Beast Mode Survival -- No gear, no clothing, no fire overnight
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- Опубликовано: 23 окт 2020
- My friends, this video is PARTICIPATORY. If you just watch it, it will only be a crazy naked guy crawling through the woods. But if you try to adventure along with me, my hope is that you can experience some of what I'm experiencing -- a different mindset than we usually encounter in the civilized world. As such, this is more of a meditation than a survival video.
The meditation itself begins at 27:31, but the explanation for the video is what will give this experience substance.
Some behind-the-scenes info. When digging, I was usually after earthworms, one of my favorite easy protein sources when in "beast mode". However, inexplicably the only non-plant protein I found was a single little grub. Other edibles included virginia waterleaf, nettles, ground bean, and wild carrot.
This was especially complex to shoot because I was going into and out of very different mindsets -- one mindset immersed in the woodlands, the other having to operate a camera and tripod. There was some great footage that I thought I got that never appeared on the camera -- probably because I didn't actually hit "play". In one moment, a huge buck came running and huffing through the woods and stopped just about ten paces away. I wish I could have showed him to you! Other shots, including much of the up-close nature footage, I took the next day, remembering what I did when in beast mode and then filming appropriately. I attempted to stay as authentic to the original experience as possible, although I may not have filmed the exact plants, etc., in all cases.
My hope is that through this video, you can join me in the inner state of "beast mode" and experience a re-awakening of some of your ancestral gifts.
To try this yourself, it doesn't have to be an overnight. It can be even a few minutes in the forest in, say, shorts and t-shirt. The most important thing to shed isn't clothing -- it is our "human" thinking mind.
With love,
Kenton =)
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I don't normally "like" videos because then they get added to a list that I rarely view or go back to. This one, however, was liked. The intro was a stand alone monologue....very beneficial ideas to adapt and absorb into my own mind and the way I see the world around me. The second part was yes, just a crazy naked guy crawling through the woods, except that I was that crazy naked guy. I could feel the moss under my fingers scraping off the tree. I could smell the dirt, I could hear the soft whisper of the grass as I moved over it. Some people won't get it. Others will understand but never experience. A few will experience it.
Thanks for sharing, keep up the good work!
Well, you just made my day. This is EXACTLY what I was hoping at least a few people could experience -- to really "be there" with and through me. That takes work on YOUR side -- usually watching a video is a passive experience, but you had to be interactive to pull this off. I'm so glad you did!
I felt cold then warm in the sun
I do better imaging with my eyes closed
But i was into the peaceful and beautiful natural world
Much love xoxox
If I would try to experiance it myself, I would be SO arrested... and probably taken to a mental hospital right after.. It has turned into a weird world out there, if you think about it..
I feel much more closer to my ancestors in nature than I do around people in modern society.
Nicholas, I imagine that many people on this channel can relate to you. In nature, if we open up to it, we often experience a connection that is otherwise missing in our lives.
Agreed
A wonderful look into a mindset most of us will never achieve! Meditation in the wilderness is the literal best. Thank you for sharing this!
Absolutely, my friend!!! =)
So this is your way of taking it easy, after being sick...lol. I loved it! Thank you for sharing this experiance, and all the wisdom with us! Hugs! 🤗
Ha! Well, dear friend, to be fair I filmed this about a week before we all got sick. Love to you!!
What an amazing project. Thanks for sharing
Absolutely, my friend!!!
No lighting fires with the mind? No hunting deers with bare hands?
I gotta say Kenton, you're loosing audience here...
Jokes aside though, I've been waiting for videos like this to return to the channel. Reminds of how I first found your channel. It was about conditioning to winter and the thumbnail was a shirtless dude. I went into the video ready to call you out, since noone can change biology through conditioning. Turns out your video wasn't what I thought and I've been here ever since!
Johan, I LOVED hearing the history of your arrival here! And I am SO glad you stayed -- our family always looks forward to your voice here. =)
@@ReWildUniversity nice to hear!!
I have to agree that this is more of the type of video I'm looking for at this (older) stage of my life.
The cultivation of a truly connected mindset is the ultimate ideal. It is the closest we can come to being honestly free. Living the life that evolution says we should be living!
YES. So much love to you, my friend!!
I do understand the seriousness of what it is you are talking about, and I have a great respect for you, but one sudden thought now keeps me laughing - just imagine a bunch of our ancestors, casually sitting around campfire, cooking dinner, waching somehow this video, probably absolutely not getting what is going on and having fun seeing "crazy naked person running around in the woods"
Ha! Lol!!!! I love it! Or imagine if someone caught me on a trail cam . . . ;)
Hey mate, I"m a long time viewer and often times really appreciated your wise words and practical instructions to improve ones life and the life for those around oneself.
I just wanted to leave a big big thank you from germany. You"ve been and are a huge inspiration! Keep on rocking! Liebe :D
My friend, your words really lift me up. I'm sending you love back from Wisconsin, USA! =)
This is amazing , you had such an incredible perspective on how the ego works . They way you demonstrated going wild was really good i was getting to understand how it feels internally and not look at it externally, i must say it felt calm and peaceful for a moment then it vanishes because of the ego ! Im going to meditate daily to get back in touch with that awareness, thanks a lot man !!
Mohammed, if this can inspired some meditation, then I feel like the whole thing was successful! I'm so glad you could "feel" what I was hoping to convey here!
This is an awesome documentary of your journey. It is hones and to the point and at the same time you are not afraid of being vulnarble and "soft", but soft is not weak. Bravo.
Thanks Robert. That means a lot coming from you!
hearing your talk and watching you behave as newborn animal in this video feels POWERFUL my friend , it reminds me when i first found your channel , those oldschool videos you made back a few years ago on rewilding and survival stuff,thanks for bringing a huge smile to my face , and feel free to makes others like this one as my country is now entering in a second stage of confinment again , i wonder how long our economical tissue and our mental health will be able to endure the nonsense our government is imposing to us , but for 45 minutes i just simply forgot about it and i loved it very much , maybe not as impressibe as your winter overnight but so refreshing for my mind thank you Kenton for being that wonderful Human being.
much love to you and your family.
So sorry to hear you are going through another lockdown, and I'm so glad to hear that, if only for 45 minutes, this video could bring you into a different place. I imagine when you're painting you also get transported? Love to you!
Brings new meaning to "don't sweat the small stuff."
Ha! So glad you liked it, Jackie!! =)
If you can teach me how make a beer out of a twig and a leaf, I’m in. Bear being present is optional.
Lol!!!!
I was crying by the end of this video. Just thinking about all the things my ego is trying to protect all the time. And the amount of fear I have been enduring all my life with no real reason. I think it’s time to let go of a lot of that. I can just be free. I just don’t know if I will be able to. Thank you for the video. I’m definitely starting my day with a different perspective.
Isabel, I'm so heartened that you FELT this video in the way you did! And that it helped shine light on those fears. I BELIEVE in you! I know it's not easy to shed those fears, but you can do it! The next video that Rebecca and I made will talk about this more, and give some practical things you can do to work toward it.
Love,
Kenton =)
looking forward for the next video!
A truly stunning, elevating piece, you are a rare being Kenton..xoxoxo
Thank you Ronit. I so appreciate your kind words! I've loved hearing from Ben as well -- we always look forward to hearing from him =)
Definitely a crazy man running around in the woods! Not going to voluntarily try 50° in my birthday suit! But then I find myself thinking about a recent youtube video of a girl surviving a fall in a wild area partly thanks to her endurance training as a triathlon participant. Also about people's reactions to my bare feet every time I can get away with it and some times when I probably shouldn't. I've felt very alive when something has happened to our heat during a winter night and the temperature has dropped to an uncomfortable level. My kids have watched me nibble many wild plants as soon as picked but then got a little scared when I nibbled a bit of a freshly picked puffball before it was cooked. I don't eat most wild shrooms before cooking. But then non-family get freaked out when I nibble a bit of sorrel or chives! Not planning on drinking from a muddy puddle even if the cats do it all the time or eating a raw grub or fighting one of my sometimes cuddly little hairballs for a fresh mouse or grasshopper!
Love to you.
Keep on being a bit crazy!
Lol!!! And what good points -- most of us have something we do that looks "crazy" to those around us. I love that your things are bare feet and wild nibbles =)
Incredibly beautiful. Yes, it's time to return home. Even words are deceiving us, one feeling is enough to know in your deepest self the meaning of it while words are just created by the rational mind to entertain itself. I'm not referring to your profoundly felt intro and closing of the video but to what is normally referred to as small talk. We live in a society which teaches us that silence is embarrassing, we have glorified the ego at the expense of our feelings and now, there is a global pandemic. I see the global pandemic as a way from the Universe Immune System, to wake us up, we have been asleep long enough, time to wake up!!!
My friend, I too hope that what we're experiencing can serve as an awakening. Those aren't always fun, but ideally they bring us to new, unforeseen treasures. =)
Ah, perfect! A new survival video!
=)
Powerful video.
Makes me want to get back out into the deepest woods I can find and just be there in the moment, with no time or destination. Just yesterday I was in nothing but shorts belly crawling on the ground through the freshly fallen leaves getting covered in dirt. It was only for a short time during my workout, but it felt so good. The feeling on my skin, the smell, the different perspective, all seemed to awaken something in me. Recently, in a way, I feel like I have removed myself from nature and my more natural mind. I don’t spend outdoors like I use to. This video has inspired me to seek that again in a deeper way.
Seriously such a cool and unique video.
Thank you.🙏
Daniel, what a feeling that must have been to be on your belly in the leaves. The smell of those leaves, coolness of the ground -- it all feels so ALIVE, doesn't it? I'm excited that you are seeking some deeper outdoors connection!!
So-o beautiful. Love this!
Thank you so much!! =)
I’m glad to have found you Kenton, you’re much further along than I am in the way I’ve chosen to go. What you did in this video is amazing but also the place you are internally is even more amazing.
Thanks my friend. I'm honored by your words. We still love looking at that horse video of yours . . . =)
@@ReWildUniversity I love that, thanks
I was touched so much by all of this thanks i watched this a few times :)
Now THAT is a huge compliment, especially for a 45 minutes video! =)
@@ReWildUniversity it was good and sometimes it's best to watch a few times for everything to sink in better
I got lots From this thanks so much xoxox much love xoxox
A lovely bundle of ideas. It'll take me a while to process some of those. I like entire reems of modern music and I don't think it is bad, but adding words to be interpreted as well as the instrumental content does make it more demanding and therefore distracting than purely instrumental. I love classical music too, the older I get the harder I find it to like specific 'genres' of music it seems to become more case by case acceptance or not. This video really resonated with me as I saw some things I've tried, many things I have not. I ate grass when younger (yes even with just my mouth, but mostly by hand - I was curious); accepting the ambient temperature for what it is rather than being ruled by the comfort/discomfort response (an important skill when learning to go barefoot all seasons - your mind learns to differentiate what hurts from what is just a 'pay attention' trigger, but it takes time to develop). Watching you emerge from your den, cautiously, patiently was a delight. Why risk unnecessary injury or startling some unseen neighbour when a bit of care is all it takes. Finally greeting the dawn really sucked me in. A great ride. Thank you.
Jan, thanks for coming along with me! I loved your words about differentiating "what hurts from what is just a 'pay attention' trigger." As you noted, it takes time to tell the difference, but what a skill it is! I feel like after that, many of the pay attention triggers can actually become enjoyable -- the feeling of hunger, thirst, or even snow on your bare feet! =)
👍 could not hit the thumbs up twice so here ya go,,wow,!
Wow, thank you! So glad you liked it!
Hi Kenton,
I really loved the ending of your video. It reminded me of the prayer quoted below.
For me that’s the true ancestral mind: Returning to Paradise and walking with God in the garden. Unfortunately, humans have messed this up, because they wanted to be independent of him and to know for themselves what is good and evil. He has created our individuality and stands ready to protect it so that we needn’t be egoistical. It’s not about reverting back to a creature stage but returning to the Creator.
Blessings from
Stephan
----------------
The Canticle of the Creatures:
Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,
Yours are the praises,
the glory, and the honor, and all blessing.
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no human is worthy to mention Your name.
Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day and through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor;
and bears a likeness of You, Most High One.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather,
through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.
Praised be You, my Lord,
through those who give pardon for Your love,
and bear infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed are those who endure in peace
for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will,
for the second death shall do them no harm.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility.
From Francis of Assisi: Early Documents
franciscanaction.org/about/franciscan-spirituality/
St. Francis! Someone I've heard good things about =) So glad you found something that brings you into your ancestral mind!
While watching - immersing myself into your experience - I was reminded very vividly of many times out in the woods, feeling that intrinsic connection to that from which our species, and indeed all species, emerged. In each of our minds and bodies is a river that passes through the soils and waters of the Earth, right through to the fires and atmospheres of the stars, galaxies and beyond. For me it is so necessary to be in touch with that river.
I have always lived either within the woods, or close to them, and it is always a joy to bring to the surface all of those sensations and their associated memories. I make it a point to engage with Nature, and exercise my connection with it, as much as I can. It is wonderful how quickly and smoothly our intuitive aspects come to the fore simply through being present with our natural surroundings.
I recall one particular time when I was a young child; I had wandered into our neighbour’s woods as I would often do - alone or with my brother. They had recently felled some cedars to create a clearing to build an addition to their home. It had snowed - the light and fluffy kind - and I found a pile of brush that they had collected and piled atop a couple of the felled trees.
I crawled into an open space that happened to be within the pile, open to the sky, and simply laid back in the snow and looked up into the light grey sky, trees towering above, feeling the gentle licks of snow melting on my face. All that was in my mind was the moment itself, and it is still one of the most memorable experiences of my life. It truly felt outside of time :)
The scents and fragrances of all of the life around us; how they change through the seasons - an olfactory painting in constant motion, the many sensations of soil, leaves, roots, bark - the density of tall trees and delicate flowers within one’s hands. The endless rainbow of immaculate forms of foliage fallen to the Earth, ready to become soil once more…
To see the sun rising in the East, setting in the West, through the woods - and to observe the twinkling Universe expanding outward in all directions at night - is still one of the most incredible things for me to behold in this life. It is music for one’s being; each time unmistakably recognizable, yet also completely unique and never repeated exactly.
When words are as eloquent as yours, it's clear that they arise out of direct experience -- out of "being there" in that ever-unfolding moment of connection. That river you speak of is so life-changing when we experience it. So beautiful!!!
"So that in fear we come back again and again, under the guise of getting more knowledge which will protect us, which actually erodes our sense of security and creates more fear." I found this statement very profound and powerful.
So glad it held a gem for you, Alex! =)
I’m so happy found you again after I lost you for many years. I remembered your name that’s how I found you again. I remember you being such a soulful human.
Wow, welcome back BigBearJo! I'm so glad you found me again! Much love to you, and I'll look forward to having your voice here again!
Love,
Kenton =)
I was expecting the return of the loincloth, I don’t know wether it is because I have watched nearly all your videos, or it’s because I go to the theatre to watch plays, but your interpretation was inspiring. 🙏
Andrew, I'm glad you liked this one! I thought for a long while about whether to do the loincloth or just go without clothes. The blur editing was clumsy, but it did allow me to immerse myself in a way that even the loincloth doesn't give me =)
I think the time I get a sense of this for myself is when I go swimming in cold ocean water or cold mountain water. The water is often in the 50s or 40s but it feels so refreshing and I always feel more alive afterwords.
Oh wow, that cold water swimming is intense and amazing! We had a bit of early snow today, and I went out for a "snow bed". Pretty intense on my Hawai'i weakened flesh!!
Wow kenton that was very powerful i could literally see how my ego started to feel uncomfortable seeing you crawl through the woods like that.... and seeing such wildness which seems sort of foreign to me now
It's been a long while since you've lived in the woods, my fellow forest monk. But you, more than many, can probably feel this with me, as you once made the forest your home =) Much love to you!
@@ReWildUniversity yes even though it was only for two weeks but it was definitely life changing
Great warning :)
I would not attempt much of this but i have tried much of it too
Gradually introduce nature into your life and you will do more of this then you think
I know many if not all the wild plants in our area if i don't know it i learn it facilitates me Same for mushrooms but instead of learning mushrooms as a child because of my moms and grandmothers fears i wouldn't say it held me back
Anyway fears are big and many people have fears
That can be faced but it is hard work
I love eating like a deer :)
A fellow deer-browser! Something so fun about that =) Yes, fear can hold us back from so much!
@@ReWildUniversity :) it's a special feeling to hold food in your mouth not your hands ;)
I seen a little boy eat like a cow yesterday after watching you lol
Lettuce from the garden but eating with no hands it was so cute he really likes cows lol
Ha! That's great! So nice to eat that way -- it triggers a very positive feeling for me, though it's difficult to explain what that feeling is like . . .
@@ReWildUniversity ya i hear ya its a more sensitive area then our fingers and our nose and eyes are right there
More senses involved
Great video Kenton. You should get yourself a little GoPro and wear it like a head torch, so we get a first person view. One of your cold water experiences in first person would be great content.
Interesting thought! I actually have a go-pro from our Hawai'i adventures. I'll have to think about incorporating it in an ice-breakthrough.
Wonderful! In the literal sence of that word. That was truly full of wonders and seeing you in the grass with just pure joyand gratefulness on your face dragged me deep into the emotions of a moment like that. This is definately a challenge I will take when spring comes. It is starting to get cold here in Denmark and my cold training has not been good enough for my mental strength to face such a challenge in pretty cold conditions yet. How was the sleep in the den? Were the leaves wet? And I am amazed that you took on this challenge with a camera since that is a heavy distraction for that ancestral mind. How was it coping with that challenge aswell? Thank you for recording it! Love to you and your family 😊❤️
Mads, I am SO excited for you to do this in the spring! The den was super uncomfortable -- the leaves were extremely dry, but I've gotten pretty soft and the upright sleeping posture plus all the pokes didn't do much to encourage sleep. AND something bit or stung me. Still not sure what it was. However, it was warm, and that was my big concern. I couldn't show it well because it was too dark for my camera, but I stuffed the log plus plugged up the long crack and another hole to prevent heat loss through those openings.
The camera was the toughest part. Definitely a distraction. For many scenes, I was in my ancestral mind, then realized that this particular scene might make for good footage, then stopped and set up the camera, then tried to go back into my ancestral mind and re-perform the action. This often felt "fakey", even though I tried to be as true to possible in my re-creations, especially in the mental aspect, which was what I was really trying to "capture" here. A lot of footage got discarded because I didn't feel I was in the right mind-set. I didn't want it to feel like "acting", but almost like going back in time to capture something that had just happened. This would have been much different if I had some sort of constant-running camera that followed me the whole time. Probably in the not-too-distant future that will be more of a possibility =) Some sort of little drone-bot that follows you around . . .
@@ReWildUniversity thank you so much for taking time to reply. I have only read about sleeping in a pile og leaves. To read your experience makes me even more fascinated by our ancestors and animals for whom this is a common thing. I want to touch that animal part of myself aswell. Thank you again for filming it for the rest og us 😀
Hey I'm first! Yay!
@ReWildUniversity So if you shouldn't do some of that stuff at home, what do you recommend we do? What's a good starting point, if I may ask?
Such a good question -- the ones I outlined -- mindfulness/meditation, being a conscious consumer of media, and movement are great starting points. If you have access to nature, you can do "mini" beast mode survival experiences -- though not everyone has nature that allows for taking one's clothes off =) Even clothed, though, the essential part is the mind-shift. When I would have a monk do this, I would find them a private place where there were known wild edibles. And they spent some time there just "being" -- eating things they knew, exploring their environment, climbing trees . . . without thought of time or goal or purpose. Nature has a special way of getting us into a primal mindset, but it's easy to carry the mental baggage of our world into the woods. That's key -- to learn to carry less of that baggage.
@@ReWildUniversity Thank you :)
Fantastic video. Only one question, what was that sound during the full moon? (Sorry for my bad english)
Your English is great! That sounds was a Barred Owl, a common species of owl in our forests =) You can hear more at minute 38 on this survival video of mine: ruclips.net/video/BUvDJSdFe7s/видео.html
@@ReWildUniversity barred owl... Wow, the sound it makes seems scary😅.
Congratulation for the channel! Love your content!!
Isn't it a strange sound? The night certainly contains some odd things! Thanks so much for your kind words -- I'm glad to have you here!! =)
What drew me to you was a question about a mushroom 🍄, then you responded to me ! Your reply was the most rational I have had experienced that mushroom so , I went ahead on my own will ! And STILL ALIVE !!!! I write this message today ! A person who can be trusted is living the truth ! Thats what creation intended 😏 well that person has a friend right here , even if you didn't want one ! There or their will always be one here in the background if ever needed ! As I watch Nothing can compare to the connection to the earth , the world 🌎 you choose to take it !
Creation loves you and every place you take in it ! I was lost in the false ! They tried to take me , my family , my home ! I own a home with a furnace, toilet to the city and I choose to wonder how to keep tomorrow more efficient with nothing, just so I can solve it ! Not one thing wrong with utilities, I personally dream to solve a better way ! And the masses of people racing to work for nothing , makes me scream inside, I don't want to be caught in that everyday, it may be for some but not me , and never was !. Everyone deserves a life ! But I guess you have to choose it ! Well we can see here you decided to try life on as one big raincoat, but forgot the coat 😅 I believe in this choice , and a renewed life , and the way you choose to project it ! A connection to the ever growing earth , could never be replaced
Well, my friend, ever since you arrived on this channel I've found myself looking forward to your words, always warm, always wise, always steeped in gratitude. So much love to you!!! =)
@@ReWildUniversitythough my punctuation is horrible, I mean well , in hopes that what I wrote was understandable ! Makes me happy to come across someone like you and your family , there is always something special in people who live truthfully !
I love the way you punctuate -- it may not be "correct" in a standard sense, but it conveys your meaning, I think, even better than the "correct" way =)
36:00 "Who cooks for you???"
I love this, but my rational mind keeps telling me that if I tried something like this I'd wind up with one heck of a case of Lyme disease.
Definitely an issue in our parts. In this case I escaped any ticks, but something definitely stung/bit me in that log and injected some venom. Had a welt for about three days. =)
Thxs
=) You bet!!!
Wish you was my dad so motivational and good minded and educational.
Note; my dad went too buy toilet paper and never came back. Modern society I guess!
This wasn’t a joke but no I’m not sad LOL .
Thank you -- I appreciate your words! =)
I know that people always say face your fear i have to be 100% honest with you i really don't want to face my fears because i love it's also ok to have fears too i just think we can't not have love without fear i think it's ok to have both love and fear balance
Shawndell, I would expect nothing less from you than to remind us that it's not black-and-white! Thank you as always for your voice here! =)
@@ReWildUniversity thanks for always being understanding i just love embracing it for what it is that's all that's just me tho it's also good hearing from you too but i hope you have a good day! :)
I'm a nudist. Nothing like wandering the woods with nothing. Feet in the dirt, mind in the present. I wish everyone would give it a try at least once.
Something very few people will ever experience, sadly -- it definitely is freeing to be sans clothing once in a while!
What about bringing a recurved 🏹???Would that count as gear?
Ha! I suppose it probably would =)
Thx you so much for the imasing video! Am i alowed to ask how old you are?
Hi Sarah! So glad you liked it! I'm just about to have my 49th birthday =)
I know age doesnt matter. I am just always surprised how fit, healthy and strong you are!
Wow, thank you for that great compliment, Sarah! =)
Hey buddy, I love your videos. I just have one contrarian thought to share, pertaining to the idea of connecting to nature having the ability to end and/or mitigate our war-like nature. I'm not sure if I'm sold on that, given human history. Natives across the entire globe, while being very immersed in nature, were very tribal and war-like with one another, since the dawn of man really. It seems to be written in our DNA regardless of whether or not we are "civilized" or feral. Your thoughts?
Hi Michael! That's fair, I feel. I do believe there is evidence that our ancestors did a lot of fighting. I think we also have examples of modern-day hunter-gatherers who are very peaceful, but also modern-day ones who are not? I'd have to research more. I always hesitate to say that our ancestors were or weren't a certain way, because I feel that more often than not, the biases of the researcher play into how evidence is interpreted. Honestly, I'd have to learn more about what evidence we have that our ancestors were peaceful and/or warlike. Here is an article that suggests they weren't: www.wired.com/2013/07/to-war-is-human-perhaps-not/ (this one may have a paywall -- I think you get a number of free articles), this article strikes a middle ground -- www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-beast/201602/how-warlike-were-our-ancestors and . . . and my intent was to also post a link to an article that showed that our ancestors were warlike, but interestingly, I'm surprised to find that this idea that we were warlike beyond 10 - 15,000 years ago is being challenged. Check it out and see what you find -- I always like to read divergent opinions and find sources that cite evidence that supports either side of an issue. But with (an admittedly short) search, I'm not finding much evidence for the warlike nature of our ancient ancestors. Honestly, not what I thought I'd find when I started digging!
What I DO feel is clear to me from ample anecdotal experience is that modern humans, when they spend time in nature, seem to make a shift toward a more peaceful state of mind. And there is research showing that just spending time in nature tends to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, get us out of flight-and-flight and into our parasympathetic nervous system. Perhaps a sign that when humans and nature mix, we do indeed tend to become more peaceful?
Thanks for the great question -- it initiated some initial research and more thinking on this matter! I'd love to hear any follow-up thoughts you have!
With love,
Kenton =)
Okay, this article cites a professor who believes our ancestors were always violent -- www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/are-humans-inherently-violent-what-an-ancient-battle-site-tells-us
@@ReWildUniversity Thank you for the links! I will definitely check them out!
I too have experienced, anecdotally, that connecting with the outdoors brings on a deeper sense of calm. It certainly makes me less "warlike" in a way. And I think you are correct to be hesitant in believing too strongly about our ancestors being one way or another; perhaps I could adopt this mentality a little more. I struggle with ambiguity sometimes.
Maybe it's not fair to call our ancestors "warlike" when in fact they still constructed functional societies that, some would argue, operated with more equality and less rigidity than some modern civilizations. Not to mention that accounts of war and violence always seem to be marked down more in the history books than times of peace. Maybe I'm not giving them a fair shake....
I've been reading a few journals from some 1800s fur trappers lately, so it's entirely possible that my mind is experiencing a temporary bias! Haha!
Anyway, thank you for the conversation man. And thank you for your content. Much love my friend.
Michael, I have to say that it's a powerful thing to encounter someone who can question their own current thinking! Confirmation bias is strong in most of us =) So interesting that you're reading those fur trappers journals! I read a compilation a few years ago -- something like "Stories from the Great Lakes" or something of that nature -- and it was FASCINATING to read those accounts. I feel like there is so much to learn -- hints about what the ecology was like, about human psychology, about what happens when vastly different cultures interact -- plus I felt like I learned a lot about the native ways of life (though I had to remember it was through the filter of someone not of their lifeway). I'm pretty fascinated by those times, and try to imagine what it would be like to head out into lands that were fairly untouched by my own culture, yet filled with people who lived very different lives from my own. Those trappers must have been pretty adventurous, hearty folks =) Last year my cousin was telling me about a book she had read on John Colter, who survived some pretty crazy things!
Back again to ask a quick question: Did it get cold?
Yes. Very =) But oddly, I only "felt" the cold when I was in "human mind". Otherwise it just was a sensation, like the others I was experiencing. The key was keeping the right mindset, which wasn't always easy to sustain.
how do u know what u can eat and what not?+
Ben, great question. That one could go deep. Superficially, one can learn the various plants in one's area, many of which will be edible. That's the way to begin -- with a great field guide or instructor. But over time, we can get a "feel" for plants. For instance, one day I saw a fruit from a plant that I had never heard was edible. It "spoke" to me, and I ended up eating it. Afterwards, unsure of my abilities, I called an expert forager I know who has many books published and is considered to be on the top of his field. I won't give his name because I'm relating this exchange, but I told him about the fruit and he said that it's not in any field guides or in the ethnobotanical research, but he confided that it called out to him too, and he now ate it regularly. Note that we're talking about super-advanced foraging, and you have to put years of foraging under your belt before you ever experiment in this way. But it is an ability we humans have buried inside of us -- maybe mystical, maybe just being able to unconsciously smell different chemical constituents in a plant . . . who knows? =)
@@ReWildUniversity Thank you, man!
Aren't mosquitoes and other biting insects a problem?
Not too much in this environment. Though in the log, I was bitten by something . . . maybe a spider? Had a big red welt on my belly that lasted a few days. =)
I see your Thor's hammer Nordic necklace! I may ask do you speak to your ancestors? If so, how do you go about it? I feel close to my ancestors when I challenge myself in nature but I am wondering how to ask them for strength, wisdom, bravery, etc... I also think if we white Europeans pray to the wrong god (christian god and other non-European gods) our prayers won't be answered and so we should be praying to our ancestral gods.
I know some people feel that they speak very directly to their ancestors or nature, actually doing it verbally. For me, it's more organic, you might say. When I get out of "thinking" or "rational" mind and into the intuitive or "wild" mind, the lack of constant thoughts seems to open me up to impressions. It's never direct voices of any kind, but more feelings that seem to communicate things like a sense of peace, non-fear, or even things like which way in the forest might bring some interesting experiences.
Finding meaningful signs along the way
Like a feather and looking up the spiritual meaning of that bird ;)
Identify = entify the id
Ha! Awesome!!! I love it!!!!
You crawled into a hole with leaves in it & call it your "den" that's just AWESOME!! I SO want to try this in forest or just down by the ocean, crawling around tide pools while foraging.. but crawling around naked for women seems far more dangerous.. which is a point I'd like to bring up.. we should feel free to explore the wilderness naked ..without fear of abduction or rape! And look how over the years, modern media has mind branded us into to thinking we want to look attractive by wearing more & more revealing clothing in public, however, we are viewed by certain men in a way that makes it seem as though we purpously tempting them in a sexual way by wearing such apparel,
yet we are taught to not be concerned about it.. that's even MORE dangerous! What women really need is to drop the trashy mind branding media, and just go run naked & free! We should feel safe if we chose to drop our clothes in the nature.. and so should our offspring. I guess my naked roaming here in LA County will always be safest with a belt and bear spray and on private property.. not quite the same experience, but I still encourage other women to find a place like this and just try it out! Women need a sanctuary where we can do this type of rewilding safely! What are your thoughts Kenton?
YES. This has always been something I feel pretty strongly about. Note that I can walk down a city street without a shirt, but in many places it is not just discouraged for women, it is ILLEGAL. To me, that's just wrong, and it's a signal that female nakedness is seen as qualitatively different than male nakedness. We not only need those sanctuaries you speak of, but I think we need a cultural shift with this one =)
@@ReWildUniversity agreed, maybe we just need male body guards? Lol
Ha! We definitely do need men to be part of the shift -- I remember talking about this with a male friend of mine who I thought was pretty conscious -- he responded that we couldn't allow women to go without shirts because it would "distract" men, causing accidents, etc. I guess it is easy to confused our cultural upbringing with a deeper reality about human nature . . . =)
@@ReWildUniversity true.. I see that point totally.. ha!!
but I know what it's like to be under blazing heat from our SoCal sun.. for us ladies it's rare to find.. but such a great relief to have the "naked" option.. and a cold beer option is nice about then also
what he mean even he dont know
Oh yes, in so many ways you are absolutely correct!!! ;)
Hi Kenton.Just wanted to let you know I've changed emails.New one is lookingglasseyes5 Lots of things I wanted to say, but I'm stuck on something to do with a major glitch in the most basic tenets of 'rewilding'.
John, thanks for the heads-up. I will watch for that new address -- lots gets sent to spam right now with the endless political emails coming in . . .