Copyright 2003
Wilderness Drum, Inc.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Steve Beyer

What is the wilderness? What’s so special about the wilderness? What is wilderness survival? How does all this relate to survivalism? What are primitive skills? Are wilderness survival and primitive skills the same? Why bother? What is wilderness spirituality? What is animism? What is pantheism? Is wilderness spirituality pagan? What does this have to do with shamanism? What is a vision fast?

What is pantheism?

Similarly, a lot of wilderness spirituality has to do with pantheism. Pantheism holds that the Earth – and perhaps the entire cosmos – is sacred, a source of awe and reverence in the face of its power, beauty, and mystery. As Richard Nelson puts it, in the quote cited at the head of this page,

If I have understood Kokuyan teachings, the forest is not merely an expression or representation of sacredness, nor a place to invoke the sacred; the forest is sacredness itself. Nature is not merely created by God; nature is God. Whoever moves within the forest can partake directly of sacredness, experience sacredness with his entire body, breathe sacredness and contain it within himself, drink the sacred water as a living communion, bury his feet in sacredness, open his eyes and witness the burning beauty of sacredness. And when he cuts a tree from the forest, he participates in a sacred interchange that brings separate lives together.

This belief has several corollaries. We should rejoice in our relationship with the world through celebration, love, meditation, ecstasy, art, and ethical action. We should cherish and preserve the Earth in all its beauty and diversity. Since all creatures are equally part of this mysterious whole, we should treat all creatures with compassion and respect. We should seek a way of living that is life-affirming, benevolent, ecstatic, creative, and inclusive. We should accept death as part of the inevitable and natural course, and grieve for those whose comfort and company we miss, but celebrate the cycles of birth and renewal.

For More Information

Wilderness Drum programs Schools of wilderness counseling and spirituality Wilderness ceremonies Sources of wilderness spirituality Magazines on wilderness spirit and preservation Wilderness videos Getting closer to the natural world The imaginal world Myths and symbols of the vision fast

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