By Scott Lawrance and Tara Souch
Unprecedented. A word for these times. Pandemic, heat dome, catastrophic flooding, wildfires, and now the Emergency Measures Act.
Yes, and is not each moment unprecedented, inviting us into the mystery of life day after day after day, calling upon each of us to respond. What might enable us to respond appropriately, skillfully, to that which is unprecedented? Habitual patterns do not serve us, either individually or collectively. Tara and I hold the position that the wilderness vigil, or vision fast, is one practice that may be useful as we “hospice modernity”, as Vanessa Andreotti frames this moment in her evocative book.
It is with this in mind that we issue this invitation to you and those in your circles to join us in the forthcoming wilderness vigil ceremony this summer, at KDOL on Mt. Tuam, Saltspring Island, from June 24 to July 2. As in previous years, we will spend two and a half days of preparation, four days dreaming with the Land, and two days midwifing the return to our people. We continue to work in the lineage of The School of Lost Borders while honing our own unique approaches to this ceremony. Once again, we are grateful to be offering it on the Buddhist retreat land of KDOL, on the unceded territory of the Cowichan people.
Let us know if you “hear the call.” We would be happy to have a chat with you regarding any questions that you might have. In the meantime, as always, the School of Lost Borders (newly revamped) website (https://schooloflostborders.org/) will provide many answers about the ceremony in the resources there
Read more in GTEC’s Blog!