Men's Wilderness Journey - SAMPLE

Welcome to the Men's Wilderness Journey

Welcome to the MWJ blog- We invite you to join a group of seven men on a guided journey of reflection and discovery in one of America’s most pristine wildernesses. This is an opportunity to pause, take an intentional time out from your day-to-day life, to consider what is next. The beauty and wildness of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern Minnesota will inspire you. Through the interaction of intention, place, and your fellow travelers and guides, you will return renewed with new perspectives.

Fall 2010: September 26-October 2

Here are the links to more details and how to register.

Craig & Rob

Keith Serpa- May 2010

My experience of the men’s wilderness journey was one of touching an internal peace and quiet that I had forgotten existed within me. Within a few meals, the men in the group I traveled with became gracious & soulful companions.  I experienced feeling balanced and literally felt struggles that I had left behind resolve them selves.  I found myself wandering in and out of deeper moments of solitude by virtue of the well designed routines around meal preparation, rest & relaxation, exploring the land & lakes around us and convening around the campfire; each night culminating with a magical slumber directly under a blanket of stars!  It didn’t hurt that the food, coffee and treats were plentiful and delicious!
 
Rhythm of the Land
 
It takes time then it takes you by surprise
Better to be alone - Best in a remote wilderness
Where all you hear is wind in tress, water on rocks & the natural world calling, feeding, being
It’s the rhythm of the land
Let it work you
Give it your attention…over time
Spend a day alone in this world and you will feel it
Washing over you
It’s the underlying energy
The vibration of being
It’s the rhythm of the land
 
Keith S

TERRY CHAPMAN- MAY 2010

This inventure far exceeded my expectations which were high. Eight men from different walks of life prepared for and experienced a deep level of essential conversation and community. We were stretched in every way, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. An expansion of being, an opening was created in all of our lives, individually and communally, forming a container into which much blessing was poured. The fellowship was beautiful, the setting pristine, the guidance wise and lingering.

Terry Chapman

Tim Brownell- May 2010

The MWJ provided to me the opportunity to experience a communion with nature, with myself, and with other men in a way that is profound yet so incredibly accessible. There are moments of transformation that are not masked by the clutter of our culture and are therefore so visible as they are occurring. That is the beauty of the place, and the gift of the space that the MWJ creates. Thank you.

Tim Brownell

Reflection from the Journey- Tom Tyler

“I tried to hold for a little while the beauty before me, the sense of floating color and the artistry of flame against the dark, knowing it was part of the smells and sounds and rememberings of the past.”

I awake in the early morning and, still in limbo between asleep and alert, reach into my bedside cabinet drawer to find a pair of socks. About to slide them on before I step into the chill of a fall day, I am aware of a curious smell—smoky, musty, sweet.  While the thick woolen socks are quite clean, they are undeniably the source of the scent. Not yet quite fully awake, I slip back into reverie, and recover the memory that had been triggered by the smell: