As bees are the reproductive organs of flowering plants,
might humans be the song and story organs of the world,
carrying the pollen grains of story around as we fall hopelessly in love
with the nectar of life, moving from flower to flower?
We might.
In the long ago, Humans were given the gift of language, the gift of story, so that we might behold the world in all its mystery and beauty and wonder. While most of us have forgotten this, and have been using this gift for all manner of absurd and frightening purposes, there are a few who have never forgotten – the poets and bards, the song and story-carriers of the world.
In the long ago, Humans were given the gift of story so that we might bear witness to the inexhaustible beauty of the world. With our throats and our hands and our brilliant minds, we were asked to give this beauty back, to sing the songs of Life back to itself, to feed the soul of the world with poetry, song, dance, with wild beauty. We were asked to tend the world with our eloquence, our imagination, our capacity for grief and praise. We were asked to Behold the elegance of the world with the fullest limits of our humanness. We were asked to be artists.
The power of language and story is our species’ unique way of being in the world, and it is a powerful magic indeed. What if we were to take accountability for this gift, for this power, and use it for honoring and celebrating the world? What if we were to allow ourselves to truly see the beauty of the world, and be seen in turn? What might happen?
Beholding the Stories of the World is an eight day journey into a world of very real magic and wonder, a world in which you are an integral part of the story of the world, and what you do with your gifts – your art, your magic – matters greatly to the entire fabric of Life.
Who is this for?
This ceremony is for poets, bards, vagabonds and miscreants, brush-and-pen-wielders, pot-shapers, spoon-carvers and basket-weavers, song-keepers and myth-tellers, minstrels and wastrels and artists of all breeds and persuasions. Throughout the ceremony, you will be asked to take accountability for your role as a human and as an artist. You will be asked to witness the beauty of the world, and be witnessed in turn. You will remember why your people were given these gifts so long ago, and why you are carrying them now.
We are playing in the sandbox of what it might mean to live in an animate world – exploring the possibilities, potentialities, and limits of what is possible when a group of humans come together to open their ears, eyes and hearts to the songs and dreams of the wild world.
What will we be doing?
We will be gathering, camping, and cooking together at a basecamp on Boulder Mountain, and venturing into the surrounding wilderness in a series of ceremonies designed to bring us into immediate contact with the nonhuman world. The week will be weaving back and forth from solo wilderness time and community story-telling, art-creating, and witnessing time.
This sounds a lot like Mirroring
For those unfamiliar with this term, Mirroring is an essential part of a rite-of-passage ceremony, a way of witnessing, celebrating, and midwifing stories into the world. Mirroring is an act of tending the rich soils of death and life – compassionately holding the hand of that which is dying in us, as well as welcoming the beautiful story which is struggling to emerge into this strange and terrifying world.
Beholding is a child in the lineage of Mirroring, taken a few steps deeper into an animate world. Beholding is applying the magic of mirroring to the nonhuman world, as humans are not the only beings whose stories need to be held, witnessed, and loved.
Do I need prior experience with ceremony, mirroring, or poetry?
This is a more advanced version of our Beholding the Human Story ceremony, and so prior experience with ceremony, mirroring, and beholding is helpful and indeed necessary to be able to fully engage with the particular magic that we are working with.
What about reciprocity?
The Oak and Bone School operates on a gift economy. For more details on what this means, please follow this link: https://www.theoakandboneschool.com/soul-of-gift
or contact tamarix for more details.
Participation is limited to ten humans. Please RSVP by June 1st.
For questions, details, or to RSVP, please follow this link: https://www.theoakandboneschool.com/apply-1
or contact tamarix at
[email protected]
