The sea was calm at our Embodied Wild Swimming session in September. The next one is on the morning of Meaning conference in November!
from Daedalus Rising At times we feel the need to go back to plain things. To stones, earth, grass, wind. To things we have known a long time, to what we knew when what filled the hours was dirt and a few sticks, a pile of leaves or some thin, white bones from a long-dead bird. The huge rock near the creek was not too hard to lie on then and the sun on bare skin felt warm. We did not feel the press of time as we do now. The world seemed firm and real, and life was slow, and long, and good. Rosie read this poem at the start of our Whittling and Mindfulness class. Is it about our ancestors, or is it about childhood? What do you think? It was a gorgeously sunny September day for our Embodied Wild Swimming class. The sea was calm. We had welsh cakes round the fire after. Session leader Vicky says "We hope you continue to be curious about what you do and continue to sea swim. Long may the September sun shine."
There's nothing more enjoyable than sitting around a campfire and whittling away at a sycamore stick while noticing what's going on inside and out, and talking to new friends. It's calming and fun, and wooden butter knives are a great item to make.
Befriending the Dark. Starting from Lewes we walked through the woods and fields of Cuckoo Bottom, and back to Lewes, walking in silence and without torches. It was cloudy on the way up, and very dark in the woods, but the moon came out on the way back to light the way. A peaceful, magical and uplifting night walk.
Returning from our silent, no torches night walk to a welcoming fire and hot sage and rosemary tea. With much gratitude to Caroline Whiteman and #firekeeper Nico.
#fullmoon #southdowns #nightwalk #fire God you're big. You're so big you've got another tree growing out of your side You're so big that I can't see the top of you when I sit by your trunk. I've just seen another tree growing out of you! You're amazing. So tall and strong, and straight, and solid. I am in awe of you. I wish I could climb your branches and see what you see, and know what you know. I am a child by comparison. I am sorry that they have cut you, several times, in several places, somehow that only enhances your gnarly wise beauty. What's with all the sticky white stuff though? You truly are awesome, and I am humbled before you. I am captivated by your size, and your stillness. I love too that your needles are soft and shady. What secrets do you hold? What thoughts and what dreams? And what depths to reach so high. Sharpham Trust, August 2017
A big thank you to everyone who responded to our survey asking whether we should run our How to Skin a Rabbit session. The replies have been very interesting, and are printed below in the order they were received, to encourage more thought and reflection about the issue: NB click these links to read part 1 and part 2 of this story, which explain how the survey came about. "As a meat eater, I think it is important to acknowledge where my food comes from”
Sheila "At some point I would like to learn this as I think if you eat meat you should be able to also kill animals and handle the preparing of the meat. It should be ensured that the animals were raised and killed humanely and respectfully.” Name withheld "As a non-meat eater I would not do it. I think the session should also be how to skin and cook a rabbit, I think the workshop is only ok if the rabbit is actually eaten at the end of it by the participants. I think if people eat meat then they should 'do the dirty work themselves' so to speak and if you can't do that like me, then don't eat meat. People should face up to the realities of where their food comes from and if they are too squeamish to kill an animal themselves then maybe they shouldn't expect others to do it for them. I don't have a problem with the workshop as long as the rabbit is eaten and not wasted but I would never do it because I don't eat meat.” Christina A couple of months ago, I asked our subscribers what they thought about the Rabbit Skinning class that we’d scheduled.
I explained how the idea for the class came about (in Part 1 of this article), but that we’d sold no tickets, and that I’d had several strong complaints from people who thought the session was gratuitous and cruel. These complaints gave me pause for thought, and I wondered if there was some kind of ethical or ecological conflict between foraging and animal welfare. So I sent out a survey asking what people thought about it. A big thank you to everyone who responded - the feedback has been very interesting, and overwhelmingly in favour of running the session. 88% said you thought we should run the class, 12% said not to, and of those who said yes we should do it, 68% also said they’d attend the class. Wild pigeon breasts were perfect with the nettle pesto that the group made. Foraging, wild food and wine tasting with the Brighton Wine Company
Wild samphire canapés prepared by @forage_brighton at our Foraging and Wine Tasting session with the Brighton Wine Company
It was so dark in the woods, the inky blackness swallowed us whole. Great to come back to a fire.
#sensory #awareness #slowwalking #night A couple of years ago I went on a wild bushcraft weekend in some woods near the Ashdown Forest.
It was sunny and breezy, and over the course of the weekend we were shown various skills: how to build a shelter from branches and leaves, spoon carving, making string from wild plants, how to purify water using dirt and moss… We also were taught how to skin a wild rabbit. To be honest, I didn’t fancy the rabbit session that much. I’m a bit squeamish and although I am a meat eater I don’t eat rabbit. But in the interests of learning a survival skill and of getting closer to something I usually take for granted, I thought I’d give it a go. It was harder than I expected, and peeling back the fur and the skin to reveal the raw sinews and muscle underneath made me feel pretty uncomfortable. Artist Anniek Verholt helps us create our own individual piece of land art, with natural materials that we gather from our surroundings.
After spending some moments in our chosen spot on the Downs, we go off to find stones, leaves, flowers, or pieces of wood that we put together in a way that resonates. More Land Art & Mindfulness here. Mike the forager explains the difference between Sea Beet and Sea Kale, down at Seaford Head, at our Coastal Foraging with your Senses walk.
Look what the guys made. Whittling, headspace and conversation round the fire with a group of digital business leaders, convened by Jonathan Markwell and facilitated by Steve Stark of Then Somehow. Rosie Linford taught us the cuts.
Wild Sushi making outdoors wild food class at WeWork Summer Camp, led by Jane Hedgewitch
#wwcamp17 #vegan #wildtime #wildfood |
Author & CuratorNigel Berman is the founder of School of the Wild. Archives
March 2024
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