A Sacred Request – Funding a Vision for Healing the Wild

Bridging Worlds Between Humans & the Wild

I am reaching out to invite you to be part of a bold vision for healing and reconnection - one that seeks to restore the sacred bond between humans and the Earth.

We are living in a time of ecological and societal unraveling. As billionaires tighten their grip on power and extractive systems push our planet toward collapse, we must ask ourselves:

The answer, I believe, lies in our reconnection with the wild. The need for sanctuaries of refuge and reconnection has never been more urgent. As a species, we are experiencing a profound longing for the sacred - an ache to return to the animate forces of nature that have guided and sustained life for millenia. This is not a metaphor - it is a necessity. To restore balance, we must rebuild our relationship with the Earth in a way that is reciprocal, reverent, and deeply embodied.

Visionaries play a crucial role in this time of collapse and transformation. As theologian Walter Brueggemann describes, the prophetic imagination challenges the status quo and offers an alternative vision for the world. Those who walk the edges—listening to the land, tending to the unseen, and holding space for a new way forward—require support to bring their work to life.

I am profoundly grateful for all the ways my community has supported me and my ministry over the years. Through your belief in this work, my vocational path has crystallized, leading me to the threshold of fully stepping into my vocation as a wilderness guide, interspecies communicator, and steward of spaces where humans and animals heal together. To bring this vision to life, I am seeking community support to fund the trainings, mentorships, community offerings, and resources that will allow me to step into this work in a powerful way.

If this vision resonates with you, I invite you to read through the following Funding Proposal and consider supporting this work—whether through a financial contribution, sharing this vision with others, or offering connections and encouragement. Your support is not just an investment in me; it is an investment in a future where humans and the wild heal together.

About Me

I am a writer, wilderness guide, and interspecies communicator devoted to rekindling the sacred bond between humans and the wild. A lifelong Quaker and traveling minister, my work is deeply rooted in the values of inner listening, direct revelation, and the sacred interconnectedness of all life.

My journey has led me from conservation research and wildlife rehabilitation to frontline advocacy for Indigenous rights in the U.S. and Peru. Whether tracking animals, working with rescued big cats, or supporting land defenders, I have witnessed the urgent need to heal our fractured relationship with the natural world.

Alongside my work as an environmental writer, grant strategist, and educator, I have had profound encounters with wild animals—both in waking life and dreamtime. Most notably, a face-to-face meeting with Vega, a leopard in South Africa, affirmed my deepest calling: to bridge worlds between species, guide others into communion with the Earth, and help restore the web of interconnection that colonization has severed.

My work integrates intuitive interspecies communication, deep nature connection, mythic storytelling, and soul-based wilderness guiding, and I am currently seeking support to step fully into this path—completing essential training, launching community offerings, and laying the foundation for a future Wildlife Healing Sanctuary, where humans and animals co-create a thriving, reciprocal ecosystem.

Why I Am Raising Funds

This fundraiser will support key professional training, mentorship, volunteer work, and community offerings that will shape my ability to guide others in healing their relationship with the Earth and the more-than-human world.

My work in the world is still emerging—alive, raw, and uncharted. I stand at a threshold, fully committed to answering a calling that does not fit within the structures of traditional careers or capitalistic exchange. Every job I’ve held within that system has chewed me up and spit me out, returning me to the wild shore of the Gift Economy—where reciprocity, trust, and mutual support sustain those who devote themselves to something greater than personal gain.

I have relinquished financial security to walk this path—to listen deeply to the voices of the land, the animals, and the unseen forces guiding my way. My commitment to this ministry of the wild requires that I navigate money in creative ways, leaning into community support and shared investment in a vision that serves not just me, but the wider Earth community.

At this moment, I stand in a liminal space between the old and the new—fully devoted, yet still building the foundation of my vocation. I am living with simplicity, trusting in Divine support, and reaching out to my community to help bridge this moment of transition.

Your support is not just an investment in me—it is an investment in a future where interspecies healing, Earth reconnection, and the creation of spaces where both humans and the wild can heal together.

Urgent Funding Need: The White Lions in South Africa

I have been honored with a rare invitation to join an Interspecies Peace Circle at the White Lion Trust in South Africa this August—an exclusive gathering of global healers, conservationists, and interspecies communicators working alongside the sacred White Lions to restore planetary harmony.

Why this is urgent: This opportunity requires immediate funding to secure my place, as only a handful of participants worldwide have been selected for this work. The White Lions are revered as sacred beings in African wisdom traditions, and their presence on Earth carries a profound spiritual mission. I have been called to assist in this work and bring back the wisdom gained to further my ministry of interspecies healing.

Funding Needed for This Trip: $4,500

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Other Funding Requests:

Professional Training & Mentorship (Essential for my growth as a facilitator & guide)

Animal Communication & Healing Certification, Online, May - June

A four-month certification program offered by Psychic Horizons that will provide hands-on training in intuitive interspecies communication and energy healing. This course is essential for establishing myself as a professional animal communicator and integrating these skills into future workshops, retreats, and sanctuary work.

EarthCraft Residency, Vermont, June

A transformative two-week immersive training designed for agents of cultural change who are committed to ecological restoration, deep nature connection, and community-building. This program aligns directly with my vision of facilitating wilderness-based healing retreats and co-creating a Wild Animal Healing Sanctuary, where interspecies communication and Earth-centered living are foundational practices. This experience is not just about learning wilderness and survival skills—it is an incubator for visionaries, healers, and guides who are actively working toward a world rooted in interconnection and harmony with nature. 

Private Mentorship with Xhosa Sangoma John Lockley, Online

John Lockley is a rare bridge between African indigenous wisdom and Western spirituality, carrying a deep lineage of ancestral healing and shamanic medicine. He has spent decades teaching individuals how to reconnect with their intuition, dreams, ancestors, and the natural world through ancient Xhosa healing practices. This mentorship is more than professional development—it is a soul-level initiation into the lineage of those who walk between worlds, tending to the sacred connection between humans, animals, and the Earth and Cosmos.  

Animas Valley Institute Trainings & Immersions, Worldwide

The Animas Valley Institute offers world-renowned training in soul initiation and nature-based guiding, preparing facilitators to lead transformational wilderness experiences. Their intensives blend depth psychology, mythology, and deep nature connection to guide individuals through profound personal and cultural transformation. Enrolling in their training programs will equip me with the advanced skills needed to lead immersive wilderness retreats, facilitate soul-centered healing, and weave deep ecological awareness into all aspects of my work. This is a crucial step toward becoming a certified soul guide and furthering my ability to help others reconnect with their wild essence.

Hands-On Experience with Rescued Wildlife (Learning from successful sanctuary models)

Volunteering at The Wild Animal Sanctuary (Colorado)

Volunteering at The Wild Animal Sanctuary (TWAS) is a critical step in my journey toward founding the Wild Animal Healing Sanctuary and deepening my hands-on experience with rescued wildlife. TWAS is one of the largest and most respected wildlife sanctuaries in the world, dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating captive wild animals that have been abused, neglected, or abandoned. By immersing myself in this environment, I will gain the practical knowledge, connections, and credibility necessary to bring my own sanctuary dream to life.

Volunteering at The Daniell Cheetah Project (South Africa)

Returning to The Daniell Cheetah Project is an essential opportunity to deepen my interspecies communication work and reconnect with Vega and Una, two leopards whose story has profoundly shaped my calling. During my last visit, I formed a deep bond with them and supported their emotional healing through intuitive connection and energy work. Now, with their son, Nico, growing up in captivity, I hope to assist in his potential release into the wild. This will further my experience working closely with big cats, strengthen my ability to support animals in sanctuary settings, and inform the development of the future Wildlife Healing Sanctuary.

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Community Offerings & Sacred Gatherings (Initiating spaces of transformation & reconnection)

Mountain Song Circle (Colorado)

A community-led gathering I'm co-creating with local friends to honor and tend to the sacred Earth through song, ceremony, and connection with the land. This circle is not just a personal practice—it is a microcosm of the type of transformative experiences I aim to facilitate worldwide through wilderness retreats, grief ceremonies, and interspecies communication gatherings. It strengthens my leadership in holding sacred space, guiding group processes, and weaving song, movement, and ceremony into healing work.

Animal Communication Practice Group (Online)

The Animal Communication Practice Group is a weekly gathering I organize and facilitate, bringing together dedicated practitioners from around the world to refine our intuitive interspecies communication (IIC) skills. This free offering is a critical stepping stone toward my larger vision of becoming a professional facilitator of IIC retreats, training programs, and wildlife sanctuary initiatives. 

Bioregional Learning Collective (Colorado)

A grassroots, community-based immersive learning experience I'm co-creating to reconnect people with the land they inhabit, bridging a deep ecological relationship, land stewardship, community organizing, an expanded understanding of the history of this place, and traditional wisdom of this region, helping participants connect with place while learning practical skills for bioregional resilience. Through place-based, community-led learning, we are developing a model for deep ecological and spiritual connection while building a community of Earth-conscious individuals committed to reciprocity, restoration, and relational ecology.

Women's Wilderness Wander (California)

This summer, I will co-organize a multi-day women’s backpacking pilgrimage to practice the art of deep listening—to the land, to our bodies, and to the whispers of soul. Through shared solitude and community reflection, we will explore what it means to unravel our belonging together, stepping beyond societal conditioning and into the raw presence of the wild. This offering is essential to my ministry, reinforcing my ability to guide others into direct, embodied relationship with nature and to support deep personal and collective healing. By immersing ourselves in the untamed world, we remember our own wildness—an act of resistance in a time when so many have been severed from the land. 

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Essential Resources: A Reliable 4WD Vehicle

Investing in a sturdy, fuel-efficient vehicle is not just a convenience—it is a key enabler of my ability to fully participate in the gatherings, training, volunteer work, and professional development opportunities that will shape my ministry. It ensures that I can consistently show up, build relationships, gain critical experience, and cultivate the expertise necessary to establish my vocation.

Future Visions: Immersive Wilderness Retreats & Wildlife Healing Sanctuary

With the skills, mentorship, and training funded through this proposal, I will be able to step fully into leading immersive wilderness healing retreats that blend interspecies communication, deep nature connection, and energy healing.

Imagine: tracking lions on horseback in South Africa, swimming with dolphins in the open ocean, or immersing in the wisdom of ancient forests—all as part of a transformational journey back to the wild soul. These retreats will be co-facilitated with fellow healers and eco-soul guides to create profound, life-changing experiences.

At the heart of my long-term vision is the Wildlife Healing Sanctuary—a space where rescued animals and humans co-exist in deep reciprocity, fostering a regenerative ecosystem of healing. While this is still in the early stages, every step taken now lays the foundation for its creation.

How You Can Support This Vision

This is not just an investment in me—it is an investment in a movement toward healing the Earth and all beings who call it home.

Voices of Support: Testimonials & Endorsements

"It is rare to encounter a soul as luminous, devoted, and attuned to the sacred as Briana Halliwell. In the time I have known and mentored her, I have witnessed a profound calling move through her—a calling that is not merely personal, but one that carries the weight and wisdom of something far greater. Briana walks the path of tending to the soul of the world, listening deeply to the voices of the Animate Wild, and serving as a bridge between the human and more-than-human realms.

Her ability to receive and translate the numinous—whether through dreams, synchronicities, or direct encounters with the wild—is nothing short of extraordinary. She is not only committed to this work, but she is needed in it. The depth of her integrity, her willingness to serve, and the fierce love that burns in her LionHeart make her an essential presence for this pilgrimage to the White Lions.

This journey is not just something she desires to undertake—it is something that calls her, as surely as the White Lions themselves are calling to those ready to stand in service to their message. Briana is one of those rare souls who will not only be transformed by this journey but will also carry its gifts forward into the world in ways that ripple outward, far beyond what we can yet see.

If you are considering supporting her, know that your investment is not just in Briana, but in the work of sacred restoration that she is devoted to. She carries a light that is meant to shine, and with the right support, she will continue to be a powerful force for healing, kinship, and transformation."

With deep trust and reverence for the path she walks,

Eleni Gkikakis, Greece

Founder & Director of Interspecies Peace

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With Deep Gratitude

Thank you for taking the time to read this proposal and for considering an investment in this vision. Your support—whether through financial contributions, sharing this with others, or offering encouragement—means more than words can express. This is not just about funding a path forward for me; it is about co-creating a future where humans and the wild heal together, where interspecies connection is honored, and where we remember our place within the sacred web of life.

This work is not mine alone—it belongs to all of us who hear the call to restore balance, to listen deeply, and to walk in reciprocity with the living world. However you choose to support this journey, please know that your generosity and belief in this vision are felt deeply, and I carry them with me into every step of this unfolding path.

With gratitude and wild blessings,

Briana Davies Holywell