Mirroring Workshop

While the youth went out on their solo time on the mountain the 'interns' were given a special treat... a mirroring workshop with Joseph Lazenka and Meredith Little, heroes in the Wilderness Rite of Passage world.  The Beyond Boundaries crew was joined by members of the Ojai Foundation (where we will be going later this month).  The workshop was amaaazing, packed full of learning.  We had opportunities to go out on medicine walks each day, and in the evenings we shared our stories and practiced mirroring each other.  The idea, as I understand it, is to listen deeply to a 'story' and reflect it back in an empowering way with love and respect.I feel a real calling for this work, I feel the lack of meaningful rites of passage in our culture.  I see our youth struggling to assert their independence through drinking and other unconscious activity that is mostly unwitnessed by the elders of the community.  

I am so touched by the deep knowing of the youth, and their capacity to listen to the world, each other and themselves.  

Witnessing rites of passage; youth stepping into adulthood, adults stepping into elderhood, individuals confirming their relationships with their selves and the world, gives me real hope for the future of our world.