Wild Woods Wellness

03/05/2026

The masks that we wear.

Some of them are so beautiful and exquisite. They allow us to shapeshift and transform, to embody forgotten parts of ourselves, and play, laugh, dance, and sing in new playgrounds of pleasure.

But then there are the masks that we hide behind. We may think we use them to hide from others, but we are only hiding from ourselves.

And when these masks come off, the people around us can feel shocked, hurt, confused.

Where did they go? What happened to that person we were twirling and laughing and dancing with? The mask slipped and now we don't recognize the face behind it.

The reality is that the masks we hide behind always crumble. They eventually fall away. There's always a reveal.

And revelation is always welcome.

Truth is always medicine.

So let the masks fall away. Show me that you know how to dance and twirl and laugh in the shadows too.

These times are showing us that there is no room to hide.

There's simply no space left for false facades here.

02/27/2026

I originally wrote this piece seven years ago and I still think it's one of the best things I've wrote yet. Maybe more relevant for humanity than ever...
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Dear Masculine,

We’ve spent lifetimes telling you to man up, be strong, protect us and provide for us. And as soon as you let your guards down, soften, feel, and show yourself, we tell you that you’re weak.

We set impossible expectations and standards for you to live up to and when you don’t meet them, we make you feel small. We make you feel like a failure. You may be told that you’re stupid, lazy, selfish. Just what we would expect from a typical man.

We force you to change in order to be in relationship with us. We tell you that this change is good for you. We might even lie, deceive, or manipulate to get you to make those changes. We justify it because we’re making you better. Because your masculine is too wild for us. You’re too much. We force you to wear a mask and be “well-behaved.” We make you feel worthless. Not good enough.

We tell you that we want you to be open, real, and honest. But the moment you pull off the mask and show us your shadows, your darkness, we cry out. You’re too scary. You’re not safe. And we demand you put the mask back on.

We ask you to be vulnerable and open, and then turn around and use it as a weapon against you.

We demand for you to let us be real, raw, and wild. We demand for you to hold us in our most exposed and vulnerable moments. Yet we’re not willing to do the same for you.

We demand that you let us speak our deepest truths and yet we're not willing to listen, truly hear you, and support you when you do the same.

We ask you to see us and hold us when we're breaking yet we run out of fear, confusion, and not knowing what to do when you ask the same of us when you're breaking.

We ask you to give us space, love, and support for us to heal and grow, yet we expect you to change in an instant, heal in private, and we reject you if you reach out to us before you’re “fixed.”

We cry out about the damage done to the feminine at the hands of the masculine. And it’s true. The damage is there. It has been done. It continues to be done. But all too often, we ignore the other side. We refuse to look in the mirror that you’re showing us. We refuse to turn the table and see the other side. The lifetimes of damage that have been done to the masculine too. You’re just as much at the mercy of the systems and structures that the previous generations and abusers of power created as we are. And so often, we refuse to see you. Hear you. Feel you.

It’s time we change the story for you too. Because we can’t ask for change if we’re not willing to change the story too. It’s time we learn to create the space to help you do that. A space where you can drop the mask, release the guards, show up with big emotions, and be real, raw, and wild.

All those things that we demand from you--individuality, space, freedom, respect, true unconditional love, support, safety--we also have to be willing to give to you.

We need to learn how to let you show your anger, your rage, your shadows, fears, secrets, and scars in a healthy and safe container. We need to learn how to show up and hold you in your darkest moments without fear that you will use your darkness against us.

You’re allowed to be angry about all that has been pushed on you, that has been demanded of you. You’re allowed to be angry that you’ve felt forced your entire life to be something and someone that you are not.

But this is where your challenge lies. This is where YOU start to re-write the story. This is where you get to stop being the victim, to stop playing the blame game, and start making a real change.

You get to learn how to stop using your anger, hurt, and darkness as weapons and instead, turn all of that into your greatest power. Your agent for change. Trading false power, ego, and competition for real, soulful power that at this point, you may not even fully understand. And that’s ok. There's a lot that we're still figuring out too. All you have to know is that you’re just as ready for change as we are and you, and only you, are responsible for where you go from this point forward.

Trust me when I tell you that we're ready when you are. Believe that there are women ready to hold that space for you. Those women may seem few and far between, but the numbers are growing. Women ready and willing to see you, hear you, and let you be real. Raw. Open. Vulnerable.

There is no war to wage. No power struggles. Just a beautiful coming together in harmony and alignment.

The divine feminine isn't rising without you. We're rising with you. Beside you. Together. As one.

We need you as much as you need us. Let's all take off the masks and tear down the walls so we can "get this" together.

It's time.
Words: Danette, Wild Woods Wellness
Photo: Erwann Letue

02/18/2026

This week cracked me in some really unexpected ways. Fitting, given the Lunar New Year and the wild astrology. It tracks.

In a conversation with a couple friends this morning, my buddy asked if I had broken anything lately because if I had, maybe it meant I was breaking through. His words landed.

It does feel like something is being broken open. Not in a dramatic way, but in the quiet places where I hide from myself and from others. The walls have come down and there is a sense of standing exposed among the rubble. It is not exactly comfortable.

Instead of running, I leaned in. I got curious. I let myself feel the things I wanted nothing more than to avoid. This morning, I woke up with a sense of clarity and understanding that I do not think I would have reached if I had stayed in avoidance.

And then some cool things happened.

I was uplifted by two loving friends who are always in my corner, no matter how messy I feel.

I stepped into my first meeting with my beloved teacher, Sarah Marshank, who I am deeply grateful and honoured to assist and learn from through her Art of Being Human course. I first met Sarah in 2018, and so much of who she is and what she teaches informs the woman I am and continue to become. Beginning this journey with her now, alongside two wonderful assistants, felt encouraging and expansive. Like a door opening, inviting me to step into uncertainty with ease and even a little excitement. To step in fully as myself and see what wants to happen. Those are Sarah’s words I first heard her speak years ago, and they continue to guide me.

From there, I signed and submitted a new writing contract. One I once told myself would never happen. Not long ago, I said, “My dream job would be an adventure travel writer, but it is not realistic.” Today, I signed on with 10Adventures as a hiking and adventure travel writer and editor. It almost does not feel real. What it becomes and where it leads is uncertain. But it is another open door. Another invitation to take a step into the unknown.

All of this has had me sitting with the idea of certainty. The more I grasp for it, the more my nervous system lights up. It is a bid for control in order to feel safe. A protection mechanism woven tightly into the walls and masks we build to shield ourselves.

It brings me back to a teaching from Ram Dass about how we cling to mythic identities because we are out here believing we are somebody. In truth, we are often nobodies pretending to be somebody. I see it everywhere, especially in spiritual and wellness spaces. It runs so deep that I did not notice the ways it had taken hold in me.

Somewhere along the line, we decided that walking a spiritual path means showing up a certain way. It does not. There is no rule book. Awakening is authenticity. It is being fully and unapologetically yourself in whatever weird, wild, and brilliant ways that shows up. None of us came here to follow a pack or buy into the dogma of teachers and influencers. None of us need to squeeze into other people’s boxes or chase their polished ideals.

I am committed to growth. I am committed to supporting others in their growth. Supporting and encouraging people lights me up. And sometimes I forget to extend that same support to myself. My huge heart is also soft and can get hurt easily. My sensitivity allows me to see, know, and feel things I cannot always explain. It also overwhelms my nervous system at times. Sometimes I have emotional meltdowns. Sometimes I yell at my kids. Sometimes I lash out at the people I love most. Sometimes I shut down at times when I want nothing more than to open up.

That is not because I am failing. It is because I am real. I am human. I am authentically me. I know perfection does not exist. I know I always do my best, and I also know my best can shift from day to day or even hour to hour. I know that spirituality is personal and takes physical form differently for each of us.

Maybe this is what it means to live honestly. To let things crack open. To follow the doors that appear without demanding a guarantee of where they lead. I do not always know where life is taking me, and I am learning that it is okay not to know. The only steady ground is being fully myself, even as I grow into a new version.

02/13/2026

Welcome to Friday the 13th...THE DAY OF THE GODDESS ✨️✨️✨️

Friday the 13th is one of the 'luckiest' days of the year. Lore tells us that many moons ago, this auspicious day was a time to honour the goddess and celebrate the beauty of the divine feminine. Whole communities would gather (both men and women) to celebrate and honour the cycles of life, creativity, beauty, wisdom, and nourishment that the feminine brings to the table.

Additionally, Friday is 'Venus" day, the planet of feminine energy, and 13 is a feminine number that guides us to tap into our intuition, recognize the blessings in our lives, and flow into alignment. The moon has 13 cycles per year, as does a woman.

Then the church and patriarchy stepped in and as we slowly moved into a society of suppression, Friday the 13th twisted around into an "unlucky" day.

One story for you...Freyja is a Norse goddess who the Norse and Germanics were said to celebrate on Friday the 13th. It's even said that Friday was named after her.

She is the goddess of love, beauty, s*x, fertility, war, death, and witchcraft. When the church took hold - a powerful woman full of s*x and magic, everyone be scared!!! - she was demonized and there are several different written accounts of how this picture was painted, as the church no longer wanted her worshipped.

Author Charles Panati wrote, "Fr**ga (Freyja) was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil – a gathering of thirteen – and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as “Witches’ Sabbath.""

Early Christianity really had a hate on for Fridays. They have said many of the terrible things, from the crucifixion of Jesus to Eve tempting Adam, happened on a Friday, and in Rome and Britain, they executed people on Fridays.

This is just a glimpse into the doorway of the rabbit hole and there's some fascinating reading you can do if you're interested. Even with the Pagan and Wiccan beliefs around the number 13 itself.

Now, some folks can get really hot under the collar as soon as we talk about Christianity or patriarchy, that we're somehow shaming all Christians or all men. That's absolute bu****it. (And as a sidenote, modern feminism is also a system of oppression, control, and division, so it shows up in many forms.)

We have to be able to look at history and name the systems and structures that have contributed to the harm we continue to live out in modern times so that we can name it and then do the inner work to change it. Because it's the inner work that makes the real difference in the outer world. There's no shame or guilt to be had here. I love all people of all walks of life. But will never stop speaking out - and more importantly, commit to doing the work - about transforming systems of oppression, especially ones that have impacted my own lived experiences.

So I invite you to drop the superstitions and welcome the love and wisdom of the divine feminine into your heart 💖💕

And if you still believe this to be an unlucky day and unlucky things happen, you received a great lesson in manifesting your reality 😉

Much love!

02/11/2026

No matter how loud it gets out there, your breath is still here.

Your body is still here.

Choose to return home to yourself, again and again 💜💜💜

02/06/2026

"Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore unsuitable.

I don't really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds or hugging the old black oak tree.

I have my way of praying, as you no doubt have yours.

Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds, until the foxes run by unconcerned.

I can hear the almost unhearable sound of the roses singing.

If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love you very much."

~ Words by Mary Oliver

02/01/2026

Last call for Rooted & Rising.

This is a six-week Kundalini Yoga series for people who are wanting something steady and supportive right now.

What you’ll see in this practice is simple movement paired with breath. Time to pause. Time to rest. Space to notice what’s actually happening in your body without needing to push, fix, or perform. You’re met exactly where you’re at, every week.

Kundalini Yoga is often misunderstood as intense or inaccessible. In this space, it’s gentle, beginner-friendly, and grounded. We work with breath and movement together to support your nervous system, energy, and awareness in a way that feels manageable and respectful.

Each two-hour class includes about 45–60 minutes of gentle practice, followed by a long savasana (rest) with guided meditation and optional group energy work so you have time to land and integrate.

This series is for anyone wanting a consistent place to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with themselves during uncertain times.

We begin Tuesday evening at The Tattered Moon, and there are only a couple spots left.
If you’ve been feeling the nudge, this is your sign to join us.

Tuesdays | 6–8pm | The Tattered Moon in Creston
Feb 3 – Mar 10
$150 for the full series (progressive series; no drop-ins)
To register, email danette@wildwoodswellness.ca or text/call 250-464-0321.