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I like the idea of the structure and cyclical nature of the ‘8 fold’ year. Is a common them in Pagan/neopagan thinking and many, many ancient and world wide cultures and religions. From a Wildcraft(y) point of view its about marking and observing cycles in nature, connecting what is going on and how that feels in us.

Dividing the year up into the 4 equinoxes/solstices (which are astral/sun-focussed / ‘heavenly’), and the 4 ‘fire’ festivals (human, season focussed/‘earthy’) halfway in-between, seems a more natural set of ‘months’ than the ones we normally use. I’m bilingual in both.

And the heavenly equinoxes and solstices really do happen almost in an instant; it is an exact time that the sun is positioned in the sky, marking a point in our year.

For me the other 4 ‘fire’ festivals (of which, we are now in Beltane), are different.  More indefinable, they happen over many days, tied to the seasons, sort of … approximate, depending on the state of the earthly season: in contrast to the heavenly exactness of the solstice/equinox. They are a pause, where you cannot pin down the start or the end, and will change from year to year.

They are celebrated on the first of May, August, November and February, and being an occasional pedant, I worked out that the 1st is not halfway in-between. It’s a bit early. Try 5,6,7,8th (depending on how you count it). So if we say it starts on the 1st, well it could keep going till the 15th…. or anywhere in-between. All I know is that Beltane is still here: you haven’t missed it. 

So there is time to still feel and contemplate the pulse of life that is happening all around us, all washed in (and emitting) the greatest display of spectroscopic verdancy at any time of year.

yours in Wildcraftyness

Phil

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The Splendour of November: heartlessly skipped in our culture (to facilitate the pile-on of Christmas), and overlooked as a month of any natural worth, November needs some Love.

It’s in November that the balance of bright low flying light can grab the colour of leafy ground and illuminate the skeleton trees.

Today was like that and I fashioned a sweet Earthwalk around those themes of light and shade.

And rest and restful mess too – it’s the first month of the true winter that we know in our bones.

I like it so much I have already named it the ‘Wildcraft Month of the Month’.

So remember, remember the Splendour of November …

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Nothing is new under the sun, and we intuitively know this, but structure our modern life in such a way as with ignore, dismiss or scorn ‘Connecting with Nature’. An adept facilitator/nature based teacher will create an atmosphere of respect and connection in every tiny-wee thing they do anyway, but of course we can ‘package’ that up and delve deep if we wish.

So … 2 things: Firstly, divest yourself of the modern armour of cynicism and get dressed in the playful, childlike clothes of nature connection as often as you can, it is free! And secondly if you want a bit of help along the way then check out Wildcraft’s ‘NICE’ package of Nature Immersion, Connection and Ecotherapy experiences. as the song says: ‘I’m pulling on my boots, getting back to my roots’ 🙂

Yours in Wildcraftyness

Phil

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On Thursday 21^st March, we planted 300 British Native Wild Pollinator Plant, incorporating around 35 different species: another great collaboration with Sharon and Jen from Climate Action North, and assisted by a total of 4 staff and 4 Climate Action (CAN) http://www.climateactionnortheast.org.uk volunteers. http://www.climateactionnortheast.org.uk

We planted 2 Wild Pollinator Beds, with Nectar plants with a wide range of colour and height, and planted into a Spring Meadow Lawn Area, beside Jupiter building at the North East Business Innovation Centre (BIC) in Sunderland.

https://www.ne-bic.co.uk

Using Native Wild flowers, some common, some sadly in decline we will bring back important pollinators as well as creating another Mini Rewilding area for the benefit of people and nature alike. And that will be cared for (and enjoyed) by BIC Staff and CAN staff and Volunteers well into the future…

Many, many thanks go to David and the team at Sunderland BIC for their vision and support.

And For more info on how to support wildlife by planting the right plants, pollinators and more see:

http://plantlife.love-wildflowers.org.uk

https://www.floralocale.org

https://www.buglife.org.uk

And I am still buzzin’ about it all 🙂

Phil

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Rewilding, thankfully, is moving more and more into mainstream consciousness. About time too. But what is it, and why do we Wildcraft it so much? It really is a huge area of study, and given my love for writing a lot of words (when maybe slightly less would do), I am going to really work hard at making this brief….

Nature Conservation is the ‘traditional’ name for a small band of folk trying to save what teeny wee bits of ‘high value’ nature we have left. As I write this, trying to scan the internet for an easy definition, its well, not so easy.

But a Conservation definition I found is: The act or process of conserving. Preservation or restoration from loss, damage, or neglect. The protection, preservation, management, or restoration of wildlife and of natural resources such as forests, soil, and water.

The key message has always been: ‘we are losing it’, ‘we must protect’, and we will ‘manage’ it. I worked for over 16 years for Nature Conservation Charity, studied it (and Ecology itself) to Postgraduate level, trained other people in it, (from ecological basics to most forms of practical management), and we worked to that definition.

The trouble is we are still losing species and connection at an alarming rate, and both globally and UK wide. The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in Europe.

So fast-forward to Biodiversity, one of my favourite words (but not one, funnily enough, that you will hear that often bantered between folk on the bus, in the pub etc). The term ‘Biodiversity’ came out of the Rio Earth Summit in the early 90’s. A summit that came up with so much globally good ideas and action plans it really is worth a mention.

The importance of the definition and the new Biodiversity approach – by carefully looking at all species, not just the rare and the favourites of humans, was  at last  music to my ears. We were now looking at managing our natural wealth based on scientific fact and not just ‘tradition’. And that has to be the way it should be. This is important because Nature Conservation itself, hugely important and facts based a lot of the time had practices based on forestry and land management approaches.

And this is a key point that I want to emphasise: we have to be able to connect to nature from a deep personal and cultural point of view, it gives support to our minds, bodies and heart. We also need to be able, as individuals, communities and as a society, to be able to understand our basic Ecological systems and how they work, and why they are so important. And finally we must be able tell the difference between the two and when it is ok to mix them together and when it is not.

Rewilding understands that we need large scale areas where nature is ‘self-willed’, doing its own thing. And that we have to change our land management practices in the UK and throughout the world to increase the size, connectedness and quality of our Natural Habitats and Ecosystems. Maybe we help nature to a point where it looks after itself. And that will in itself work to reduce the negative impact of climate change and of course give us more wild land to explore and be human in, more resources on the fringes of Rewilded areas to continue to live sustainably.

So a few of my personal connections and sources to share with you for more information:

Scotland the Big Picture https://www.scotlandbigpicture.com, beautifully set out and researched. Treat yourself to the book ‘A Rewilding Journey’. Although based around Scotland its all transferrable elsewhere. I attended one of their talks in Edinburgh a few months back, and even with my experience I learned, and It was so accessible.

‘A Manifesto for Wildlife’. http://www.chrispackham.co.uk/a-peoples-manifesto-for-wildlifeFronted by Chris Packham, with many, many, contributors this lays out all the Wildlife and related issues we could take on board now.

Visit the Rewilding organisations for Britain and Europe. Its all going on. https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk,https://rewildingeurope.com

Wildcraft have been developing and delivering projects with our colleagues at Climate Action North East (CANE) http://www.climateactionnortheast.org.uk, since 2016.

As part of that CANE hosted 3 rewilding seminars in the North East, which I attended and delivered a session at. There were lots of great projects, too many to mention here,  including the rewilding in Northumberland https://www.visitnorthumberland.com/news/2018/01/new-year-new-wildwood-project-for-kielder. I have picked this link to showcase it because it focuses on the truly great part of Rewilding …visit Northumberland. Rewilding will work for communities and people as well as the bits of nature that are not obviously us.

There were also presentations by Mark Fisher and Steve Carver if you want to go into more depth, explore critiques of current practices, and propose proven ways to Rewild, at http://www.self-willed-land.org.ukand https://wildlandresearch.org

Visit Carrifran, http://www.carrifran.org.uk, which is only slightly more awe inspiring than the people who have made it happen. I volunteered on one of the tree planting days they regularly hold, last spring. I will be going again and again. You can too J

And keeping it in Scotland of course, the inspirational Trees for Life project:https://treesforlife.org.uk

And a good read to go with all that?  Then try ‘Rewilding’ by George Monbiot.

So that’s Life, the Earth, the Universe and pretty much everything covered, for the time being anyway.

Yours in Wildcraftynation

Phil

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Bushcrafts is the perfect ‘doorway’ to the wild in Wildcraft. There are many definitions out there, but for me, it is gaining respect, skills and awareness that will allow me, you (and anyone), to pass through that ‘doorway’ with confidence.

By the ‘doorway’, I mean that part in our minds where we don’t know enough, or are unsure, or both, to stop us doing something. Whether it’s a simple outdoor day, or an overnight camp, or reducing your impact on the planet, Bushcraft skills will take you through the barrier and open up new opportunities for getting out there and understanding yourself better.

Ok that’s the philosophy bit over with, but what does it mean? There really is a wealth of information out there on the web to study Bushcrafts, some good and genuine, some not so, and we cover some of the basics of bushcrafts on the Wildcraft site, so I wont go into them too much here. And here’s the thing … studying videos and books are great, but you really have to do it to ‘get’ it. And it is hard, and take a long time, and you are never finished the journey.

Bushcraft is itself a modern term that encompasses Woodcraft, Survival and the study of ‘Primitive’ living, and I became fully aware of it 15 or so years ago, from the telly and Ray Mears. I was struck by how it combined things I recognised as survival skills, nature conservation skills, good old ‘scouting’ type skills and a tremendous set of values. Amongst the bushcrafters I admire and learn from Ray was the first, and all the others I have subsequently come across that I am grateful for, are very similar in outlook to him. You can find out more about him here https://www.raymears.com/Ray_Mears/About_Ray_Mears.cfm

I gained and tried out things, but not much and in a piecemeal fashion. But then in 2011, I attended a tracking course with Geoffrey McMullen http://www.pathfinder-international.co.uk, which blew me away, and although it was focussing on one part of the Bushcraft arena, it showed the depth of skills that is possible and what I could get from them, as well as being highly practical. Cue more training, more practice and a period where I picked up practical tips from several skilled outdoors people and bushcrafters, including a some sessions with Steve Haden, and old friend and African Drumming colleague (that’s for another blog….) https://www.facebook.com/groups/247405652301098/, which led onto a Bushcraft Competency training course with Dave Watson in 2016, a deeply skilled Bushcrafter and renowned for his friction fire lighting. https://www.woodlandsurvivalcrafts.com/our-instructors/. This then gave me the platform to go for and get my Basic Bushcraft Competency Certificate. It is a nationally accredited qualification accredited by the Institute of Outdoor Learning (IOL), and involved a lot (and I mean a lot), of study, practice, reflection, set backs, and a very intense and thorough assessment day.

And coming back to online learning, you would also do well to follow Paul Kirtley, I have and till do (http://paulkirtley.co.uk). I have been putting it all into practice since then and offering it as part of my other work. This blog comes on the very day that I am pleased to announce or first public bush craft courses (see our Public Events page https://wildcrafty.co.uk/public-events/). These are currently easily accessible and family based, with others in more depth to come in the future.

The door just got a wee bit more open 🙂

Wildcraftyness,

Phil

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I am writing this as the dusky night is moving in. There’s a glow in the sky from the departing sun, now below the horizon, and still lighting the sky but now, not the earth.

It’s a time of day that usually sees us moving inside, especially in the winter, but has so much to offer for the outdoors. Recently I have been co-leading some evening Forest School (FS) sessions. I love my work at any time of day, but the extra thrill and anticipation of going out to the woods in the dark is so fresh and enlivening, that it reminds me of what the heart of Forest School is about.

Venturing into the dark, where the familiar has changed, where challenge is heightened and where every one of my senses is refreshed leaves me feeling more … me. That’s the feeling we want with Forest School. The key difference between it and other approaches is that it is, if nothing else, a Child Centred approach.

There are plenty of discussions in the FS community about structure, tools, activities and values; a wide spectrum of approaches, but it does boil down to thinking and acting to enable children to learn, explore and express in their own way, at their own pace, and developing their own particular self esteem, regulation and unique creativity and personality: Wellbeing.

I trained and qualified in 2009 as a FS Leader, taught by inspirational, skilled and caring staff from Bridgewater College (one of the first to bring Forest School ‘over here’ after a visit to Denmark in 1993).

I am a member of the Forest School Association, and you can read more about the key principles here:

Full principles and criteria for good practice

and more on the history here:

http://www.forestschoolassociation.org/history-of-forest-school/

I had been searching for the time and funds to take the training for a good few years beforehand. The tutors emphasised the need to care for the human inside, respect for each and every one, how to give genuine, appropriate and positive feedback to the children.

In practice it takes an enormous amount of energy and time to give time to each child, observe them, reflect with them, listen, and involve them in the group to the point that you are as far from ‘leading’ as you can be, whilst still having a ‘hidden’ grip on safety, timing, team and practicalities. Then reflect on your own practice and challenge yourself to develop, too.

All this and tools, mud, fire, play, nature, fresh air, sticks, creating and more: it is a wonderful, privileged and ultimately really useful thing to be a part of as a Leader. And here’s the thing: it is not just for children. For me, it has influenced all my working practice and of course the process of our Wildcraftynation itself, because it ultimately speaks to the Inner Child in all of us.

Right, it is getting really dark now, mystery and adventure beckons. Time for some roamin’ in the gloaming.

Phil

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