In Ancient Greece, at a temple dedicated to the worship of Artemis, goddess of the wilderness, nature, childbirth and care of children, there used to be a curious practice: Artemis was thought to be so influential over the progress of a young woman's life, from birth to puberty, that the nobility would send their young daughters, some as young as 7, to live in the woods surrounding the temple dressed in nothing but saffron robes, and going about on all fours, like a bear.

This was the gift Artemis gave these girls: to be wild, to be free, to pretend to be she-bears, also called "arktoi," before marriage and motherhood came upon them.

Now, we can't go back to the time before puberty, but we can certainly experience nature, experience re-wilding, in our hearts, if not in our bodies.