Wilderness Rites of Passage Guide Training ~ Lima East, in the foothills of the Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria, Australia 

Wilderness Rites of Passage have been practiced in cultures around the world as a way to celebrate and transition from one phase of life to the next - to leave behind what no longer serves and step into life as it is now. These can be developmental phases of life, like moving from adolescence to adulthood, or the many other transitions we face throughout our lives. In this modern day, there is much value in returning to wild places to remind us that as humans we are deeply connected to and part of nature. Just as the seasons shift, we too have profound changes in our lives that are calling out to be recognized through ceremony and marked with clear intention. We are able to see ourselves and be seen in profound and accepting ways when we are witnessed by others as well as mirrored by the natural world. 

This experiential training will support you in learning the bare bones of this ancient and yet modern ceremony. You will learn how to prepare and support people in creating meaningful and powerful wilderness rites of passage and incorporate the experience back into the community. This training is taught by Ruth Wharton and Pedro McMillan who bring with them decades of guiding and training experience through the School of Lost Borders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reintroducing Rites of Passage around the world for more than 40 years. 

This training will experientially teach you how to guide Wilderness Rites of Passage with specific focus on the following topics: 

• Council Practices and Creating a Safe and Inclusive Container 

• 4 Shields of Human Nature Teaching*Screening and Preparation of participants*Intention Setting

• Physical and Emotional Safety*Self Generated Ceremony*Cultural Appropriation*4 Day and Night Solo*Story Mirroring and Storytelling*Incorporation of the Experience*Various Applications of these Practices with Various Populations 

• Continued Mentoring and Support 

Dates: April 4-19, 2020. Please plan to arrive by 4pm on April 4th. We will plan to end no later than 3pm on April 19th. 

Tuition: $1900 AUDConcession: $1400 AUD (some additional scholarships available) 

Required Reading- ‘The Trail to the Sacred Mountain’ and ‘The Roaring of the Sacred River: The Wilderness Quest for Vision and Self Healing’. Both by Steven Foster and Meredith Little and available through Lost Borders Press- coyoteculture.com 

Practical Preparations: Please be prepared to be self sufficient with your own gear and food. There will be a group kitchen available for use where you may cook individually or with other group members. Most days we will be together in council, so please bring a comfortable chair. An equipment list will be sent to you once you register. 

Registration or Questions: Email Ruth at ruthwharton@yahoo.com.To secure a spot in the training a nonrefundable deposit of $500 AUD is required as well as submitting forms. You will also be asked to write a letter explaining why you are drawn to this training as well as what transitions or personal process you are currently facing.

Month Long Intensive

Guides:  Ruth Wharton, Joseph (Angelo) Lazenka, Petra Lentz-Snow, Pedro McMillan, Ramon Parish, Darcy Ottey 

Contact: ruth@lostborders.org

Who: This month-long intensive is designed for those who seek to explore and develop their vocation as wilderness guides within the tradition of the School and beyond. Here, participants are given the opportunity and mentorship to fully immerse themselves in the ceremonial and practical aspects of modern day wilderness rites of passage that have evolved throughout our years of practice and have been passed down through the teaching of our elders. It is a beneficial training for those who plan to work with either adults or youth, and who desire to gain a solid foundation in the Vision Fast ceremony.

Since 2010 we have expanded the comprehensiveness of this training while maintaining its grounded, experiential base. Covering a wide range of relevant themes throughout the month, the essence of the teaching will emerge from our relationships with the soul and body of the land, where the eternal wisdom of pan-cultural rites of passage arises, reflecting the underlying wisdom and dynamism of all life.

Logistics: The group will camp together for a month in the heights of the beautiful Rocky Mountains surrounded by high mountain vistas, meadows abundant with wildflowers, Aspen groves, and the wild creatures who call this place home. We will blend as a community of diverse individuals as well as entering the community of this wild land. Most afternoons will be spent in focused and ceremonial solo time, experientially exploring the themes of the day. The apprentice-trainee must play two roles: that of initiate and that of field therapist, naïve participant and knowing professional. The experiences of daily initiatory activity in the wilderness will inform and illumine the subject matter of the teaching.

Trainees will have the opportunity to learn from a rotating team of highly experienced guides and teachers from Lost Borders throughout the month, culminating in a four-day personal vision fast.

Topics will include but not be limited to:

• the theory and foundations of rites of passage and their pan-cultural universality

• the four shields of human nature

• the nature of self-generated ceremony and the role of threshold-crossing

• the place of nature in ecotherapy

• nature as mirror and the practice of “mirroring” stories

• council practice

• providing a safe and inclusive container to diverse individuals and communities

• dynamics of power and privilege in guiding

• cultural misappropriation

• empowerment in the elder’s council

•  rites of passage as dying practice

• what a guide is and is not

• the dynamics of fasting and use of “taboos”

• specific practices such as the Death Lodge, Purpose Circle, and other pan-culturalsymbols and practices

• the screening and preparation of candidates

• shaping and honing of intent as a foundation for threshold experiences

• maintaining a candidate’s physical/psychological/mental/spiritual safety

• variations on traditional models of wilderness vision fasts (such as one-day formats and the use of nearby natural areas)

• working with youth, elders, and special populations, and

• the all-important topic of incorporation and appropriateness of this work to the challenges of our world today

Mirroring the Four Shields of Human Nature: The Art of Story Telling and Listening ~ Fryerstown, Victoria, Australia

Telling your story is an ancient art. These days, we have mostly forgotten how to listen and how to tell our own story, yet our very survival depends on our ability to communicate by telling and listening to stories. If we cannot tell our story with passion, our life is mute. If we cannot listen like a mirror, we cannot reflect back the wholeness of the story teller. In this program, you will learn to listen and tell from the four shields -- the body, soul, mind, and spirit. You will see that human nature is not separate from the cycles and seasons of the natural world and that there is a synchronistic dance between us and nature.

In the old days, stories came from the land itself. We will practice this ancient art by going intentionally onto the land alone. This intentional practice, and the deep listening that follows, naturally leads us to the wisdom to go beyond ourselves. Those of us who work with people must know how to listen and respond to the stories our people and the natural world tell. This way of mirroring can support us all to create a life that is deeper, richer, and that benefits our community and the earth. 

During this week you will experience deep connection to the land and find your own unique way in the art of listening and mirroring.  This is a powerful individual and collective experience that will deeply and positively affect your soul and the work you bring to the world!

ENROLLMENT/QUESTIONS: Contact Ruth at ruthwharton@yahoo.com

LOGISTICS: We will meet together at Fryers Forest, on beautiful private land, surrounded by State Forest with abundant and spectacular wildlife.  The land will become our greatest mirror. Mornings will be taken up with meetings, afternoons with solitary time in the surrounding wilderness. In the evenings, we will tell, listen to, and mirror stories. 

LOCATION/ ACCOMIDATIONS: Fryers Forest is located 1.5 hours NW of Melbourne. We will be camping together on the land. Please bring your own gear and food for the program and be prepared to be self-sufficient. A basic kitchen will be available for your use.

Tuition: $800-$1400 AUD sliding scale (scholarships available)

Camping Fee: $75 AUD

Deposit: $300 AUD to reserve space

GUIDES:

Ruth Wharton: An experienced wilderness guide, mentor, and professional counselor. Ruth has worked extensively with people of all ages in wilderness, residential, and therapeutic settings. She been a guide and teacher at the School of Lost Borders (schooloflostborders.org) for over 18 years and is deeply committed to re-introducing rites of passage into the world. This woman passionately weaves the mirror of nature through the world around her.

Pedro McMillan: Pedro is the father of two grown children and has been an environmentalist since childhood. An early eco-entrepaneur, he founded and ran a green business for 26 years until selling it in 2016 to focus on rites of passage work. A veteran of many fasts since 1996 he trained and assisted with several programs at the School of Lost Borders before stepping into the role of guide in 2010. He brings a wealth of experience and a poetic and passionate heart to this work.