Washington DC, Metro Area: 4:28 PM, Thursday August 28, 2008
Last update:
13-Jul-2005
The conference starts Friday evening with a buffet dinner at 6:00 p.m. and
a powerful Opening Ceremony at 8:00 p.m. This
is followed by small group sharing and the choice of free time, an all-nations
sweat lodge, or a sauna purification ritual.
When you arrive (starting at 4:00), you will register and select your small
group and workshop(s). We will offer a brief orientation session for men and
boys who are new to Buffalo Gap, as well as those who just want a refresher
on what to expect from the weekend.
Cabins will be assigned again this year based on preferences you make known
on the registration materials. So plan to arrive in time to get settled before
the Opening Ceremony at 8:00 p.m. and spend the weekend enjoying the beauty
of Buffalo Gap and the companionship of men.
Awaken to flute playing and poetry during an end-of-summer morning at Buffalo
Gap. Saturday morning you may choose meditation or yoga followed by an early
breakfast.
Then the Opening Ceremony will will begin by gathering at the bridge to the
Medicine Wheel, where we will create a ritual space and honor the generative
energy that powers our contributions to the world.
The morning will end with a small group activity intended to help center us
for the remainder of the weekend.
At noon there will be an opportunity for wonderful lunchtime sharing, making
new friends, and catching up with men we haven’t seen for a time.
This will be followed by workshops sessions where you are free to choose from
more than a dozen planned workshops, all of which are planned to be experiential
(some of them are new and have never been offered at Buffalo Gap before).
This time and place is for experiencing and feeling, not just thinking about
life’s challenges.
Regardless of our agenda, you are always free to do whatever you wish.
Saturday night is a time of thoughtfulness, sharing, and community.
We will begin with the ritual procession, then the lighting of the campfire.
A special Evening Ceremony will include ritual dancing and a time for the
Talking Stick.
And for those with the stamina, there is time for the sweat lodge, sauna,
and a late night swim.
Sunday morning you may again choose meditation or yoga followed by an early
breakfast.
After breakfast, men are invited to share poetry and drumming. Seth will enchant
us with powerful storytelling, followed by a final Talking Stick. There will
also be a time to relax and rest before we re-enter everyday life.
A powerful closing ceremony will end our time together before lunch at 1:15 and departure. This ritual time of closing completes the spirit of the weekend and you will not want to miss this time with your brothers. You will still have plenty of time to return home Sunday afternoon.