The W ild
Moon program is a unique wilderness experience.
It is not a workshop or part-­‐time involvement -­‐ instead you will be learning through observation, imitation and your own experience, living what you learn. You will be outside for a whole cycle of the Moon (one month) -­‐ therefore the name "Wild Moon" -­‐ without a break, together with a group of guides who have all spent a full turn of the seasons in the wilderness in Wisconsin, USA, under the guidance of the experienced elder Tamarack Song at the Teaching Drum Outdoor School. You will explore primitive skills like hide tanning, basketry, primitive cooking, fire-­‐making and many more but the primary focus will be on social skills, experiencing the circle way of life and learning to dwell in balance with your human and non-­‐human relations. You will learn and practice awareness tools, such as blindfolded walking, and skills of knowing self, like Truthspeaking and becoming aware behavioral patterns. This moon is a unique opportunity to reconnect to the natural world around you and the nature within. „Humans throughout all their evolutionary history were immersed in nature. The little time in mankind history since we became civilised didn´t change that we are made to raise to our full potential in this enviroment. You become what you surround yourself with. If you surround yourself with nature, you become yourself, for you are nature.“ We will support each other in taking responsibility for our deepest feelings and sharing them without worry of judgment or criticism. Together we want to embrace our fears and heal through them. Everyone is welcome to join us -­‐ no prior outdoor experience or skills training are needed. Our only suggestion is that you come expecting the unexpected, as actually immersing yourself in an unfamiliar culture with new values and ways of doing things is bound to challenge some of what you have read, learned and believed. Note: This is NOT a skills workshop. The Wild Moon Immersion is a holistic aboriginal living experience. While there is the opportunity to learn a number of primitive skills, the lifeway is a focus of its own. Where workshop skills are predetermined, Wild Moon Immersion skills are decided by the needs of the circle, which is made up of the camp's human and nonhuman communities, the weather and the season.
Truthspeaking Telling the truth is our natural way. It´s the lubricant that smoothes our social interactions. Listen to any young child – they do it spontaneously – until they are tought differently. Under the guise of learning how to get along in a non-­‐Truthspeaking world and in order to get our needs met, and perhaps even protect ourselfs, we get conditioned to speak for reasons other than our truth and we learn to say what others want to hear. As a result we have a reduced need to get in touch with our feelings, loose contact to them and get easily victimised by them or those of others. „To Truthspeak is to state clearly and simply what one thinks and feels. There is no judgment or expectation, no disguise of humor or force of anger. This manner of speach is sacred for it wells up from the soul of our beeing rather than from the self-­‐absorbed ego.“
Native Diet It is the preagricultural diet of our hunter-­‐
gatherer ancestors, that we as a species evolved to thrive on, as it containes the foods we are best suited to digest and least likely to react to. Our preagricultural ancestors used food that was easy to gather and edible in raw state. Processing was minimal, if at all. As was (to a variable degree) available to our ancestors all through our evolution until the agricultural age, the died contains: Vegetables, fruit, fish, meat, nuts, greens, eggs and fat. What and how we eat is essential, but only part of a healthy life. A life deeply connected to nature and humankind, clean water and air are essential as well. Grain, legumes and milk played minor, if at all, roles in the diet of our ancestor´s nutrition. This means to eat less carbs more fibers and slightly more protein and fat all of a much better quality (the wilder, the better) . Due to wide seasonal changes in availability, there was a high variability in our ancestor´s diet. Children´s Culture
Many of us ask what it takes to raise a healthy, self-­‐fulfilled child. An Aboriginal person might respond, "They need a children’s culture." And what is needed for sound parenting? An Aboriginal person may well state, "It takes a clan."
In ancient hunter-­‐gatherer communities children were always with other children of varying ages, they were free to watch and take part in group projects, discussions, and social events, as well as to wander and explore on their own. This gave them the opportunity to emulate older children and be inspiration to those younger and to learn responsibility, skills of caring for and teaching others. By having their own culture without heavy adult interference they also learn the ways of respect, conflict resolution, cooperation, and providing for safety and security. In the process, they create a rich and functional world among themselves -­‐ a children's culture. Their culture is a sacred space, separate and distinct from that of the adults. At its best, the children generally take care of themselves while the adults watch over them. Because the children have the opportunity to provide for themselves, their culture revolves on its own and provides many of its own needs. And the clan adults do parent together to provide a variety of role models, along with elders offering guidance rooted in generations of experience. We welcome parents with children of any age to come and join us in our circle of support, healing, and growth. Together we guide and encourage our children's natural potential to be self-­‐motivated learners, teachers and caregivers. Their effortless ability to speak their truths and be present in the moment is an inspiring example for us adults. "Children are the happiest, healthiest and best nourished in all ways when they are outside and with other children of varied ages, under the watchful eye of adults. Our children need this every day and as much of the day as possible." Location: Wild Moons have been organized in Norway, Sweden and the United States of America. Our current main camp is on an island southeast of Stockholm, Sweden. All the Wild Moons except for the Reindeer Moon will be taking place on this island. Tuition: The cost for a wild moon is 1200€ per adult(including lodging and food). Kids are for free and teenagers pay reduced prices. There will be special prices for families. Please contact us for further information. The wild week is at 350€ per adult. The Tuition covers food, lodging and the workshop. Please pay a deposit of 200 € to affirm your application for a wild moon (100€ for a wild week). We will inform you about payment details when you apply. „Native lifeway-­‐-­‐and the native within-­‐-­‐comes alive for you like it never could with reading a book or learning a skill outside the context of the lifeway. If someone wants to truly know wolves, she has to live, run, and hunt with them, and the same is true of the Old Way."
For applications and further information: www.wildmoon.eu
[email protected]