About Wild Souls Pathways
The Village
Young people, parents, mentors, elders and land, finding our way back together.
What Wild Souls Pathways is
Wild Souls Pathways is a nonprofit in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California that offers yearlong rites of passage for young people. It runs two paths: 13 Moons for girls aged 11 to 14 and Fire Keepers for boys aged 11 to 14. Both are funded by donations from the village. Wild Souls Pathways was incorporated in California on March 23, 2026, and the IRS recognizes it as a 501(c)(3) public charity.
How it began
A village before a program
Wild Souls Pathways began with a circle of girls and the women who walked beside them. 13 Moons is now in its third year. In 2026 a second fire was lit for boys, and the families, mentors and landholders who had gathered around both became a village with a name.
The two paths are the first thing most people see of the village. The village is also the parents learning alongside their children, the elders who sit at the edge of the circle, and the land that receives all of us.
Who the village is
Six kinds of kin
Open each one to meet them.
Girls in 13 Moons and boys in Fire Keepers, all between 11 and 14. Each walks a full year with the same circle, from the first family gathering to the welcome home.
Mothers and fathers who open the year in circle with their child, talk with the mentors through the seasons, and stand in the welcoming circle at the end.
In 13 Moons, a circle of women. In Fire Keepers, a council of men, one beside each boy for the whole year. Every mentor has completed a Live Scan background check.
Older women and men who sit at the edge of the circle. They have lived long enough to hear whatever the young people bring, and to answer it calmly.
Private land owned by mentors in the Santa Cruz Mountains: redwood forest, gardens, creeks and ridgelines. The first teacher, and a member of the village in its own right.
Families, neighbors and partners whose donations fund both paths, so any family who is called can walk them.
Who leads the village
Women and men together, with a woman at its head
- Jodi Beth JacksonPresident
Jodi began 13 Moons and has led its circle of women since the first year.
- Chris CobbSecretary and Chief Financial Officer
Chris serves on the board and keeps the organization’s records and accounts.
- Tahra Singh BlanchetteDirector
Tahra serves on the board and sits as an elder with the Fire Keepers circle.
The land we gather on
Unceded land
We gather on the unceded lands of the Awaswas speaking Ohlone people, and we honor the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, who carry that lineage today.
Registered details
Wild Souls Pathways on record
- Legal name
- Wild Souls Pathways
- Organization type
- California nonprofit public benefit corporation
- Tax status
- 501(c)(3) public charity, IRS determination dated June 2, 2026
- EIN
- 41-5193791
- Incorporated
- March 23, 2026, in California
- Address
- 150 Oxford Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
- chris@wildsoulspathways.org
- Website
- wildsoulspathways.org
Two fires burn at the center of the village
13 Moons for girls. Fire Keepers for boys. Both funded by the village.