With Carl Big Heart and Nanatasis Bluto-Delvental

At the Ashokan Center, Olivebridge, NY

September 4-7, 2009

Community Building and Camp Building Day, September 3

Sweat Lodges (mixed gender lodges and women’s lodge)

Moon Lodge and Moon Lodge Teachings for women

Pipe Ceremonies

Primitive Skills

Children’s Crafts, Primitive Skills for Children and Special Activities

Fireside Chats and Music (bring your instruments and voices)

Raffle

Camping in the magnificent woods of Ashokan (limited dorm space is also available)

Communal Meals

Clans

Information about the gathering:

We invite you and your friends and family to the annual Labor Day Gathering in the beauty of the Ashokan woods. This is a family camp, so please bring your children and teens.

This year’s camp begins with the lighting of the sacred fire at 9:00 AM Thursday morning to launch our first annual community building/camp building day. Together we join our hearts and hands in service as we build the kitchen and dining areas, clear paths and tent sites, and rebuild the sweat lodges and moon lodge. Its a full day of service, celebration and community. Bring a bag lunch, and we will share the evening meal (provided) together followed by ceremony around the fire and some music. The closing circle is Monday noon, followed by lunch.

Come as early as Wednesday night and stay until the camp is broken down on Monday, or come for any part of the camp. People are free to come and go as needed. If you will be there Thursday, can offer volunteer support another time during the weekend, or can stay to help break down camp Monday afternoon, please contact Stefan who is coordinating our volunteers: stefan@evolutionary-impulse.org

Classes:

Each morning classes and special activities will be offered for all ages. If you have skills/crafts/games to share with kids, teens or adults, please contact Darrell at 585-507-1551, or primitiveskill@aol.com

Children and Teens:

Carl Big Heart reflecting on children and teens at our camp: “To grow and play, to learn skills and sit around the camp fire and the lodge… these things become an enrichment and a guide for the lives of our youth. We dream this together, and build a good space for them to come to. From this they will grow and bless all our lives. Our Labor Day Camp is a time and place where things just make sense, and everything feels good and right. Its a place where we find ease, peace, and deep relaxation, along with songs and laughter, in great balance and harmony because the foundation is built upon our unified prayers of the heart. One of my greatest joys is the gift that flows into me when I witness the amazement and happiness in the eyes of young people who move into this clean safe beautiful space created by our community. In that moment everything makes sense to me why we do what we do. There are no questions, no words, just being together in peace and blessing, in the beauty of pristine nature.”

Raffle:

There will be a raffle to help offset the expenses of putting together a camp of this size. We are asking people to bring one or two quality items to donate to this purpose. Personally handcrafted items or other items of quality and beauty are especially appreciated. Financial contributions are always welcome. Any funds raised which exceed the expenses will go to offset costs for future sacred gatherings.

Clans:

Our clan system is a vibrant and significant part of our encampment, providing an opportunity for relationship building, connection, and contributing to the wellbeing of the community at the heart of the camp: the kitchen.  One of the major contributions of the clans is to assist the kitchen in food preparation and clean-up, an act of love and a gift to our whole community. Everyone who comes will have a place within a clan.

Community Meals and Kitchen information:

Our meals (beginning with Thursday supper and ending with Monday lunch) will be prepared in the camp kitchen from the groceries (listed below) that we ask each of you to bring. Please do not bring precooked dishes.

* Groceries (see “grocery list” below). Note: This year, we are unable to accept food for the kitchen beyond Saturday lunchtime. If you arrive after that, a monetary donation for food would be most appreciated.

* Your own bowl, plate, cup, and eating utensils (these will not be supplied by the camp)

* Large coolers with extra ice

We will prepare basic vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods for the camp. We cannot accommodate special or restrictive diets.

We will prepare a Spirit plate at every meal over which we will pray together.

Grocery list:

(Please bring the quantity of the following items that will feed you for the duration. If you know you won’t eat something on the list, feel free not to bring it. Please pre-wash all fruits, vegetables, and produce).

Large can of coffee, tea (herbal and/or caffeinated), Swiss Miss drinking chocolate, eggs, lettuce, spinach, onion, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, bread, thin spaghetti (white only), fruit, raisins or nuts, milk, half and half, butter, hamburger meat and hot dogs, veggie dogs if you eat them, hamburger and hot dog buns, two cans of black beans, two cans of kidney beans, pretzels, chips, large jars of jam, cold cuts, sliced cheese, sodas or juices, and one dessert.

We may ask for a small per person daily donation for us to obtain uncovered supplies on an as needed basis.

Questions about the kitchen can be directed to Stephanie 845-679-7530 or Adam at mauvezone@gmail.com

Fees for the gathering:

The important and valuable work of our elders is supported through our gifts of appreciation. As always, we are asking that we be as generous as possible in our donations. Reimbursement for travel expenses and time, as well as compensation for the gifts they offer to each of us and to our community, comes out of the basket we will present to them at the end of the gathering. 

Donations for the gathering itself are requested to help offset expenses for firewood, supplies, etc. There will be a registration area set up near the camp kitchen. It is necessary to register first thing upon your arrival, pay fees, sign a waiver and be assigned to a clan.

A separate $5/day land use fee goes to the Ashokan Center and will be collected at registration. Camping is an additional $10/night or $20/night for a family of 4 which also goes to Ashokan. However, no one is ever turned away due to lack of funds. Limited indoor accommodation is available in one of Ashokan’s large multi-bed dormitories for $15/person per night, on a first come, first serve basis. If you have a special need, and require indoor housing, please pre-register housing with Crow at bigheartcircle@gmail.com.

What to bring:

tent * sleeping bag * sleeping pads * pillow * personal items * toiletries * towels (extra towels for sweat lodges) * bedding for dorm beds (if in dorm) * 1 or 2 camp chairs * food (see meals and kitchen info) * personal eating plates, bowls, cups and utensils * drinking water (one gallon/day/person) * large cooler(s) with extra ice for the kitchen *  flashlights and lanterns with extra batteries * a mixture of warm and cool weather clothing * women: bring a couple skirts * rain gear *  appropriate sweat lodge attire: for men – shorts. For women - a dress, or skirt/sarong with a modest top. Shoulders, knees and breasts are covered. (A dress or skirt is worn in the Moon Lodge, as well) *  musical instruments, if desired * item to donate to raffle *  extra money for auction/raffle * material fees for workshops that may require them * crafts and games and skills to share with others 

What Not to Bring:

No alcohol or non-prescribed drugs are permitted on the Ashokan Center. Please do not bring pets.

Carl Big Heart’s work and visions have been blessed and approved by elders from the Abenaki, Muskogee Creek, and Iroquois Nations, as well as by leaders in the Sufi, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions. He is a spiritual teacher and medicine keeper who focuses on building bridges between the world’s wisdom traditions and healing the relationship between humankind and all living beings.

Nanatasis Bluto-Delvental is of the Turtle Clan of the Western Abenaki people. Trained by her clan mother and numerous elders, she lives as traditionally as possible and shares the teachings with those who would like to learn to live a life of harmony and balance. Nanatasis has worked for the Abenaki tribal office in Swanton, Vermont, in repatriation, sacred site protection, education and research with the Abenaki Research Project. She is an herbalist who works with wild plant medicines as well as those organically cultivated, and a teacher of herbal medicines and craftwork. An accomplished craftsperson, her crafts have been displayed at museums and galleries all over the country.

Continue on Route 28 West for 11.5 miles to the hamlet of Shokan.  Turn left at Winchell’s Pizza (red building on left) onto Reservoir Road. (Also, an arrow sign on your right for “Olivebridge 4 Miles” points left for Reservoir Road.)   Cross the Ashokan Reservoir Bridge and continue to the stop sign.Turn left at the stop sign onto Monument Road.  This is just after passing between stone buildings on the bridge.  This road bears downhill to the right and by staying to the right you will merge with route 28A.  You will immediately enter the complex of buildings for the Ashokan Reservoir.  Within this complex you will cometo the intersection of 28 A and Beaverkill Road.  Turn left onto Beaverkill Road, go aprox 2 miles and turn right into the Ashokan main entrance.  Inside the entrance take the first right and follow it to the large parking lot which is at the bottom of the first hill.

Donations

Carl Big Heart works by donation.
Please, let us together support the important and valuable work of our elders by being as generous as we can. That being said, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
A separate donation will be collected to cover our expenses for firewood, travel expenses, and basic supplies.

Land Use Fee and lodging/camping

A $12 land use fee will be collected for the Ashokan Center. Camping is an additional $10.  Dorm beds in Lakeside lodge are an additional $15.

Registration for the weekend is in the Pewter Shop at the bottom of the sweat lodge hill. Signs will be on the road to guide you. Please park in the designated area. Food and belongings can be left in this building.

For more information, or to reserve a dorm bed, contact Crow at bigheartcircle@gmail.com

Please be sure to reserve your dorm bed by November 10th

November 22-23, 2008
At the Ashokan Center, Oivebridge, NY

Saturday’s Sweat Lodge Information  

(information concerning Sunday’s Gathering below - Come both days if you can)

The sweat lodge ceremony is an ancient ceremony of prayer and purification. On Saturday morning we’ll gather around 10:00 for a period of preparation and prayer, to build the fire and place the stones in a sacred way, and to cover the lodge and make prayer ties. We’ll enter the lodge around 1:00.

Eat lightly or fast prior to the lodge and drink plenty of water. It is recommended that, while in the lodge, men wear shorts and women wear a cotton dress or skirt and top which covers shoulders, chest and knees. Bring two towels and warm clothes to change into afterwards, and lots of drinking water.

The “feast” which follows the lodge is an integral part of the ceremony and one we provide for together. So please bring nourishing food, prepared ahead of time, keeping in mind that we have no heating or cooling facilities. Please bring your own plates, utensils and serving utensils. Also, we will wait for the firekeepers and elders to gather and a Spirit plate to be prepared and prayed over before we eat. As Big Heart reminds us, “the food we prepare in love is shared with those who have supported one another’s prayers this day and joined with you in prayers of the heart, as well as being an offering to Spirit.”

Please remember that the lodge starts the moment you commit to go to the ceremony and can have active effects in your life for an extended period after the day of the ceremony.  It would be a good idea to set aside 5 or 10 minutes each day between now and the sweat lodge to reflect on why you are attending this ceremony.  Look inside and acknowledge the parts of yourself that respond to the call of a sweat lodge.

Sunday’s Circle Gathering

At 9:30 AM Sunday we gather in the Pewter Shop for our Circle of sharing, stories and Teachings, a continuation of the sacred space enlivened within our hearts the day before. The weekend in its entirety is a beautiful opportunity for purification, introspection, and connecting with community.

Please bring yourself a bag lunch for Sunday, there will be no potluck. Coffee will be available.

Carl Big Heart focuses on building bridges between the world’s wisdom traditions and on healing the relationship between humankind and all living beings. Through healing ceremony with the Sacred Pipe, the Sweat Lodge and children’s blessings, as well as giving in-depth talks, he seeks to connect us with our own living Earth roots. His work regularly takes him to Holland, Belgium and the Republic of Ireland.

“To bring true, effective and lasting healing to the Sacred Hoop of Life, we must join together in one prayer of the heart and flow into unified Spirit. Laying aside our attachment to beliefs, we move beyond form into universal synthesis. We are Spirit in the flesh. God is the Life living Itself within each of us.” — Carl Big Heart

Sat/Sun 29/30th May 2010
Sweat Lodges
Separate Sweat Lodge each day
10 am to 6 pm

Venue:
The Boghill Centre, Kilfenora, Co Clare
Map

The Boghill Centre is signposted from the Kilfenora–Lisdoonvarna Road (R476)
Further information on the centre – 00353 (0) 65 7074644 – www.boghill.com

Sat/Sun 22nd/23rd May 2010
Sweat Lodges
Separate Sweat Lodge each day
10 am to 6 pm

Venue:
Coolawella, Knockfadda, Roundwood, Co Wicklow
Map

Directions From Dublin: drive down N11 & follow signs to Roundwood; drive through Roundwood & leave Roundwood turning left at exit after town centre, direction Ashford on the R764. After a few miles you drive over the reservoir wall, follow the very sharp bend to right (almost 90 degrees) & turn left at the next junction after a few hundred yards. Coolawella is the first premises on the right after c100 yards; signposts will guide you to the car park.

From Ashford: follow signposts to Roundwood, Coolawella will be signposted.

For public transport, please check St.Kevins Bus Service from Dublin to Glendalough: 00353 (0) 1 2818119 www.glendaloughbus.com. Pickup can be arranged from Roundwood.

This is the English version of our website. Here you can find information on the activities of Carl Big Heart and dates for Sweat Lodges in Ireland and the USA.

You are most welcome to browse through the website and have a look at the photo’s and other content. Especially we like to suggest to visit our Gallery to have a look at videos and photos in the hope that these will speak for themselves.

Enjoy your stay, and we are always open to suggestions!

With a loving heart,
The Big Heart foundation.