Peter McLean grew up during the time of a great and powerful spell. The spell had him believing he was separate from nature, that he was sinful at birth, and that the path towards happiness and wholeness required a lot of accumulating, purchasing and consuming.

Of Earth and Soul is his war cry, his grief song, his moon-aimed howl, his belly busting laugh, his game of tag with the divine, his quiet sip of the sunrise.

Of Earth and Soul is his antidote, his charm of spell reversal. To come back under the enchantment of the earth, her power, wisdom, intelligence and all the beauty waiting to be brought forth in feeling the truth of a deep belonging in, and among, all that is wild and free.

Pete comes to this work wholeheartedly, honestly, and circuitously.

For many years, a farmer, a facilitator, a coach, a part-time carpenter, a full-time community member, a man, a being questing after his soul.

And that soul, that insistent, persistent, resistant, wild-wailing-infant of a soul, has brought him into the forest. Into the marsh. Into the river. Into the cave. Into the sunrise and set. The new and full moons. Into circle. Calling in circles. Calling in gatherings. Calling in collective focus and intention. Calling in others who also hear the song of their soul and are risking listening. For what the soul asks, or demands, or commands of them.

Just like the monarch is made of the milkweed. Pete is made of all he has consumed. And if you know him, you know he feasts on relationships.

Pete is his mother and his father. Both of his sisters. The Maumee River. The Yellow Breeches. Pete is Eric Lind and Richard Anderson from Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary. Is Dan Kaplan and Karen Romanowski of Brookfield Farm. Is Darryl Slim. Is Therese Jornlin. Is Judy Hall. Is Neill Bovaird. Is Malidoma Some. Is Martin Shaw. Is Martin Prechtel. Is Robin Wall Kimmerer. Is Mary Oliver. Is Etheridge Knight. Pablo Neruda. Rainer Maria Rilke. Lawrence Quigly. Al Miller. And Pete is Kelly Kietzman, her songs, her love, her spirit, her fire, and their love that they share like a sunrise. Pete is the Sawmill River. The nighthawks flying over Lake Pleasant. Is the tupelo burl. The Alabama morning his Pa Pa called those turkeys in. The sun coyote. The basswood blossoms. The dogbane cordage. The northern watersnakes slithering up the falls. Is Altair. Alberio. Aquilla. Arcturus. Deneb. Vega. Rigel and Betelgeuse. Pete is all the episodes of The Simpsons. Is a head buried in an iPhone. Is the era of school and mass shootings. The time of selfie deaths. Is the poverty of a lost culture. Pete is made up of it all. All of it. And still more. And you, now, are made up of just a little bit of him, and all, of the all, of the all, of all of that.

Pete McLean’s formal training has followed three main paths: indigeneity, soul work, and shadow work.

His indigenous training has been through Therese Jornlin, Neill Bovaird, Darryl Slim, and Malidoma Some and have taught him that nature is our first teacher, first mother, first place to go and is longing for our return.

His soul work training has come through Judy Hall and has taught him that our souls are powerful and our relationship to them can be cultivated through dreams, nature, and the liminal.

His shadow work training has come through his 10 years in participation and leadership within Men’s Work organizations like Mankind Project, Jericho Circle, and Young Men Awake.

The Board of Directors

Lisa Steindler — President

Drew Sigfridson — Secretary

Stew Strawbridge — Treasurer

Jenn Hooten

Kelly Outlaw McLean

Kate Godin