Hawk Circle Instructor Eli Martz spends time teaching Daniel about carving, and following the grain of the wood. 2003
The process of learning a new skill like tracking, or fire, or shelter, or wild edibles, takes time, patience, and a lot of attention to details. You have to develop an intimacy with wood, or stone, or plants or animals, etc. and build a relationship with those elements, and be willing to learn and grow.
It's a process, not an event. It's about building lots of little skills of dexterity, awarenesses, tiny habits and practices that lead to understanding and mastery.
For many students, this journey to learn will fail unless you find someone to help you through that maze, and give you the gifts, the tools and the understandings that will lead to success.
Think of the old, authentic fairy tales.
I know it might be a weird analogy, but it's actually very much spot on!
You don't get to have the princess or prince, and the kingdom, or reward, until you slay the dragon or the ogre. You can't slay the monster unless you have the Blade of Steel and Perfection. You can't get that Blade until you have passed the test by the Hag of the Ruined Castle, which are high above the Cliffs of Doom. So, you have to conquer your fear of heights, and unknown riddles, and weird mystical people, and pass all these tests, to achieve your goals and your objectives. You have to have friends in high places. You have to have the ability to see the deep inner gifts that those friends have, and create a relationship with them where they will offer those gifts freely. Or sometimes you have to steal them, in some tales! But in any event, having a mentor or source that you can gain wisdom or insight is key to knowing your next step.
That's the kind of mentor you have to be if you want to add this layer of transformation to your work. And your students shouldn't be a job or a means to an end (paycheck), but someone who will be a lifelong friend and someone you will be proud to know for your whole life.
So, to be this kind of mentor, you kind of have to go through this experience yourself, and figure out how to get around these challenges and mountains, valleys, everything. You have to do it alone, and you have to do it with a mentor sometimes too. If you're really lucky!
If this isn't what you are all about, or you are unsure, go work at Starbucks. Go mow lawns, or wait tables at the Olive Garden, or do whatever it is that makes you happy. Not saying it's bad to do those things, because they are important jobs too. But what I am saying is that if you are in the business of transformation, you have to be the real deal. There is no faking it...
I created this event to show people the power of connecting to the earth and nature through practicing earth skills just 15-20 minutes each day, for seven days. I call in The Seven Day Challenge, and it's coming up on June 1, 2014. Check out the video, too, that introduces what it's all about!
It's pretty simple. You pick a skill that you can practice or study, and you commit to doing it every day, for just seven days!!!!!!! And you will be amazed at how fast your learning takes off in just minutes a day......
Anyway, you can get more info about it on my web page,here.
If you know you want to do it, just click here to join our Facebook Group and get in on the fun! It's going to be inspiring and awesome!
Bird Language & Studies
As you know, Attitude and Mindset are two of the most essential ingredients for achieving our goals, and this challenge is no different. It's time to get prepared, so we not only learn new skills, but we add a layer of confidence and self esteem boost to the week as well. It's a powerful one-two combination that will spread from this activity to the other parts of your life as well.
Wouldn't that be nice? Are you into it?
Okay, so, here is a list of things that you will want to be prepared for:
You can do Plant Studies!
Commitment: What skills are you committing to practice for the Seven Days, and when will you practice them? Try to remember to keep it simple and that 15-20 minutes goes by quick, so this is a good time to also practice realistic planning skills! It's also a good time to think about why you want to learn these earth skills, and what your greater purpose is for practicing and learning them, and whether or not you are actually serious about growing closer to the earth or setting yourself up to learn.
If you look a head to your week and it's just too full for you, that's okay. You can modify your personal agreement and no one will know the difference. We don't judge! The bottom line is that, whatever your specific commitment is to yourself, make sure that you are really committed to doing it and plan for success! That being said, 15 minutes a day for seven days is pretty much doable for just about everyone, if you really want to learn new skills and grow. So, be bold! Let's do this!
Safety: Is the skill you are practicing something that uses knives, or sharp tools or stone edges? Do you have a safety plan for your practice that includes eye or ear protection, and is there a First Aid Kit present at all times? Do you have to protect against breathing in dust or smoke? If you are going out in the bush for your daily practice, does everyone in your group of skills enthusiasts know what poison ivy looks like at this time of year, or do you need to be aware of ticks or other local hazards, like snakes or black flies? If you plan ahead for these things, you will be setting you and your group up for good times!
Buckskin & Tanning Skills
Materials and Supplies: Does the skill you have chosen have a materials list, or tools or supplies needed in order to get it accomplished? Go over it in your planning so you know if you will need sandpaper, or string or a bunch of willow shoots or whatever it is you will need to make this happen! If you get those things ready prior to Sunday, June 1st, you will be all ready to go to let your skills grow right off the bat, rather than spend that time searching your gear or looking in your garage for your stuff. Make sure that if you are doing this with friends, that you let them know what they will need to bring if anything, and that they wear the right clothing for the weather, etc.
Daily Celebration and Final Celebration Incentives: Everyone loves to have some incentives, especially when we complete a difficult task or achieve a goal that we really are excited about, and this is no different. Typically, people will celebrate with food or a beverage that they enjoy, in a circle of friends, or maybe an outing or getting a tool that they have long wanted. We don't need to go crazy here, but all I am saying is, "Give yourself every reason to make this a positive, successful experience, rather than a let down where you only go half-way and don't make it through the whole week."
Celebrate Your Campfire Cooking Skills!
A reward will sometimes keep you going when your attention starts to wander, so, make sure that a person you trust will help keep you honest and then verify you did this challenge and award your prize!
On the flip side, some people tend to do things because they are motivated by the potential loss of something. I have a friend who is an athlete, and she has an agreement where she will give $100 to her training partners if she misses a training session for a non-injury related excuse. This keeps her honest and her team holds her accountable for her commitments, so it's all part of knowing yourself and how you want to set yourself up for success.
If you are doing this challenge with friends, or especially with kids, I would definitely plan on celebrating with something at the end, and even a great snack each session, too, just to keep it fun.
Contingency Plans: On Saturday, it rained here at Hawk Circle really, really hard, on and off, pretty much all day. It was really wet. I immediately thought of everyone getting ready for this challenge and said 'We need some contingency plans so we all can stay on track!"
So, what is your back up plan? Do you have a sheltered place to go if you start experiencing rain or intense heat or dust or whatever is happening in your local area? How will you adapt your activity if there is inclement weather to still get your practice in?
Carving Skills
You see, what I am training you and your group to do, is to not let yourselves off the hook when something comes up. You still have to honor your commitment and get your goal accomplished. If we let ourselves off the hook because of a little rain, or because the traffic made you late, or whatever the situation is, you will start to create a pattern of not accomplishing your goals. You will get the mindset that it's okay to let it all go, as long as you have an excuse. Which is not a good habit, in earth skills or in any other venture in our lives. Seriously, this type of thinking is outright poison to your dreams and vision. (Not to mention the damage it does to your personal relationships.)
So, that means, you have to have a mind that says 'I always finish what I start, no matter what."
This is a very, very powerful mindset that will help you and your kids or your friends throughout their life.
So, what could go wrong or have a potential to derail your plans?
Do you have a group doing this? What will you do if no one shows up? Will you still practice it anyway, for yourself?
Phone a Friend: Who is your go-to source for help if you get stuck in your practice? Are you prepared to reach out if you need help, either to one of your friends, or a mentor or teacher, or someone in our Facebook Group? Let us know if you need help, and I promise you, there is a ton of help all around you, all the time. (Just like in Nature!)
You just need to ask for what you need!
Accountability and Inspiration: One way that I have set up this challenge is to invite you to post a short update on what you did in our Facebook Group! You can share what you learned, what you did, and a photo or short video. This will allow you to know that you are staying on track, and if everyone is doing it, we will all see your progress, comment on your work and give you 'mad props' for making it happen! It will feel good. You will also be inspiring others to keep going, too. Feel free to share your trials and tribulations, and what you did to keep going. I promise you, whatever you are working on or working through, you aren't alone.
I can also guarantee that looking at what everyone else is doing and hearing their stories is going to be powerfully inspiring and also build a great connection and community among us all. And I would love to have you and your group be a part of all of that. So please, join us there, and share, and don't worry about whether your skill is big or small, or whatever. Trust me, we all love it all!
If you aren't on Facebook, well, seriously, it takes like ten seconds to join. You need a password and a valid email address. You can join, do the challenge and check it all out, and then you can delete your account afterwards, if you want.
Okay, if I haven't scared you off by all these ideas and suggestions, please go to my Earth Skills Seven Day Challenge page and check out the different downloadable journaling sheets, planning guidelines and more, as well as the video above, which is all about these same things I just wrote about.
My bottom line is your success. I know that if you practice a single skill every day for just 15-20 minutes, it will positively affect your life. I know this from my own experience, as well as countless other students and apprentices. This stuff is very, very powerful, and it doesn't matter which skill you pick. I want to see you succeed, and to be awesome. So I am pulling out every stop to help make that happen.
See you in the Facebook Group! We have a week to get ready, and then we will be doing this together!
Abigail's smiling because it is our first day of driving!
Ever since I was a kid, I have wanted to go north. I know those stories about White Fang and To Build A Fire, by Jack London, or any of the Farley Mowatt books. However, ever since 1989, I have run summer camps all summer, and never got up there.
Makin' dinner in Nova Scotia
This past August, I finally got my chance! I chose Newfoundland, as it was as far as we could go while still driving, and it was new terrain and a new culture too. I was accompanied by Nicole Bluh, Ben Gallagher, Abigail Liss and Japhy Czysz, and we packed our gear into my Xterra and headed north. There is a funny story about getting my passport renewed, and all of our camping gear organized, etc, but I won't go into all that drama! Eventually, we were packed and we headed out. My vehicle was packed to the roof and even the roof rack was loaded too. We first went to Albany and picked up Japhy at the Albany bus station, and then went to the health food store to stock up on some bulk items, (along with some very strange cheeses that Japhy got and shared with us!)
The Onion Roadrunner
We stopped at REI in Framingham a few hours later, for some last minute camping gear, and then headed towards New Hampshire and Maine. The landscape began to change as we moved into more coniferous forests, but it was still summer and we were feeling good! We camped by a river off of the main highway someplace near the border of New Brunswick that first night.
On the Ferry, looking east
In the morning, we met up with Nicole, Max, Brigitte and Charles Meneveaux just before we crossed the border. They were just returning from a road trip to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and we got all of the lowdown on bugs, moose and their adventures. They gave us some of their maps marked with cool places to go, as well as some travel guides and other info they had gathered on their journeys. It was really helpful, and we were even more excited after hearing some of their stories.
Sunrise on the Ferry! (It's a huge boat!)
Port aux Basques, in it's natural habitat
Eventually, we said farewell, and got to the border. Crossing into Canada took about an hour, and then we were in New Brunswick! That's when we began to experience Canadian culture, in the different road speeds (kilometers) gas (litres) and food (Tim Horton's)! New Brunswick was heavily forested with vast plateaus of conifers, including white pines, spruces, tamarack and hemlock. We didn't see a lot of mountainous areas, but it was still a change from Maine and New England. It just felt different, somehow. We drove for many hours and then began descending out of the hills towards Nova Scotia. We were still heading mostly east at this point, and the forest gave way slightly to fields and farmland amidst the woods. Nova Scotia had more flat land and some good farms, but there was a ton of woods and forest still, too. We stopped in the late afternoon someplace in the middle of that province, off of the main highway, along a small logging road, to make dinner and rest. It was hot, and I slept for an hour or so while the crew made a bowl of refried beans, chili and black beans, which we made into nachos. We even found a piece of wood that looked like a road runner and gave it an onion skin hat... We had a lot of creative energy that needed a little outlet!
The Northernmost End of the Appalachian Mountains
We drove through occasional rain and kept heading northeast to Sydney, a town on the far eastern corner of the province, to catch the ferry to Newfoundland. Our reservations were for 4:30 am, but we learned that we needed to be there two hours early for loading, so we ended up getting there around 11:00 pm. We got in line and then tried to sleep for a few hours in the car, on the roof of the ferry building, even on the chairs in the lounge... Eventually, we drove onto the boat, which was huge, by the way, and headed up to the passenger decks. The ferry ride was six to seven hours long, depending on wind, currents and other conditions, and I tried to sleep as much as I could. Abigail had slept during the afternoon drive so she was awake for the sunrise on the top deck, and eventually we all met up in the cafe/lounge to get our first glimpse of 'the Rock' as they call Newfoundland in the Canadian Maritimes.
The fog and light rain had begun when the ferry was about a half hour from the town of Port aux Basques, and the buildings we saw clinging to the rugged coastline were small and trim, with lots of trucks and boats and other fishing type equipment around many of them. It reminded me of some of the working towns in New York and New England, with an emphasis on practicality and function. The surprising thing that stood out was the lack of glitz, slick advertising and opulent buildings flaunting wealth and design. The Mall was a long, plain, one story building with a flat roof that housed stores whose names we didn't recognize, and a large parking lot with mini-vans and trucks. The differences in culture and values showed in many small and larger ways all throughout our visit up the western coast.
Alder thickets
Outside of the city, we left almost every sign of human habitation within a few kilometers, passing just a few roads and houses right off the TransCanada Highway. The landscape was instantly dominated by looming mountains, intense green thickets of alder, tamarack and spruce (called tuckermoor or simply 'tuck' by the locals). We jumped out of the car off the side of the highway and tried to clamber through the brush to get to a good viewpoint of the mountains, only to be thwarted by water, rough stones hidden in the sticks and branches that clung to our clothes, as if holding us back. Only Ben made it to some rocks high above the road, while the rest of us studied fireweed and the many plants blooming everywhere and taking pictures. (To Be Continued...)
Just wanted to let you know that Trista and I are putting together some photos about her natural wool dyes, as well as some Juniper pics, on her blog, Nature's Hearth, and I should have some nice pics from my game camera soon to post on this blog in a few days. Willow Spring seems to have two very active raccoons, who look healthy and well fed, as well as the usual deer and rabbits moving through on the trails. I think you will like the pics!
We also have three workshops coming up this fall, in October. The first is the Sacred Hunt, October 1-3, which shares skills, philosophy and awareness of the sacred art of hunting, (pretty obvious!) The second is the Unearthing the Soul Retreat, with Trista, October 8-10, which is about preparing for the coming year's growth, vision and changes as well as celebrating the past year's learning and manifestations.... good stuff and very effective and powerful, too. Last but not least is the Wolverine Survival Intensive, October 22-24, which covers the skills of survival and earth philosophy that will change how you see and experience the woods and nature forever... Chock full of learning and crafts and skills, it won't let you down!
I know we are just a few weeks away from a big election and all the blather about the economy and stuff the media wants us to obsess about, but if you take a moment and think, most of what is important to us in life doesn't have to do with that stuff. It has to do with the people we love, with the connections we make as friends and family, and our ability to enjoy our lives, work for a greater purpose and feel good about ourselves. I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't be a pawn in the media/political arena, and get outside, feel good, and work on things you can change and grow with, rather than stress about fear, hate and worry. In the wild, you can't change a thunderstorm. You just ride through it. It will pass, eventually, as it always does. The sun comes out, and there is another day. Don't let yourself be caught up in things that waste your time and don't really help build towards your personal vision and family and community. We all make choices in our lives, as to what we want to focus on. What we choose to listen to, and thus create our own reality. This isn't an opinion, it is a practice, one that must occur every day. We hear what we want to hear, what's important to us, or what we value.
So, you can see the direction our country, our world is heading, and the writing is on the wall. On the rocks. On concrete buildings and tall trees.
No matter which way you slice it, the bubble, as we have come to know the modern world, is beginning to burst. Or pop. Sure, it is a lot of small and medium pops that so far we have been able to weather and handle, but it's getting worse. Slowly, creeping, steadily advancing on us, we know
that it's time to pay the piper. Our debt to the animal world, the Earth Mother, to our future generations, is coming due.
You don't want to use the Ostrich Technique and pretend it isn't coming. On the other hand, building a bunker doesn't feel right either.
What you need, really, are Skills.
Experience.
Learning things that will last, that will have value no matter what the future holds. Things that can feed us, feed our families, our souls.
Skills can sustain us, and remove fear.
Skills let us breathe, to relax and feel good about our lives, our direction, our purpose and path.
Skills last forever, and can be passed down to our friends and family and community.
What to do. What to do.......
Hey! I have an idea!
Join the Hawk Circle Wilderness and Sustainability Apprenticeship. It is a powerful blend of old ways, modern skills and knowledge you can use right now to reconnect
with nature, your deeper self, and grow.
Apprentices learn about gardening, composting, harvesting foods and preserving them. They learn to make baskets and buckskin, take part in workshops and youth trainings. They learn the art of traditional timberframing, as well as practical skills of stacking firewood, basic carpentry skills, cooking and much more.
Apprentices make a four to five month commitment, and provide their own food for the duration of the program.
They participate for five days a week, sometimes part time, sometimes full time, trading their sweat equity for real experience and skills that change how they see the world forever.
The farmhouse is heated by a wood stove, and the shared commercial kitchen allows for fabulous meals, communal gatherings and potlucks. The barn is ready for all kinds of projects both building and native skills. The natural surroundings are perfect for this kind of retreat and intensive, undistracted learning.
We only need five people for the fall and winter, so if you would like to be considered, please contact Ricardo or Trista at 607-264-3910 or HawkCircleOffice@gmail.com.
We'd be happy to see if this program would be a good fit for you.
Remember: Skills Trump Fear.They are the antidote to catharsis, to just going along with the herd, and they are the key to freedom.
Skills you can choose from to learn while in the Apprenticeship:
Tanning Deerskins using Braintanning
Fire by Friction, without matches
Natural Fiber Rope and
String
Bark Baskets and Containers
Basic Stone Tools
Knife Sharpening and Care
Useful Knots for the wilderness
Cutting, Splitting and Stacking Firewood
Bread Baking and Herbal Butters
Campfire Cooking Skills
Wilderness Shelter Building
Traditional Timber Framing Cabins and Barns
Bow Making
Deer Hunting Skills
Organic Gardening
Harvesting, Identifying & Preparing Wild Foods
Tree and Plant Identification
Community Living Skills
Winter Snow Shelters and Survival Strategies
Earth Philosophy and Personal Ceremony
Animal Tracking and Nature Awareness
Working with Youth teaching Native skills and crafts
Raising Cabins and Barns
Okay, there are probably a ton of other skills I am forgetting to list here, but these are the first ones that come to mind that past apprentices have wanted to focus on, so here ya go! If you want to learn some other skills not on this list but that are listed on our website, give us a call and we will see if it can work out!
Have you ever shot a real bow and arrow? Gathered your dinner from a mountain meadow or grove of trees? Do you know how to skin and prepare good meat from a hunt? Can you make a warm shelter to spend a cold night in the woods?
It's not just skills, though. It is about wandering, connecting, and exploring yourself as you connect to the natural world.
Time changes at Hawk Circle. You can read for hours in the sun or grass, then be inspired to make indian curries for
dinner with your fellow students. You can make your own buckskin, or an ash splint packbasket that you will have for generations. You can sleep under a star filled sky so clear that it takes your breath away.
Insight, healing, rejuvenation and finding one's path are what this program is all about. It will change you in a good way. You will find strength, knowledge, direction and friendship.
Autumn is my favorite season, and the colors of the leaves, the frost, the fresh berries and foods are all amazing. I love giving someone their first taste of cattails, or wild game cooked over the fire. I like sitting out in the pre dawn on someone's first bow hunt, waiting to see what comes along, while we are invisible.
You can build a shelter with sticks, leaves and bark. You
can draw sketches of plants, or carve a bow and arrow. You can learn to timberframe cabins and homes using sustainable methods our ancestors used for hundreds of years, too. You can spend time in the garden, harvesting the remains of the summer crops and planting new seeds for the spring.
Later, as the season winds down, we sit around the woodstove, working on our projects, playing guitar or drums, and share our stories along with sweet birch or pine needle tea. "Will it snow tonight?" someone will ask. "If it gets cold enough!" I will answer, and we go to sleep wondering what the morning will bring.
Eventually, we find our spots on the mountain where we will go to seek our vision, our inner path and truth and purpose. Here we sit for day, or several, some without food, asking for guidance and direction. We support each other in our
seeking and inner journey, under the guidance of our mentors and staff. "It's hard" I say, "but it's worth it."
There is a light that begins to shine in a person's eyes when
they uncover their truth and discover their own path. It is a shine that comes from within and it let's part of their spirit out into the world, seeing things in new ways, with hope and trust and brightness.
If you need a little inner light, or the taste of autumn olive jam on fresh baked bread, come spend a season here at Hawk Circle. We'd love to have you around our campfire.
Why a Relationship with Nature is Important for our selves and our children. The changes that have been happening over the last two decades are mostly likely appetizers for the main courses to come. Each wave of disturbance, disappearance or storm is followed by new growth and awareness, no matter if the wave is ecological, social, technological or economic. I will be sharing ideas, concepts and strategies for understanding what has been happening and continues to unfold, and provide guidelines that can help you, your family or business adapt and grow.
Email us at HawkCircleOffice@gmail.com and let us know you are interested. We'll send you the call-in info and log-in code.
Two weekends. Two workshops. Two experiences that will change the way you see the natural world.
This fall, we are offering The Sacred Hunt: October 16-18, 2009. It is more than a simple hunting skills class. It's about learning to hunt in an honorable way, in a way that is connected to the heart, to the soul, not only of you but to the deer, and nature itself.
Hunting is a culmination of need, awareness, tracking and being human. It is part of us, our thousands of years of living close to the land. It isn't something that I take lightly, and it is far more than simply attempting to kill an animal.
Hunting provides food for our families, hides for our clothing, all kinds of tools and a way of challenging our skills to the very limit. It provides me with a bridge to the spirit and the sure knowledge that we all live and we all offer our lives as a gift to the earth, to the spirit that moves in all things, to the people, and to our families. We offer ourselves to the people we love.
The wolverine brings up all kinds of different feelings in people. In the old days, trappers hated wolverines, calling them gluttons, raiders that followed their traplines, taking their marten and foxes and fouling the area with a rank musky stench.
To the native people, wolverines offer a model of warriorship, of ferocity, of unbridled intensity that matched the massive grizzly, or a full pack of wolves. They can travel the most remote wilderness areas with ease, preferring to climb over a glacier or mountain pass than go around it. Their fur stays frost free even down to -50ºF and they sleep pretty much anywhere they please. Wolverines were the model for fighting spirit, for tenacity and power.
Modern science has found wolverines to be caring parents, and not always living up the ferocious loners portrayed in comic mythos.
In this course, we study the skills of survival that are necessary to living close to the earth, providing ways of making shelters, fire, tools, hunting weapons and utensils. We will learn to walk with awareness, hear more, see more and understand more about the natural world, where you will view the natural landscape as your ally and friend.
We have great discounts, great food, great cabins and you will never see the natural world the same way again.
It doesn't take more than reading the front pages or watching the news to figure out that America is in trouble. The financial changes that are coming are going to be tough for a lot of people. A lot of our 'pillars of society' are crumbling and it can seem like our entire way of life will never be the same. But what is interesting is how our country, and even the world, is reacting as if we are all destroyed, and no one has died. Nothing has happened except that the concept of money, which is a societal creation, has changed. It has been exposed as 'the answer to our prayers' and we can't rely on it as our sole source of security and comfort.
As scary as all of this seems, life will move forward, and we will find ways to adjust, and move past the fear. In it's place will be people, working together, finding ways to connect, share and grow.
Some people won't be that lucky, though. The change is going to hit hard and it will take a long time to recover.
Being in these difficult situations isn't really the problem, however.
But the real issue here is the lack of leadership. Leaders can get everyone pointed in the right direction, working together and moving towards a common goal. Even if the direction isn't always the perfect answer, it helps us all to do something, rather than sit and wait. And we can adjust as we go, making small course changes rather than picking a far away goal and then working blindly towards it. Leaders are the people who are still confident that we will thrive and survive, and find a way to get to our goal along the way...
It helps in a crisis, to use the wilderness survival metaphor. In other words, what are our priorities? What are our 'needs'? What are our resources? Who are our allies?
In the wilderness, when you are lost or stuck, you have to do all of the above. You have to let go of your 'wants' and focus on your needs. You have to find shelter, clean water, have heat and food. You prioritize based on the weather, your resources and your family or group.
When you first realize that you are in a survival situation, you should be thankful for what you have, rather than complain about what you don't have. You have to stay positive, mentally, and believe that you will not only survive but thrive, from your experience.
In this financial storm, you should remember that our grandparents and elders survived the Great Depression, and they made sacrifices to get through. They have stories of people who helped and worked together to make their futures and grow through it all. It didn't last forever, and it spawned the greatest period of middle class success and productivity that America has known. (Yes, I know this can be argued everywhichway, but the bottom line is that most of America is not currently living at the same level of free-time, debt-free, leisure and family time of the 40's, 50's and 60's. The disparity of wealth is what it is.)
Survival thinking is not negative. It is about strategy, and trust, and learning skills to make life easier. One of my teachers, Tom Brown, Jr., often said, "If you are struggling in the wilderness, for any reason, it is because, quite simply, that your skills suck." Of course, this quote is both humorous and telling. It applies both to the wilderness and to life in society. Whenever I have been struggling in my work at Hawk Circle, I often think, "What skills do I need to learn or do better, to allow me to get past this struggle?" It works, far better than simply complaining, or looking for someone or something to blame.
I will talk more about these ideas in a few days, but let me know what you think about them, and if they are helpful to you in this time of change. Don't panic, and keep breathing. We are going to get through this, together!
I am back from a trip down South, where I spent a week teaching a wonderful family about nature, about wilderness skills and native ways. For five days, we made fires, coal burned bowls and spoons, practiced hunting skills, explored the woods and streams, cooked over the fire, sewed leather pouches, made arrowheads and stone tools, carved bone and drilled stone pendants and twisted cordage from milkweed, dogbane and tulip poplar. We also sat in a circle around a fire, shared food and drink, took care of each other in many ways, kept our camp clean and listened to the sounds of nature.
Northern Alabama is hot in August, I won't pretend that it isn't! But the Creator was kind and smiled on us, and gave us some cool nights, and a beautiful breeze, and a sweet, cool stream where we could wash off the dust of the day, escape the heat and be renewed. We slept, played and learned underneath huge hickory, beech, sweet gum and oak trees, where the air was fresh and clean. The cicadas serenaded us all night, loudly, and the coyotes enjoyed the Coyote stories we shared around the fire at night, howling and barking their protests and pleasure! The woods were full of all kinds of owls and woodpeckers. The land was good to us and we learned from her each day, each night, even as we slept, lying on her soft ground.
Learning and sharing the skills of living close to the earth brings a family together in many ways. It brings us close to each other, as we look after each other with wood carving, or sharing a meal, or using fire to make a tool. We get to spend time with each other away from the electronic distractions of the modern world. We eat bread that is well done, toasted over the fire, and pick our way along the rocky stream bottom, holding hands and keeping our balance.
What other activity do you know that can bring a family together in this way? Nature's power is so great! She soothes us with her winds, her colors and her sounds. The skills of survival are built into us, genetically, as our ancestors all were hunter-gatherers, and we find ourselves in little ways as we make the tools and practice those skills. Carving a bowl, my hands work hard to create something unique, special, useful and beautiful. It relieves my stress, and the smell of the wood opens my senses and my deeper awareness. These skills help us grow as we develop them, and as a family, we get to see each other grow before our very eyes. We are there to see the joy on our child's face as they learn to drill a hole in a stone pendant, or make the evening's campfire.
As a parent, I love family camp outs. I know it is a lot of work. It isn't easy to drop our work, let go of checking our e-mail, and plan meals, set up tents and bring gear, etc. But it is very, very important. Our kids need these experiences, and if given the chance, they will help with the camp chores and make it work. They need to get dirty, and hot, and hungry, too. They need to learn how to do these most basic things to take care of themselves, because it is the foundation upon which to build our very lives.
I am not just talking about fire-making, or survival skills, either. Self soothing is a skill, where we take the time we need to let go of stress and unwind and heal by the banks of the river, or leaning against a tree. Studies have shown the extremely detrimental effects of stress on our bodies and mental health, and learning how to 'self sooth' at an early age is a true gift of life that we can give our kids by learning to unwind and relax in nature.
Leadership and communication is something that can be strengthened by a wilderness trip. We learn to talk to each other to make the decisions that affect us all, and share in a circle, in council, using a talking stick and listening with our hearts. Leadership is more than just making decisions, too, as good leaders rely on a deep and sensitive awareness of everyone in the group, their mood, morale, focus and needs.
My week in Alabama was amazing and special, as I got to spend so much quality time with everyone and see how hard each person worked in all of these areas. There was a deep caring, and a strong love between them as well. It was lonely indeed as I loaded up my gear and hit the road for my 18 hour/two day drive home. It was strange not to see Bella by the fire, or Lili working on her crafts or Robert showing off a salamander or frog.... We are back in our daily lives, getting ready for school or back to work, but the moments we shared by the Cypress Creek campsite will live in our hearts forever.
It's not too late to plan a campout before the cold comes! Don't wait, and if you need ideas of what to do, write and I will try to help you out! Trust me, it is well worth the effort....
This is the semi-official blog-journal of Ricardo Sierra, founder and executive director of Hawk Circle Wilderness Educationin Cherry Valley, New York. Enjoy, learn, read, explore and leave comments!
I have lived on both coasts, traveled extensively throughout the eastern and western states, practicing wilderness skills and learning about the natural world....
I started my own camp (Hawk Circle) in 1989 and I live in Cherry Valley with my family and our small community year round.
I am particularly inspired by our ancestral heritage, by people who lived for twenty thousand years in a sustainable, balanced way, close to the land and as a community, and to learn from their example.
So, you can see the direction our country, our world is heading, and the writing is on the wall. On the rocks. On concrete buildings and tall trees. 
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