Blog Entry, 1st Full Moon
Written by “Speaks His Mind”
Aaniin (greetings) from all of us Seekers,
This is the first blog post for the Wilderness Guide Program 2019/2020. We hope it will allow all of you to share in the trials and triumphs of this incredible journey we are undertaking. Maybe it will inspire some on their own path in life. We will be updating the blog every quarter moon with stories of our pack, projects we are working on, pictures, and maybe even some audio recordings. What we really want to share with you is a small part of what is going to make this next year so transformative in our lives.
This journey will not just be one of fire-making and canoeing (though there will be plenty of that too). This journey will also be taking place inside at the very core of the self. We will be shedding our preconceptions of our world, our relationships, and ourselves, The struggles we face will be long and arduous, but at the end, when we walk out of these woods, we will be attuned to our very essence of being. We will walk through this life having found something more precious than any of us could ever imagine.
So far, this first half moon has been a flurry of activity. Meeting 5 relative strangers and moving into the middle of the Northwoods wouldn’t have been easy at the nicest of times. It has been an unusually cold transition from the white to green season. We’ve been getting lost in bogs and enduring storms. We’ve been facing our psychological thresholds also, as we have come to realize that all of what we have experienced is what is ahead for the next year.
Luckily we have been sticking together as a pack. We built a wonderful pit for our food (pics.). Organizing the camp has been working well, and our discussions have been fruitful and numerous.
We have been learning about uses of birch bark and spruce root. Abel (Senior Wilderness Guide) also recently taught us how not to get lost in these woods (a very handy skill). Now most of us are working on our bowls and pack-frames. We have also begun practicing Truth-speaking with each other. It is difficult as it goes against everything we are told in society to speak from the heart. We started by every night listing what triggered us that sun (day). It is a way for us to practice listing without judgment or comment. If that sounds challenging, trust us, we know!
Oh! And we also had our first injury this quarter moon!
My most challenging lessons so far have been in the realm of safety, injury, and healing. During our initial hike from the school house to our campsite, I injured my knee to a degree I had never before experienced. Fellow Seekers were eager to take up the slack so I could focus on resting and healing that knee for several suns. It was inspiring to watch them gather firewood, birch bark, and food – each trip taking as long as one would need to bake a loaf of bread.
Recently I chopped into my left thumb with a tomahawk while carving out a bowl. It was coming along quite well. I felt that I was really getting the hang of it. The other Seekers were all gathered around the fire when they heard, “I did it!” The blade had gone into the side of my thumb from the base of the nail down to the center of the pad – about 1/3 of the way through.
We had completed our first-aid studies that very day, and I had provided our first real-life example. I dropped the tomahawk and grabbed my thumb instead, squeezing hard enough to stop the bleeding. I started feeling dizzy so I laid down by the fire. The clan was very supportive, attentive, and helpful. They fired off an alert to Teaching Drum staff using our satellite emergency beacon. Abel, Irene, and Susan arrived in about 20 nut cracks and gave us clear instructions on how to proceed. We’ve eaten two breakfasts since that evening and the wound is healing fine. I’ve been guarding it well and keeping it covered with antiseptic tree sap.
Until next quarter moon. See you on the path.
– Speaks His Mind
