Speaking
“When we have learned to listen to the land, we become its voice.”
Bring the Wild Back In
Mary speaks at the Justice Speaks Conference about her story of placemaking and how the land is related to justice.
What if your gathering could do more than inform people—what if it could awaken something in them?
Mary DeJong brings together the wisdom of ecology, spirituality, story, pilgrimage, and the living Earth to create experiences that invite people into deeper relationship with themselves, one another, and the places they call home.
A spiritual ecologist, naturalist, pilgrimage guide, and eco-theologian, Mary has a gift for helping people see the world differently. Her work bridges the inner landscape of the soul with the wild landscape of the Earth, inviting participants to move beyond ideas about nature and into a participatory, relational experience of belonging to the living world.
Mary's presentations blend compelling storytelling, ecotheological insight, Celtic imagination, nature-based practices, and invitations to reflection and participation. Whether she is speaking about pilgrimage, rites of passage, spiritual rewilding, or our sacred relationship with the more-than-human world, she creates space for people to pause, wonder, listen, and discover what the Earth may be asking of them.
Her work is especially meaningful in a time when so many people are longing for belonging, rootedness, meaning, and a renewed relationship with the natural world. Participants leave not simply with new ideas, but with fresh questions, practical ways of engaging the living world, and an invitation to consider: What is my relationship with this place—and what am I here to offer it?
Mary holds a Master's in Theology & Culture from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, with specialized study in Thomas Berry's Universe Story through Yale University. She holds post graduate certificates in EcoPsychology, EcoTherapy, and Advanced Applied Mythology. Her work is ecumenical, inclusive, and grounded in the conviction that ecological transformation begins with a transformation in how we understand our relationship with the Earth.
“Mary DeJong is a voice for our time integrating forgotten wisdoms of embodiment and attunement to the divine within us and among our living world. She offered orienting context to how we’ve arrived in this present moment, while inviting grief, story, and imagination as ways forward. Her rigorous depth of knowledge and mystic presence of soul made for a robust guide through the deeply personal inscapes and communal landscapes.”
“It was a pleasure working with Mary DeJong, as she is wise beyond her years, prepared, and well educated in her fields of study. Her enthusiasm is contagious and her calm demeanor is much appreciated. She is an outstanding facilitator - and I look forward to hosting future retreats - both virtual and in-person with Mary. ”
Gatherings That Invite Mary In
Mary is available for keynotes, presentations, workshops, retreats, seminars, panels, reflections, and small-group gatherings with:
Conferences & Conventions
Women's Retreats & Gatherings
Faith Communities & Spiritual Communities
Nonprofit & Environmental Organizations
Ecological & Sustainability Gatherings
Workshops & Educational Programs
Seminars & Learning Communities
Rites of Passage & Transformational Gatherings
Pilgrimage Programs & Retreats
Leadership & Professional Development Events
Community Gatherings & Special Events
Speaking Topics
Mary offers talks and participatory experiences exploring:
Eco-Spirituality & Spiritual Ecology
Spiritual Rewilding
Pilgrimage as a Practice of Transformation
Rites of Passage & Thresholds
Creation-Centered Theology
Nature-Based Spiritual Practices
Eco-Mythology & Celtic Imagination
Sacred Storytelling
The Sacred Earth & Our Sense of Belonging
Place-Making & Place-Based Spirituality
Ecofeminism & Environmental Justice
The Universe Story & Our Ecological Imagination
Reconnecting with the More-than-Human World
Mary can tailor presentations and workshops to the theme, season, place, and needs of your gathering—from an inspiring keynote to an intimate, embodied experience of reflection and practice.
Experience Across Many Communities
Mary has been invited to bring her voice, teaching, and facilitation to a wide range of spiritual, academic, ecological, and community gatherings. Her experience includes:
Spiritual Directors International — teaching and presenting for spiritual directors and contemplative practitioners
OneSpirit Interfaith Seminary — teaching within an interfaith spiritual formation community
David Whyte — co-hosting a workshop with the internationally acclaimed poet and philosopher
Women's Faith Communities — leading retreats and gatherings for Presbyterian, Unitarian, Disciples of Christ, Episcopalian, and Lutheran women's groups
Seattle University — conference speaker
Seattle Pacific University — conference speaker
The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology — conference speaker and educator
Mary & William's Pilgrimage Symposium — presenting on pilgrimage for national and international audiences
From intimate women's retreats to university conferences and international pilgrimage gatherings, Mary brings the same invitation: to slow down, listen deeply, and rediscover our belonging within the sacred & living world.
Mary led a four week webinar for Spiritual Directors International on the Spiritual gifts of journeying through winter
Renowned author, poet, and wilderness mystic, David Whyte, and Mary collaborated for a workshop on the practice and poetry of listening in place.
Mary’s practice and learning within eco-spirituality and somatic ecology is the modality through which she companions others. In this learning opportunity with Spiritual Directors International, Mary will be teaching on Eco-spirituality and how one can companion others and the land on their sacred journey.
Hear Mary in Conversation
Want to get a sense of Mary's voice and approach? Explore her conversations on spiritual ecology, pilgrimage, rewilding, rites of passage, and our relationship with the living Earth.
“We need theologies that are functional in that they tell us the truth of our existence: that we are created from this earth. This is a shift from a consuming people into a communing people, a people who are collectively and sacredly connected to our places and our planet.”
Bring Mary to Your Gathering
Planning a conference, retreat, workshop, seminar, or gathering?
Mary would love to explore what your community is calling for.
Mary with David Whyte at a workshop on listening in place
Speaking at Chapel at Seattle Pacific University
Co-facilitating a wild church experience with Seminary of the Wild’s Matt Syrdal
Convening an event at the Whidbey Institute’s Westgarden
Weekend rewilding retreat on camano island
Virtual wild council of all beings with Spirit of Sophia
Mary DeJong, who received her MA in Theology and Culture, speaks of her own journey through dark woods and gaining wisdom through trials and trails that wound. She encourages her classmates to remember their journeys and their scars.
Mary DeJong's Integrative Project Presentation:: A Trinitarian Imago Dei: How Reimagining Genesis Informs an Integral and Functional Creation Theology