published status in the weeks to come, so keep your eyes peeled for those new editions!

Want to know what my next book is going to be? My newest blog post at http://thegreenwolf.com/state-of-the-lupa-address/ has that news, a picture of my chickens, and more!

I had one copy of the Tarot of Bones Companion Book that was improperly packed up after my last event this past weekend, and it ended up with a little cover damage (please see the pictures). Otherwise it's fine and ready to go, and I'm selling it at a discount at http://www.etsy.com/listing/7865621.....arot-of-bones. And if you buy it along with the deck (listing is at http://www.etsy.com/listing/5178892.....gan-taxidermy) I'll even knock another $5 off as a refund!

Hey, everyone! I am going to be a vendor again at the Northwest Tarot Symposium in Portland/Clackamas (https://nwtarotsymposium.com/) this upcoming weekend! The vending room, as always, is open to the public for free from 9am - 5pm Saturday and Sunday. Come on out and see what we’ve got--and register for the event as a whole, too, since there’s a lot of cool stuff happening (like me teaching a class on Skull Scrying Friday at 5pm!)

I know there’s a lot of concern over health issues, but there’s a bathroom right in the vendor hall if you need to wash your hands--and hand washing is THE number one thing you can do to avoid getting sick. AND this is a smaller event, just a couple hundred folks, and most of the time most of them are over in the main event space attending classes, so the concentration of people in the vending hall is pretty low except at lunch and dinner.

Please understand that vendors are already expecting to take a financial hit, and many of us ARE fully self-employed, so your support if you’re willing to come out is VERY much appreciated! Thank you, and see you this weekend!

Hey! It’s the end of the month, and that means you just have a day and a half to join my Patreon for March awesomeness! Want one of my pagan/nature nonfiction books in your mailbox every month? How about something handmade, including exclusive designs I don’t sell to the public? Or maybe you’d like a payment plan for a headdress? And of course all tiers get access to WIP shots and other exclusive material. All that and more can be found at http://www.patreon.com/lupagreenwolf - sign up today so you don’t miss out!

Real quick Etsy update: I added another slightly damaged, discounted copy of Vulture Culture 101, and a couple lots of craft-quality mink bones. Everything’s at http://thegreenwolf.etsy.com :)

Can you believe that five years ago I was working on the assemblages for the Tarot of Bones? I’ve since sold a bunch of them, as well as plenty of the decks and books, but I still have some of these originals left. I’ll be taking some to the Northwest Tarot Symposium next month, so if you want to be sure you get the one you want, now’s the time to place your order. I’ve even dropped prices on some of them to help them move along a little faster, AND they all have free shipping!

You can find most of them at http://www.etsy.com/shop/thegreenwo.....ion_id=6708168 but there are also a few at http://thegreenwolf.storenvy.com/se.....tarot+original - I’m headed to the post office tomorrow (Tuesday) so I can likely get your order out then :)

Did a little destash in my supply bins, and listed some things that need new homes (more than what you see here) over at http://thegreenwolf.etsy.com

Have you been wanting one of my more expensive pieces (like a wolf headdress) and just not had the money all at once? Good news--I have layaway! You let me know how much you can pay down and how long it will take you to pay off the rest, and we go from there.

Better yet, you can do layaway through my Patreon account at http://www.patreon.com/lupagreenwolf! I already have patronage tiers for fox, coyote and wolf headdresses, but if you’re on any of my other art tiers, you can use those for layaway as well.

Layaway can be used on anything $50 or over at http://thegreenwolf.etsy.com or http://thegreenwolf.storenvy.com - feel free to get in touch at lupa.greenwolf(at)gmail(dot)com if interested!