To belong to the way of Man is a matter of no small consequence. What does it mean to be a man in a world where we have almost no role models, no mentors, no helpful guides for a beautiful masculinity in service to Life? What does it mean to be a man in a world where men have done horrible, horrible things to this planet and all her precious creatures for thousands of years? What does it mean to have come into this world with a tremendous capacity for creation and destruction, and no guidance for what to do with this power? What does it mean to be a man in a world where even the concepts of masculinity and femininity are being scrutinized, weighed, tested, and found wanting?
The Boulder Mountain Mens Fast is a space to open up some big questions around what it might mean to be a man in the world and begin to tend the deep wounds that lie therein. This is a ceremony open to anyone willing to take accountability for their experience of masculinity in a community of men. This is an initiation into a wild and beautiful masculinity, one which has the courage to meet our inherited cultural poverty and shame with profound courage and compassion.
No prior experience with fasting or ceremony is necessary, only a sincere desire to take accountability for belonging to the story of masculinity and a willingness to show up as the most courageous version of yourself.
Layout of the 12-day ceremony
We will be gathering at a basecamp on Boulder Mountain for four days of preparation and working with intention, transition to four days of ceremony in the tradition of the vision fast, and a return to the basecamp for four days of working with the stories that have been born and learning how to integrate them into the fabric of Life. For those unfamiliar with the vision fast, it is a pancultural model of initiation that has been remembered, carefully tended, and lovingly offered to our culture by the School of Lost Borders (https://schooloflostborders.org/) over the past forty years. The ceremony will consist of four days of solo time in the wilderness while fasting from food, human companionship, and most everything else you have been using to distract yourself from the deep longing that has been tugging at your chest – the wild call of your soul.
We will be following backcountry Covid protocols throughout the duration of the ceremony, which unfortunately includes cooking meals individually or in pods of folks who are comfortable sharing physical space.
Dreamwork
Working with the dreamworld is integrated into all Oak and Bone School fasts. In addition to an invitation to begin tracking dreams during the time leading up to the fast, there will be a dream tent available each morning for those who wish to engage in dreamwork.
Reciprocation
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 eight humans and one cat. 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]
