Introduction to Sacred Hunting (Two Evenings)

Hunting is a memory living deep in all of our bones. Built into our DNA as one of the oldest human activities, hunting was there at the dawn of our species and many anthropologists understand it was the relational complexity of hunting which actually grew our brains into the human capacity we have today. Hunting life-ways have largely been lost, and the stereotype of hunting has been reduced to beer-drinking, far-right, trophy-stalking adolescent wing nuts. However, in my 20 + years of experience - Hunting is the most sacred, the most wild, and most presence-demanding activity I have ever encountered - fully emeshing in the profound cycles of life and death that define what it is to be human, to be of the earth, to eat and one day become food for all else.

Food is at the center of Culture, and the undomestication that hunting demands, to be in that depth of relationship with something, an animal, that is truly wild and beyond our habituated patterns of control - this the threshold that hunting in a sacred manner invites us into.

Introduction to Sacred Hunting is a grounded, experiential two-evening immersion into the practical, ecological, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the hunting path.

Throughout the course we will explore:

• tracking and animal awareness

• camouflage, movement and hunting energetics

• nervous system regulation and sensory awareness

• ethical and ecological questions around hunting

• the role of hunting in healthy human culture

• introductions to hunting tools and weapons

• introductions to the legalities of hunting and how to become licensed to actually go hunt!

• relationship to death, harvest, gratitude, and responsibility

• the inner orientation of the sacred hunter

  
  

This is not a tactical or hyper-masculine survival course. Nor is it a space of ideology or performance.

Together we will explore hunting as an ancient human practice that asks for skill, restraint, reverence, honesty, and deep listening.

By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with:

• foundational practical knowledge about hunting and tracking

• greater confidence moving attentively through the natural world

• a more nuanced and embodied relationship to predation and death

• deeper understanding of ethical and regenerative hunting practices

• the clear pathway to go big-game hunting this year or next

• tools for awareness, patience, and nervous system attunement

• a felt sense of hunting as relationship rather than domination

Expect two evenings outdoors involving movement, observation, teaching, discussion, and experiential practices on the land. Some parts may be inside, depending on weather

Some portions of the workshop may include honest engagement with the realities of death and animal harvest, though no killing will take place during this introductory training.

INSTRUCTOR:

John Wolfstone

John Wolfstone is a rites-of-passage guide, wilderness mentor, and co-founder of the School of Wild Belonging whose work explores the restoration of ecological relationship, ancestral memory, and initiatory culture in the modern world. For years he has studied tracking, awareness, hunting ethics, wilderness living skills, and nature-based mentorship through both traditional and contemporary lineages. His approach to hunting weaves practical skill with reverence, nervous system attunement, and deep relationship to land, animal, and responsibility.

Rather than framing hunting as domination or sport alone, John teaches it as an ancient human path of humility, participation, and belonging within the living world.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• This program will take place primarily outdoors. Please bring appropriate layers, water, snacks/lunch, and clothing for variable weather conditions.

• Participants should be prepared for a physically engaged nights that may include hiking, sitting quietly outdoors, and moving off trail at times.

• No prior experience is necessary. Beginners are welcome.

Email John with questions about the course - j.wolfstone@gmail.com, or contact info@schoolofwildbelonging.com with questions about registration.