Since 1996, I’ve been mentoring youth, including this young man to my left, Luka Negoita.

Occasionally I get to know the family, deeper bonds form, sometime rites of passage are facilitated

and what develops is an adoption of kin, of extended family.  Luka is my nephew in this way.  He spent

many day and weeks in mentoring environments over the years: Coyote Camp, Art of Mentoring, Boys Sacred Fire Initiation, to name a few.  Deep Nature Connection has been a core theme in these mentoring environments.  Luka has gone on to graduate from the College of the Atlantic in Human Ecology, and in his own words: ” I enjoy studying the human ecology of plants. My interests include: Botany, Drawing, Photography, Gardening, Alternative Energy, Natural History, Rock Climbing, Wilderness Survival Skills, Ecological Awareness, and Teaching.”

He now has an epic project that he is deeply passionate about, reclaiming the old ways before they are gone. Way to go Luka !

I am deeply thankful for the next generation !

If you liked this post please comment below, like the page and send something to this inspiring young man !

Luka’s Kickstarter fundraising video for his trip to Romania to preserve the Old Ways

The Good Stuff

It’s that time of year again.  The breeze is moist, the cardinals singing, and the snow is like mash potatoes.  I love the seasonal ritual.  It’s a real rut-breaker.  It’s not based on the clock or date on my calender.  To catch the Maple Sap running up the tree, one has to pay attention.  That’s how you know it’s a keeper.  Like lots of nature connection routines that bring health and happiness, Maple Sugarin’ requires being awake, using my senses and a kind of longing.

It’s magic really.  Imagine drilling a tree with a 5/8″ drill and clear sap, like water, runs out the hole.  Of course the instinct is to lap it up.  I know, I do it every year.  Don’t spill a drop we say.  I’ve watched my daughter lick the drips off the bark of a Sugar Maple since she could walk.  Why ?  It’s ever so barely perceptively sweet.  And that’s enough to keep you coming back for more.

Of course it’s not like it use to be.  Back in the day the trees used to drip syrup.  The color was dark, the flavor rich, the body thick and the flavor very sweet.   It was so common that folks got used to it, and occasionally at first and then without exception, let it run all over the ground.  You know, cause it’s always there.  Like clean water, fresh air, abundant oceans, it’s pretty much a given.

Until one day, you won’t believe this, the Creator gets into a chat with Old Man Coyote about the situation.

Big C: “It’s just not sustainable”

Little C: “I hear you”

Big C: “I’ve sent several signals, they don’t seem to get it”

Little C: “yeah.”

Little C: “tell ya what, I think I got it”

Big C: “what ?”

Little C: “Leave it to me.”

It takes 4 of these to make that lil' thing !

So Old Man Coyote grabs a bucket, pretty good sized one, dips it into the largest body of fresh water he can find and wouldn’t you know it pours it into every single tree !  He had a good old time with this mischief and saw how the people woke up to this dramatic change.  They were sad.  He was almost done when he decided to leave them a little something, he left one tree with a hint of sweetness in it.  Jussssst a hint, mind you.

And you know what ? To this day it takes 40 gallons of Sap to make one gallon of syrup.  That’s a fact.

That’s quite a bit of boilin, to get all that H2O out of there.  I know, I’m doing it 7 nights a week for weeks on end during the height of the season.  I don’t mind though.  Slows me down.  Pushes back the clock, the treadmill, the taking for granteds that build up.

I like to use that fire tending time to sit in silence, listen to the clacking of branches in the wind and the howl of coyotes in the air.  I also like to visit with friends.  While tending the fire, I’m tending my relationships.  It’s like a renewal of what’s important to me, a seasonal ritual of gratitude.

Every year I look forward to connecting with nature, myself and my relationships by tapping into the sweetness that flows through all things.  Well,  Sugar Maples, that is.

If you liked this post, or like Maple Sugaring, leave a comment below, thanks!

I’ve been looking into how being connected to nature increases resilience.

And by resilience I mean:

re·sil·ience (n.) 1. The ability to recover quickly from illness,
change, or misfortune; buoyancy

I think it’s pretty obvious, reading the daily news, that there are
some changes afoot to our economy, weather and energy sources.

The question is: how do we get the ability to adjust to change rapidly ?,

and, in doing so, obtain an advantage to either stay employed,
renew wellness or increase our resources.

1. “The future belongs to the Nature Smart” – Richard Louv, author of The Nature Principle

Nature provides a constant unknown, a continual challenge to the edge of what I know. People who engage deeply with nature, and I mean visceral sensory connection, have to develop a creativity and ingenuity to make decisions that being inside a building constantly at 70 degrees will never develop. What kind of future are you preparing yourself and children for ? Familiar or Unfamiliar ?

2. “The three Great Mysteries: air to a bird, water to a fish, mankind to himself” ~ Hindu Proverb

In terms of resilience, being able to adapt to change has a lot to do with who and what is around you. Above I talk about immersing yourself in Nature. However what if your immediate cultural environment doesn’t value nature or deep nature connection. For example what if you knew that exercise not only helped you live longer but increased your emotional well being, reduced disease, gave you the advantage to express your purpose and overall was the key to a high quality life…and…everyone around you smoked cigarettes, watched 37 hours a week of tv, the cupboards were filled processed snack food, the fridge with soda and this has been going on since you were born. No other input.

What would it be like to have the tools and strategies to engage in the Art of Culture Repair and to restore the healthy cultural context of nature connection. ?

3. “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – Christopher Robin to Pooh

The inner landscape. The most impactful area in terms of resilience, beyond the great contexts of nature and culture, is self. And by this I mean knowledge of self. The best investment I can make in developing my ability to respond to change is not necessarily the concrete techniques or strategies of time management, for example. It’s the high leverage affect of knowing who I am. The very source of my worldview, belief systems and unconsci0us operations of my being. Like the Fisher King in Parsifal and the Holy Grail, the very answer to all of creations starvations could be right before me, just within reach, night after night, like the procession of the Holy Grail in the Grail Castle. And yet my belief of “I can’t”, unbeknownst to me, can act like a cloak of doubt so heavy, I don’t even try.

I will be giving an in depth training on these three areas in Boston, called The Nature of Resilience, Feb 18 and 19 2012.

If you can’t make that, I will be hosting a Free Tele-Seminar: Being Resilient in Times of Uncertainty, this Sunday Feb 12, 2012.

I hope this has stirred some thoughts and more importantly some actions in your life !

If you like this article, please comment below and click the Share This button !,

Thanks !

Mark

I had a chance to be part of a creative return to earth based wisdom in Judaism last week. Wilderness Torah, who’s mission is to Awaken and celebrate the earth-based traditions of Judaism to nourish the connections between self, community, earth, and Spirit, invited me to consult as a Cultural Mentor. The process of Culture Repair requires two key elements: the first being a return to Deep Nature Connection at all levels of culture and the second being Depth Mentoring. Depth Mentoring is a dedicated role that pulls the learner into new learning edges over and over again, deepening relationships to all manner of creation.

Here is a talk I gave about my journey to becoming a Depth Mentor in Culture Repair and the essential elements of Deep Nature Connection and Deep Cultural Elements (Tree Trunk !)

This is the second part of the Community Address

When I talk about the possibility of leaving the earth better than I found it, I find myself eventually in front of a choice. Do I take the risk to do something different, and what is the cost if I don’t ? Take a look and give me some feedback in the comments section.

I was in St. Croix in February facilitating an Art of Mentoring (Vermont, Scotland, Ontario, California, Washington) with Jon Young and Evan McGown, at VISFI. I was so inspired by the stories and spirit of these women that I felt that there was a message to bring back with me to the mainland.

Here it is:

Here is talk I gave in Huntsville Ontario. This is probably one of the better talks that I have given. Something about the people in the room that day and the need for this particular talk to go well. There is a saying: The greater the need the greater the result.

Take a look and let me know what you think:

Here is a talk that I gave on Thursday at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. 100 people were there and the energy was really great. The Ontario Art of Mentoring Team held the evening really well and even covered for me when my flight was delayed.