Coming Of Age

There are transition times in our lives.  Sometimes, they are gradual changes recognized only much later,  Other times, they are clearly marked instances.  Last Fall, I was invited to participate in an observation of one such event, a young man's coming of age ceremony.  Ceremonies like this were common around the world in indigenous cultures - a symbolic transition to mark the real, often physical, change.  They were used to inform the "honoree" of his/her changing role in the society. 

Perhaps, this is why they are not common in ours - we have no clearly defined roles.  We hold our kids back ... physically, they are adults much younger than the legal definition.  How often have you heard, of a young woman, "She is ONLY 16?!  I thought she was 21"?  Further, when they become adults, we do not have roles for them to fill, besides that of a consumer.  We have lost our identities somewhere along the way.  It would not be a problem if, as a society, we had roles to support the people who surround us.  In indigenous tribes, we might be hunters, healers, basket makers, etc. to support the whole tribe.

My part is this ceremony was not necessarily key to the process, but vital for this young person's growth.  I was asked to offer a piece wisdom I have learned during my life.  We don't often, in these times, interact with those much older and so we lose their accumulated wisdom.  I feel honored to have been asked.  I was surprised to be told that this young man considers me a part of his spiritual family.  I was bowled over by the recognition that there are people out there who consider me as a vessel for wisdom - we don't always recognize those slow changes in ourselves.

I pondered for weeks about what was the most important piece of wisdom I could share.  When put into this context, it seemed important to pass on something that would serve him his whole life.  Several other men were also asked to speak.  Of course, spirit works in mysterious ways.  Each of the four of us, had different insights to pass on.  It was a genuine sharing of wisdom within a community, however temporary.  I, too, was reminded of a few things - slow down and enjoy the moment.

I offered this ... We create our own reality.  And, we must be honest with ourselves and others.  The first can be somewhat controversial.  I can hear people grumbling already.  The fact is that we DO create our reality.  Evey thing that happens is a result of the choices we make.  Tragic events occur, but if we accept responsibility for ourselves and really look at our actions, with an open-mind and brutal honesty, we will find things that would have changed the result if we had chosen or acted differently.  Additionally, we have to be honest with ourselves and each other.  Honesty is the measure by which we are judged ... was he honest with me, how honest, does he mean what he says, etc.  It is a real tragedy when we see a person who can not even be honest with himself.

Now, several months later, I find myself with one of my own making the transition.  I offer you, Big, Little Sister, the same advice.  I believe that we have raised you with these beliefs.  You are an incredible, young woman.  I am often amazed by the things that you do and the way you do them.  I am proud of you.

My MooseBoots path has been amazing, thus far.  When I look back, I see that I have grown.  I am assuming my proper role even as I learn it.  I am excited to know that I am growing right along with my family, who shares my path.  I recognize that we are always making a transition of one kind or another - life is not static.  I welcome you to share some of your own wisdom here for those in a state of transition.  Ask your family and friends to come and do the same.

Scene Of The Crime

My MooseBoots education has been gaining pace rapidly.  A month or so ago, I had the privilege of attended a mentoring class at the Maine Primitive Skills School.  It was an amazing download of information.  Had I been paying attention and had time to read it, I would have found that much of the material is presented in their book, The Invisible School: Playing Hard and Growing Smart.  It certainly would freed me to pay attention to the discussion instead of taking so many notes. 

Regardless, one of the exercises we did was a linking exercise.  Quite simply, the object was to find a disturbance in the forest and link other things to it.  For example, we found a tree that was blown over.  Its top had been broken off.  We observed many other trees in the area with similar damage.  Then, we notices that there were many small pine trees.  Counting the sets of branches (because a pine tree will put out a new set for every year of growth), we determined that the trees started growing about 12 years ago.  We made the assumption that the trees started growing because of the new opening in the canopy.  We then decided that this was all caused by the ice storm of 1998 that Maine suffered.  It just so happened that one of the instructors had been around then and confirmed this for us.  It was a great exercise.  The following is a similar exercise that we, homeschooling parents and students alike, had here at the Wyvern Heath on the drive out to the dance school.

At first glance, it might not seem obvious.  The tiny gray, white, brown, and black feather were strewn about it a rough circle about 8-10 feet in diameter.  A second look revealed some small seed dropped into the snow ... melted in a bit, but there.  What could it all mean?

First, we figured that the feathers are probably those of a chickadee.  The reasoning, which was not argued against, was that the colors and the sizes are about right.  Further, chickadees are numerous in our yard, especially this time of year.  Most often lately, we have been seeing chickadees, blue jays, and crows.  The other two do not fit.

Second, the seed was located directly under our black cherry tree and looks like the appropriate seed for the tree.  It must have fallen onto the snow and slowly melted into the surface.  This seemed fairly reasonable as the weather has been warm and the seed is dark colored.

Third, we also assumed that, given the large number of feathers, that the bird became someone's breakfast.  There were no blood drops, however.  And, there were no tracks into or out of the area. 

So, these are the simple facts.  The rest is our theory and the explanation for it.  First, we discussed the distribution and pattern of feathers on the snow covered ground.  The feathers seemed evenly spread in a circle.  This circle was too large for the attack to have taken place on the ground.  Additionally, there was no sign of struggle or tracks in or out.  So, we concluded that it happened above the ground.  The inclusion of the seed, indicated that perhaps the chickadee was perched in the black cherry tree eating seeds.

This seed eating could only have happened on tiny end branches were the fruit grows.  So, our culprit was not a raccoon, opossum, cat, or otherwise because they would have been too heavy to make it out to the bird.  Besides, these animals would have left a blood trail.  But, there was none.  So, what could it have been.  Then,we remembered that we saw, for the first time this year, at least one red-tailed hawk in the neighborhood.  That must be our culprit for the heinous day lit crime.  We did talk about owls, but as chickadees are diurnal, we ruled them out.  Besides, we have not found any owl pellets around here.

So, here is our theory ... the black capped chickadee was out foraging for food in the bright morning light.  It lit upon our tree and was nibbling the black cherries.  While he ate, we was spotted by a red-tailed hawk.  The hawk swooped in and caught our chickadee unaware.  This released a cloud of feathers and caused the chickadee to drop one of the seeds.  There was no wind, so the feather fell straight to the ground beneath the tree, as did the seed.  So, it was not really a criminal act after all, but a simple act of survival in nature.

This find and the ensuing discussion was amazing.  It engaged the whole family.  It required that know the species around us ... what they eat, where they live, when the are active.  We needed to think about what we saw and reason out how the things got there.  We thought about the recent weather and the impact it had on the "scene".  In short, it demanded that we be aware.  This is the type of awareness and understanding of the natural world that I seek on this MooseBoots journey.  It is amazing how powerful a few simple questions can be! 

I look forward to your comments, for or against the theory.  I certainly encourage you to play these types of games, as they present themselves.

Primitive / Colonial Skills Class - Week 2

If you have been tracking me along this MooseBoots trail, you know that I have been attending a couple of different outdoors/survival skills classes with Wendy and the girls.  Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, our Nature Adventure class ran its seven week course.  We were saddened and thought it was a shame to let the group dissolve back into the usual grind of daily living.

Additionally, I have been a bit disturbed by my situation.  According to Tamarack Song in the book Journey To The Ancestral Self, in a native culture, I would have reached the place of knowing my vision and exploring mysteries years ago.  In other words, I would be ready to accept and understand the wisdom offered me by my elders.  I am also nearing the age where I would start sharing my knowledge and skills with others, teaching.  Here is where I run into trouble ... I have no elders.  Everything I learn is done through books or sporadic contact with others.  I have a burning need to learn and share these skills.  Perhaps, I have found a connection to the Spirit In All Things.  It has shown me the path, it is up to me to follow and fulfill my purpose.

Wendy and I spoke with Mike and several of the parents in our group.  We decided that the group needed to continue.  As such, we have begun meeting at our house.  Mike is temporarily out of the state earning some money to continue his path and is not available.  So, we are teaching the class.  I have no particular expertise in the true complete sense of survival, but I have many useful skills, that I have learned through all of my bumbling around, to share with the kids.

Over the next few months, because it is Winter, we will work primarily with fire and craft items that would be useful in a native context, specifically spoons and bowls.  We've already met a few times with the kids ranging from 5 to 13.  I like to joke that we've taught other peoples kids to make fire.  Additionally, we've also shown them how to play with fire ... to make bowls.

For me, this supports both my learning and my need to share these skills.  First, when we learned these skills, we never finished either project.  Time is always short for this type of work, which tends to require patience and persistence.  The bowl, shown above, was one that I started with one of the girls over two years ago.  Until a week of two ago, it was as I had left it.  So, while it may not be completely finished, it is near complete and would be usable if I hadn't gotten so overzealous with carving the bottom flat (spelled L-E-A-R-N-I-N-G  E-X-P-E-R-I-E-N-C-E).  Similarly, the spoon was started some time again and not finished.  Of course, I needed examples on so I finished them so that I could support my second need - to share the skill.  Seeing the progress over the last class, I recognize that it will probably take more time that planned to finish both a bowl and spoon, but the kids can work on their own, too.  I should mention that parents are encouraged to participate in the activities as well.  The hope is that they will learn something to share with their kids and that perhaps, they will have something to share with the group.  I guess to say it another way ... we are building a community.

My MooseBoots journey has given me so many fantastic experiences.  It is imperative that I share these experiences or create the opportunity for other to have their own.  I am so fortunate.  I remain eager to see where the path leads, but in the meantime, I'll help guide a few other people along their own "MooseBoots Path."