July, in this newsletter, is the month of the Hunter archetype. I’ll start off today with a written piece that embodies Hunter energy, and includes some channeled messages from them as well. Welcome!

The Hunter advises:

Simplify to a few actions. Listen. Study the tracks and the weather; nourish and heal by the plants. When you get stuck, return to what you trust.

In a recent visualization, I was visited by the Hunter archetype, by which I mean I called in whoever I needed to guide me, and they appeared, dark cloak drawn about them, eyes bright and aware, mind calm and clear as The Hunter. My vegetarian, pro-gun-control self wrinkled her nose in skepticism for a moment, until I realized that reaction was rooted in an incorrect (for this being) understanding of the Hunter. The things I feared were not the true heart of the Hunter, at all. 

Here’s what is at their heart, in my experience:

The Hunter is discerning. They listen to the plants and animals that inhabit the woods where they travel, and they move by way of the woods, not the road, so that their own voice may be clearer to them in the quiet. They deeply respect the land and the nonhuman spirits round them, and act accordingly when they need to eat or use any plants or animals for health and survival.

They distrust those who are loud in order to speak over others, and quickly move on with indifference when someone does not vibe with their inherent energy—and they do all this without hemming and hawing about whether this means they are “nice” or not. That is, without judgment. 

A good time to call on the Hunter archetype for support is when you need any of the following:

• Clarity

• Sharpness

• Confidence

• Simplicity 

• Connection to earth

• Adaptability 

These are their core qualities and skills. 

They have learned to let go of:

• Perfectionism

• Controlling the world around them

• Moving too fast and ending up with things they don’t want in their life

• Engaging with skepticism from others regarding their way of life

The Hunter is simply too enraptured by what they do enjoy, and what is of service, to waste time on what doesn’t serve them or the world. 

Maybe you grew up, as I did, able to ignore many small details of the world around you. Maybe you were raised in a way that taught you to accept this blurriness as the norm. As harmful bills pass and access to resources dwindle, resulting in harm to those I care about, I asked for guidance in how I could engage without overwhelm pushing me to dissociate or lean into nihilism. How can I remain sensitive and open, I wanted to know, when fear and overwhelm so quickly overtake my ability to go out in the world and resist?

The answer that arrived in my body was the Hunter. They rely on their sensitivity and lack of urgency to connect with the world around them, and this is the essence of their resistance to harm. (Check out The Nap Ministry for more on rest as resistance, with the important awareness that those of us in most desperate need of rest, who endure constant systemic theft of resources and time, are those who are not white.) 

The hunter’s slowness and sensitivity are, in existing deeply, the core act. 

This is crucial information for those of us who are hypersensitive. So often it’s all too easy to feel like we are failing the world when we need to close the radio frequency to only one, slow-moving channel. 

What if that channel is the earth itself? What if the messages we receive in this quiet state are the very ones we need to shift the way things are? 

Then, says the Hunter, it is our duty to listen for them. 

Start today, says the Hunter, in living how your heart feels it must, at some point, live. By waiting to move at the pace your body yearns for (as much as you’re able to do), you’re only procrastinating; you will miss world-shifting, key actions while you pretend there are more important things to do. 

This idea, that there are constant Important Boxes To Check, is a lie told to us by those who are loud in order to drown out others. Don’t trust them. Trust your heart, your instincts, instead. 

Much gratitude to the Hunter for visiting me and sharing these messages, and much gratitude to you, dear reader, for being here. Keep an eye out next week for an email containing a piece of art to help us interpret and listen to this guide.

P.S. if you’re interested in more ideas about how to navigate the yearning to dissociate and become a nihilist, listen to this wonderful interview on Moonbeaming (an excellent podcast) with Carmen Spagnola. And if you’re looking to navigate July with more Hunter wisdom, sign up for this workshop.

With love,

Isabel