Learning from the “Wild”

with Dr. Susan Moulton

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 at 3 pm Eastern Daylight Time 

REGISTER HERE

There is a far-reaching integrity, authenticity and intelligence in things that are free to self-organize, adapting to change in Nature, a phenomenon that we call being “wild.” The complexity and immeasurable quality of “wildness” is perceived by most Eurocentric people as a mystery, uncontrollable and beyond our ability to comprehend. Typically, wild animals have been considered by Europeans as “beasts” to be feared, hunted, conquered, or tamed solely for the purpose of human utility.

This talk proposes that the earliest humans learned their social organization from the animals and other sentient life they observed in Nature, in a process that considers all parts of the whole as sacred, organized around what Marija Gimbutas described as a cyclical, Mother-centered principle of life-death-regeneration. The oldest visual messages left by some of the first humans are found in Palaeolithic caves in Southern Europe, dating to as far back as 38,000 B.C.E. Using what we might consider current Indigenous understanding and animal behavior, we can decode these vibrant ancient messages through a “language of animacy” which requires that we focus on deeper levels of sensory perception and knowing that is universal.

Susan Moulton Currently retired from teaching at Sonoma State University in California,  Susan now devotes her time to managing her small farm in rural Sonoma County where she has worked for 50 years with rescued animals, particularly American mustangs, and conducting research and writing on human-animal communication and relationships. She developed and taught courses ranging from the Palaeolithic to Post Modern and In the 1970s she developed the first inclusive American Art Course in the California State University system, where she included contributions of First Nation Peoples before the arrival of European colonizers, with artistic and cultural contributions from African American, Asian American and Hispanic American artists through the present time. In collaboration with Joan Marler, she helped develop the International Institute of Archaeomythology, which focuses on the fields of study created and advanced by Marija Gimbutas. For over a half century she has functioned as “caretaker” of the farm she views as a sanctuary, not just for wild and abused animals, but also for rare conifers, many of which were started by internationally known agronomist Luther Burbank. A tireless organizer, educator, and working artist, Susan is currently working on a book that explores the impact of animal behavior on the earliest human communities.

Save these dates for upcoming ASWM Events:

May 19 at 3pm Eastern Time
Encounters with Marija: Wisdom from Women’s Lodge and The Women’s Well
Apara Borrowes & Anne Yeomans

July 16-18 2021
ASWM Symposium Wisdom across the Ages: A Celebration of the Centennial of Marija Gimbutas 
Registration to open May 1, 2021

Note: Because of our work on the July Symposium, we will not offer Salons again until September.

The Salon recording will also be available to members after the event.