Choosing a Path – Part 8

Our tribe held a full moon ceremony and some significant feelings where shared in that circle. Normally I don’t share what happens in circles, but I asked my dear sister Tammy if she would consent to me sharing what she said. She gave me consent, so I share with you now as what she said is profound and extremely important.

Tammy acknowledged with the tribe that the divine masculine is healing and making profound strides in that journey. She followed up with the statement that she no longer feels afraid. She knows that no matter what happens, she will be provided for and protected.

To hear divine feminine express feelings like this is significant and a testimony to the work that we are doing here with this tribe. A lot of work has been done over the past three months, but I’m confident in suggesting that the tipping point happened when she shared with me that she was going to spend $600 on wood. I immediately thought that it was craziness to do that considering that we live in the middle of the bush. So I read the need that she had and went into the bush and started hauling out fire wood for her. I’m not done, but spending a day doing that meant the WORLD to her, so much so, that she was moved to share her feelings in circle. That in turn was a huge confirmation that I’m doing the right things, holding powerful masculine energy within this space and bridging the gap between masculine and feminine in a healthy way. That was acknowledged by her testimony regarding the healing of the masculine.

I’m confident in suggesting that this would never have happened if we did not engage in purposeful ceremony with specific intent: healing relationships. I’ve been reflecting on why ceremony is so important and I’m starting to realize now the significance of it. Life is busy and when we focus on objectives like building homes, tending gardens, harvesting, etc, we get so caught up in the work that we forget about or get distracted away from what matters most: relationships.

Holding ceremony on a regular basis ensures that we stop everything and submerse ourselves in deep, profound and intimate ceremony to work on our relationships with self, each other, Mother Earth, Creator and all of creation. It is too easy to suggest that the day to day work is more important and to suggest that we will have time later to work on relationships. This is not true. The work done in ceremony is, by far, the most important work we have. Ceremony is sacred work to help us heal, maintain balance, remind us of what is important and sacred in life. It provides everyone with an opportunity to heal and hold space for others to do the same. To honour spirit in such a way brings profound meaning and intent to life here on Mother Earth.

When working with a tribe, it is absolutely critical that ceremony be a central protocol for all involved. Those that don’t embrace the spirit of ceremony and the opportunities presented within those circles will have the most difficult time with the tribe. While tribe work involves supporting and encouraging each member to be as independent as possible, those that take advantage of the tribe will be confronted as it violates the spirit of the tribe as well as divine masculine and feminine energies. The safety net of the tribe comes when we provide support to develop and maintain the independence of ourselves and the other members of the tribe. Tribes are able to support the youth and elders, but not those able to support themselves.

Ceremony helps tribes work through these challenges and decolonize our way of thinking in the process. The colonial way is to pay into a pot and people can then draw from the pot (insurance / limited liability). This results in people living with limited liability, not being 100% responsible for the choices or actions that take in life. Dependency is encourage which then dis-empowers people and forms co-dependent relationships. However, in tribe, we live with full liability, where everyone must accept 100% responsibility and accountability for their life. Independence is encouraged so that inter-independent relationships can be formed. If somebody is dependent, the tribe works to restore independence as quickly as possible. This is our nature. This is the way we are supposed to live.

Ceremony is used to remind us of these truths and provide protocols to support and encourage this way of life. It is not easy and requires hard work, but the rewards are profound. Riches are found the the profoundly intimate relationships that are forged as a result. Intimate relationships on a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level. This is where true security comes from. What the state and corporations provide is a benefit; there is NO security there. When people gather together within the constructs of our nature and use ceremony and tribal protocols to work and live together, that is when we find security. That is NOT accomplished until divine feminine says that she feels safe and secure.

Divine masculine has a LOT of work to do in order to heal and build that kind of safe container. I know that I’m on the right track because divine feminine is saying she is no longer afraid. She knows her needs are being looked after. Masculine does not have a say in whether his work is good enough or not. Divine feminine has that say and it is best we start to listen to her. Divine feminine is standing up all over the world, screaming at the top of her lungs. It is best that we start listening to her. We do that by entering into sacred ceremonies, doing the work, changing how we live and address these issues at the root. Trauma is that root cause and it is best we heal that trauma so that we can remedy the issues that is confronting us and will destroy us if we don’t get to work soon. Those that refuse to do the work will find themselves facing tough love as unconscious violent colonial ways are not welcome within the tribe. Those that have the WILL and ABILITY to do this shadow work are welcome, but boundaries are firm for those that engage in violence within the tribe. These behaviours threaten the tribe and will be confronted. Creator and Mother Earth are both putting us all through a case of tough love right now. These lessons may feel harsh as death, disease, famine, starvation and other challenges are presenting at this moment. The learning and healing curve is great, but so too are the rewards.

In two weeks we will host the UNGRIP Boot Camp here with this tribe. Ceremony will be a big part of the time spent here. We only have two spots left open for those that want to experience what I speak about in these blog posts. If you want to attend, please let me know quickly as I anticipate these two spots will be filled soon.

Choosing a Path – Part 7

Since I’ve done this journey before, I’m confident that the choices I’m making will not only work, but allow me to survive the winter. My strategy is simple but can be challenging without the help of the tribe. The shelter I’m building came from an idea that I saw visiting the Ukrainian Village Historical site just outside of Edmonton. The idea was to place logs over a hole and cover with sod. There is no sod here, so I modified the design and decided to use the gravel that I’m excavating to cover the roof and then put a cement cap over top of it all. The idea here is that I need a building that can accomplish a number of features. It must be able to access the thermal mass of the earth to help keep me warm during extreme temperatures in the winter. The building must be able to handle 6 feet of snow on its roof as well as all the snow melt during the spring and summer rains. I also need to make sure the building will not flood and will not burn down during a forest fire.

The site I chose is on top of a hill, so risk of flood is low. To ensure a fast snow melt does not flood me out, I’m going to build a swale around the building that I can then use to collect water or redirect it around and down the hill. Fire protection is done by putting gravel on the roof but also covering any exposed wood with cob. While it is not 100% fire protection, it will provide some protection. The thermal mass of the building will be very high, so I’m confident that it will function fine during the winter. I’ll fire up the stove as soon as I get it enclosed so that I can start drying it out and charging the thermal mass. I also suspect that 6 feet of snow on the roof will provide a warm blanket for the building during the winter and keep me nice and cool during the summer. I’ve worked with and lived in thermal mass buildings for over a decade, so I’m confident that it will perform as I need it to be.

I also wanted a building that will rot and fill in itself when I go, whether I move away or leave this realm. I want to make sure that my foot print is very small. This building is only temporary anyway as I plan to live in it for only a few years, which gives me time to build a more permanent one. Why put in so much effort for a temporary shelter? Because winter comes very quickly. Right now my shelter needs is being supported by the tribe. I’m living in a camper, which is a huge boost as it gives me time to setup a shelter. If I did not have this, my strategy would be a bit different.

Without a tribe, I would take this stepped approach.

  • Top priority is to build a small shelter to handle the elements. This shelter would accommodate my needs for a few days while I build a larger shelter to handle my summer needs.
  • The summer shelter is a bit larger but still very basic and can be built in a few days. Once this shelter is built, I would then start work on a winter shelter.
  • This is the stage I’m at right now. Tribe allowed me to skip these first two steps. When starting in the spring, I only have a few short months to get the winter shelter built. The goal here is to not only survive a winter but have a shelter for a few years to buy time to build my permanent shelter.
  • Permanent shelter would then be designed to survive for the rest of my life, have room for visitors, family, friends or even tribe members. More importantly, I need room so that I can pay it forward and provide shelter for others who are starting out so that they too can skip the first two steps and jump right to the third step.

When people are being forced out of their homes due to mortgage foreclosures, tax notices, war, famine, etc, we will need to find a way to provide shelters for people off all the grids. The price of lumber has sky rocketed, which makes it nearly impossible for people to build shelters the traditional way. How do we build shelters without the resources of the grid? We do it by looked back at how our ancestors did it 100+ years ago. I am doing this work to explore what it is like, how long it takes, effort, cost and feasibility. If I fail, the tribe has indicated that they have room for me for the winter. So the risk is much lower than if I was on my own. I’m confident that I could be living in my new shelter by August. I’m hoping to be into it before the UNGRIP Boot Camp on August 9-13.

Tribe is important during times like this. I encourage people to setup their Sacred Heart Circles as this is how tribe is formed; by being vulnerable and working through our shadows together. We will be discussing these topics at length during the boot camp. I encourage people to sign up if even a little bit of this resonates with you. I have a feeling that we will need ideas like this in the coming years, especially as the tyranny progresses to march along. Being able to survive and thrive in extreme climates like the north will be a huge benefit for those willing to do the work.

It is also important to have the knowledge and skills to be able to build shelters when we UNGRIP from the state and no longer have a person to interface with the coming mark of the beast.  These passports, social credit scores, etc are all designed to enslave people and when we take a stand and remove ourselves from them, we also remove ourselves from their supply chain, goods and services.  That leaves each individual responsible for fending for themselves and knowing how to do that without stores is going to be a critical skill to have.

UNGRIP Boot Camp

We are pleased to announce our first retreat, a boot camp held on the land in Northern Ontario. The camp will run for 5 days from August 9th to 13th which gives people the weekends for travel. People who attend the camp will be introduced to and fully submersed in off grid living. We will be holding ceremonies, harvesting food, using the solar dehydrator, smoke house, building shelters, stewarding animals, preparing for winter and all other types of activities associated with late summer off grid living. Come prepared for all types of weather. We have space for eight people to sleep in campers. We will not be asking for any energy exchange. Instead we are asking people to pay it forward. If you have food or materials that can help people attending the boot camp in the future, bring it along.

Summer in the bush is full of bugs, so we recommend netting to keep the flies and mosquitoes at bay. There are also bears in the area, so bring bear spray. We will teach you how to connect with the animals here so that the use of the spray will be unnecessary. You will need to bring bedding, cloths for all weather (dress in layers), good foot ware, gloves, hat, food to contribute to meals, mess kit (plate, silverware, cup, bowl), water bottle, folding chair and a willingness to participate and learn.

There is room for only eight (8) people. Please book a space ONLY if you are fully committed to attending. Further details and instructions will be sent to you when you contact me with your intent to participate. We are located just south of Larder Lake Ontario. Further details will follow.