Fire-Making, Storytelling, and Ceremony: Secrets of the Forest

In the second volume of the Secrets of the Forest series, Mark Warren addresses a wide range of what an outdoors person needs to know about fire such as:

• how to create it from scratch using three different methods (hand drill, bow drill, and fire-saw).
• which species of trees and dried winter weeds make good candidates for a fire kit.
• where to find tinder that can combust.
• how to construct a fail-proof pyre by mixing fast-burning fuel with dense hardwood.
• how to sustain a fire for the long term, including how to safely store a smoldering fire that can survive for several days.

The second half of the book is dedicated to storytelling and ceremony. Its main purpose is how to design stories that augment whatever lessons a teacher has in mind. Such stories can familiarize students with the fine points of archery, canoeing, tracking, stalking, and other crafts or skills. Borrowing from Native American traditions, Warren introduces dozens of ways for young outdoors people to build self-esteem and a deep connection with the forest. This volume contains more than 100 original activities.

*A Note on Ceremony - largely lost in the current American culture - ceremony brings to life an invisible abstraction, like bravery, determination,generosity, or empathy. It places the student on a personal and private path of self-improvement "to be the best of who he/she can be" . . . by choice! Ceremony can open the door to an intimate relationship with nature. It in no way trespasses upon religious beliefs, but concentrates on bettering oneself, no matter what his/her spiritual leanings.