Ecological Interconnectedness and the Animism of the South

Originally published July 7, 2026.

Last week, we had an incredible conversation with Hunt Priest, M.Div. and founder of Ligare: A Christian Psychedelic Society, and Carrie Griffin, D.O., for our June edition of Hollers & Horizons Appalachian Town Halls. Their talk and the wide-ranging discussion that followed covered their Appalachian roots, their perspective on rural challenges here and elsewhere in the country, regional stigma and growing reception to psychedelic medicine, mystical experiences, and what makes Appalachia so primed for this work.

One of our favorite moments of the event came with the discussion about how interconnectedness with the land here persists across lineages, subcultures, and generations. That interconnection, and the way it calls in feelings of awe and experiences of the sublime, is also a hallmark of non-ordinary states, making Appalachia a place where regional animism can align with psychedelic healing.

If you missed the talk, we have it recorded in our Archives now.