#37 | Last Stand for the Ancient Forests - Yogi Shambu (Fairy Creek Blockade)
“The opposite of cancel culture is intimacy.”
This is a very special episode, recorded only a few days ago, from the front lines of the Fairy Creek Blockade - a peaceful 8 month occupation to prevent the logging of some of the last remaining old growth forest on Vancouver Island, Canada.
I have been allied with effort these last few months, including releasing a short film ARISE in collaboration with The Mama’s Movement, which weaves voices of indigenous elders like Bill Jones, of the Pacheedaht Nation, alongside activists and children.
On April 1st, the courts granted an injunction to the logging company Teal Jones, which means they are legally able to have the forest protectors arrested so they can continue their destruction. Luckily, the movement continues to grow exponentially, with creative and positive support pouring in from around the world.
This past weekend, I joined the blockade for the first time, and experienced the beauty within the old growth trees, as well as the human community that has taken root.
I sat down in the midst of a clear cut to interview Yogi Shambu, a musician, healer, and longtime member of the Rainforest Flying Squad, who were the initial catalyzers of the blockade.
In our conversation today, he shares of his spiritual upbringing in rural Ontario, being surrounded by powerful women in his family. He speaks of his journey into Tantra Yoga, as well as becoming a professional mystic offering healing wherever he was called.
Shambu reflects on his mythic models for masculinity, including the joy of coming into right service with the Great Mother, and how spiritual practice can best prepare one for generative conflict.
And finally, we reflect on the stories that seeded us with an environmental consciousness in our youth, and how these flowers might bloom in our time of ecocide and evolution.
LINKS
JOIN THE MYTHIC MASCULINE NETWORK
SHOW NOTES
Overview of the Fairy Creek Blockade
The opposite of cancel culture is intimacy
Growing up in a dwindling Ontario farm community
Hearing the call out West
Steeped in a Witch’s Coven
Becoming a professional Mystic
Reinvigorating your cheekiness
Navigating bisexuality
Yoking one’s life to service
Between karma and avatar
Navigating conflict through a trauma informed lens
The organism of beloved community
The rise of natural authority
We are cultural orphans
The contact line between the hick and the hipster
Perfectionism prevents being a student
We are Anonymous of the Woods
An intergenerational mythology for our children
The archetype of a Child of Nature
How to get involved
