Do you feel called to live a wilder life? More in touch with your own innate potential and wisdom?
Do you wish to cultivate deep nature connection through skills of belonging and resilience?
Would you like to experience this within a community who are witness to and value each other’s gifts?
The Wild Awakening is a 7 part journey which is a culmination of my own explorations in Rewilding over the past ten years here in Ireland and abroad. It weaves together my experience as an ancestral skills practitioner, a Rites of Passage guide, an activist and a rewilder.
I see this programme as both a response to these unprecedented times and an ever-growing offering to the future we wish to create.
From the time of the sap rising to the leaves falling, we will gather around the fire, barefoot and rooted on the land and explore the ways in which our inner and outer landscapes entwine with the more-than-human world around us.
Over the course of these months, we will explore with our heads, hearts and hands, what it means to rewild in these times of great change and to live in reciprocal relationship with the land and all the communities therein.
We will do this through:
~ Ancestral crafts and skills such as friction fire-making, basketry, fibre arts, hide tanning, wild foods and medicine, wild cooking & wildlife tracking.
~ Soul-tending work such as; Celtic wheel rituals, gratitude, self-generated ceremony, working with intent, the Way of Council, Myth and Story Telling.
~ Systems change work such as; Cultural revitalisation, conflict navigation, exploring power and privilege, decolonisation & unravelling whiteness.
~ Nature Connection practises; Wild-listening spots, Wandering, Art of Questioning, play and deepening our sensory awareness.
~ Irish language revitalisation; weaving words of Gaeilge as we prepare to visit the Donegal Gaeltacht.
~ Wild tending acts such as; seed-sowing and saving, tree planting and removal of introduced species.
This programme is designed and guided by Lucy O'Hagan, who will be joined by a range of incredible facilitators, teachers and wild-hearted ones.
They include:
Manchán Magan; Irish writer, traveller and television programme maker
Rosemary Kavanagh of Wild Rose Basketry; Ancestral crafter, willow weaver and storyteller
Kathryn Mc Cabe of The Change Agency; Social Ecologist & Systems change facilitator
Jimmy Ó Briain Billings of Gaelic Re-existence
Rupert Marques; Wilderness rites of passage guide
Clare Murphy: storyteller, performer, teacher, salon curator, artist in residence. A woman of many skills.
And, no doubt, some more surprise guests along the way!
Where?
Killyon Manor; a 60 acre wilding estate in County Meath, only 45 minutes from Dublin.
Here, the River Deel meanders her way towards the Boyne, passing our woodland camp, inviting us in for a dip beneath the boughs of Beech, Birch and Alder. Wild garlic thrives in the magical old woodland and hopeful new oaks, hazels and pines stand side by side. The wildflower meadows teem with birds, bees, wild mammals and butterflies and offer us an abundance of herbs for healing and wonderment.
From the depths of fertile Meath, we will also travel to the land of Lugh, where rocks, bog and lichen-covered trees hold wild tales of old. Here, in North West Donegal, we will ride on Atlantic waves and journey along old railroads to golden sand beaches, meeting wisdom tenders along the way.
This course will take place entirely outdoors, starting and ending at 4pm. We will be learning, cooking and sharing around and with the fire. With the sky as the roof and the meadows, beaches, bogs and woodlands as our classrooms, we will build our relationship with the living world around us.
Who's it for?
Anyone over the age of 18 who feels the call and can commit to the immersive nature of this programme. Applications are now open and will close on November 30th. Successful applicants will be notified by December 7th.
26th-29th April
~ Tending the ancestral hearth ~
with Lucy O’Hagan & Manchán Magan
Gather at the hearth and explore skills of belonging and resilience; those needed for the journey ahead.
Become re-acquainted with the ancestral life ways of home-making: fire, shelter, food & community.
Reignite your grá for the Irish language.
“Most of us think of belonging as a place outside of ourselves, that if we keep searching for, that maybe one day we'll find it. But what if belonging isn't a place at all, but a set of skills, or competencies, that we in modern times have lost or forgotten.” -
Toko-pa Turner
14th-17th June
~ Weaving kin ~
with Lucy O’Hagan & Rosemary Kavanagh.
Weaving connections with one another as we weave a Willow basket for the journey ahead. What lessons can we learn from the willow as we continue to weave our community container?
Wild foods and Medicine making
“Strands once separated are rewoven into a new whole. The journey of a basket is also the journey of a people.”
― Robin Wall Kimmerer
12th - 15th July
~ Tracking our inner & outer landscapes ~
with Lucy O’Hagan & Kathryn Mc Cabe.
Re-attune your senses and awaken to the lives of the more-than-human communities by learning to read their tracks and signs.
Learn to track your inner landscape and the stories we have learned and internalised from the dominant culture.
“Tracking…is not just a way of seeing ‘how things are connected,’ it is a discipline that redefines and expands what connection and relationship even is.”
- So Sinopoulos-Lloyd
1st-5th August
. Donegal .
~ Myth lines and Dream times ~
with Lucy O’Hagan and other guests.
Celebrating the threshold of abundance by turas / pilgrimage through the Donegal Gaeltacht. From Mountain to Coast, Bogs to Beaches, starting at the foot of An Earagail.
Sharing gratitude for the harvest on hilltops.
“At its heart, the journey of each life is a pilgrimage through unforeseen sacred places that enlarge and enrich the soul.”
– John O’Donohue
30st August -
2nd September
~ Untangling the threads ~
with Lucy O’Hagan & Jimmy Ó Briain Billings
Weaving with plant fibres and expanding the fibres of animal skins.
Examining self, culture and society to consider our possibilities in revitalising our own disrupted ancestral story.
Grief ceremony
“Grief expressed out loud for someone we have lost, or a country or home we have lost, is in itself the greatest praise we could ever give them. Grief is praise, because it is the natural way love honours what it misses.”
― Martin Prechtel
26th-29th September
~ Tending the bones ~
with Lucy O’Hagan and Rupert Marques
Self-generated ceremony, working with intent and the art of mirroring
Overnight fire vigil to clarify your intentions moving forward.
"Landscape is an incredible, mystical teacher and when you begin to tune into its sacred presence, something shifts inside you."
- John O'Donohoe
25th-29th October
~ Remembering ourselves home ~
with Lucy O’Hagan and Clare Murphy
Acorn & Deer processing as we story our journey together.
We will finish with a Féasta Fiáin – a wild feast cooked in the earth – to celebrate the Celtic new year and our time together.
“It might be time, if we aren’t going to sicken further, to break out of our cultural grow-bag. It might be time to make contact with wild nature.”
- John Moriarty
What’s included?
– A total of 30 days spent on the land and 23 nights spent under the stars.
– Tuition from a wide diversity of teachers who are experts in their field
– All materials and tools for classes
– Simple, nutritious Breakfast & Dinner on all days
– Boat trips in Donegal
– Group shelters and camp kitchen
– Prompts for exercises and readings to do between meeting times.
What’s not included?
– Transport to and from venues
– Lunch and snacks
– Camping equipment and clothing
We will be camping outside for the entire programme so do make sure that you have enough clothing and sleeping gear to feel warm and comfortable.
Full kit list will be provided.
Group size is limited to 12 people.
What people are saying about this course
“It is hard to encapsulate in words the richness and depth of the Wild Awakening. To say it has been transfomative is an understatement. Lucy guided us with the utmost love and care through a myriad of experiences that were a blend of the magical & mystical, the practical, and the challenging. Her choice of guest faciltators in addition to her own deep knowledge mean't that our group enjoyed quality tuition and instruction throughout. The bonds of kinship that were formed through the duration of the course are deep and beautiful. I can't thank Lucy enough”.
“Journeying through inner and outer landscapes over the last seven months with Lucy and the other thirteen 'Wildings' has been one of the most truly touching journeys I have ever been on in my life. Nurturing deep connections to this precious Earth and Cosmos though presence and ceremony, lingering on the land with plants, animals and all species, weaving our way back into our ancestral ways and language, we connected through our shared experience and developed threads to one another that will bind us together for many a year. At the journeys end, I know the stirring and longing in my soul is for a life where I can be more still and present to enjoy and be of service to this stunningly beautiful Earth , its people and all species of animal, plant and mineral. This journey of initiation into the deeper and wilder parts of me with Lucy has opened a door to more hope, more dreams, more imagination and more connection. Míle Míle Grá Lucy for creating and planning and holding such a deeply nourishing journey for all of us 'Wildings' to blossom”.
“The Wild Awakening was a powerful and deeply transformational experience. I was able to develop new and existing skills whist connecting with the land and a beautiful community of people. Lucy's expert facilitation guided us on a journey from Bealtaine to Samhain foraging, tracking, and singing all the way. I appreciate so much how Lucy shows up to teach with a playful spirit and generous heart. If you are considering participating in one of Lucy's courses of workshops then I highly, highly recommend it”.
“The wild awakening was such a journey. It will be forever imprinted on my heart and soul. Deepening my connection with myself, other beings and the land, this opportunity felt like such a gift. I am eternally grateful to my circle of 'wildlings' for their very existence, to Lucy for sharing wisdom, stories and skills and to all involved in this beautiful creation”.
“Lucy's offerings are woven like the most skilfully crafted of baskets, bringing together diverse strands including song, story, ceremony, the community-strengthening practice of council, play, practical skills, land-tending and soul-tending into a whole experience that blossoms into the very depths of what it is to be alive in these bodies, in relationship to the land. This is radical work that sits at the edge of so many disciplines to form its own mysterious and thriving ecosystem where all can feel welcome. I count myself very lucky to have been a part of it. As a teacher Lucy holds the space so beautifully. Their heart-led and earth-rooted facilitation enables deep trust to flourish, and nurtures each individual whilst also tending to the overall community. It has been an honour!”
“The Wild Awake programme was beyond anything I could have imagined, and I will be forever grateful to Lucy and the 13 wild souls that I journeyed alongside from Bealtaine to Samhain. The magic that took place and the community that was created during those 7 gatherings is hard to put into words. Lucy is a being like no other, their wisdom, compassion & knowledge is so rare in this world and I’m eternally grateful for the draíocht they have brought to my life. Go raibh maith agat mo chara”.
“As I know many others have and will continue to say, being part of The Wild Awakening has changed my life. Lucy shows their love through (co-)creating this programing with deep love, care and intention - it would have been impossible for me to not be changed by it. I feel more awe, curiosity and awareness of both myself and the world around me. I have gained practical skills, emotional tools and spiritual depth. I have endless gratitude and love for Lucy and all the folks who I journeyed with.”
