Firekeepers camp

a council of fathers on bodmin moor, Cornwall, for a weekend of conversation, connection, contemplation and communal sleeping

The seed for this gathering sprouted from a memory of a childhood evening in Hercegovina, where I spent a night with a family, and shared a bed with the son. This was, and is, nothing unusual. There too, boys and young men would hold hands as they walked the streets, a sign of affection and friendship. Growing up through a lot of outdoor programs, we would regularly share nights in a common shelter crafted from spruce branches. As a sergeant in the Swedish air defence, we would go on three week maneuvers and spend the duration sleeping together 20 men side by side in army tents.

Bedfellows were common until not too long ago. And typically, it ends today as we enter adolescence. No more sleepovers. And with it ends for many of us the joy of sharing intimate space with other men, snuffling and turning and dreaming and waking under a shared tarp.

This weekend is for

A firekeeper is…

We will laern about fire, both starting, tending, sitting with fire.

There will be myths and stories

A ceilidh evening where everyone shares their delights and sorrows as poetry, song, dance,

Simple food cooked over the fire together

Walks on the moor, and wild swimming come what may

Conversations and wonderings about creation, fatherhood, boyhood, maturation and depth

Heartfelt sharings about our sons, and about fatherhood

Solo time on the heaths

Dreaming and waking together to a new day

work is involved

Martin Shaw relates masculinity to the “bearskin” myth as a transformative ordeal symbolizing sacrifice, fidelity, and communal generosity, where a man dons the bear’s skin after battle to wander as an outcast, growing wild and unkempt while aiding society’s margins. In his writings and speeches, such as those recapping his 2025 tour, Shaw uses this story to depict masculinity not as dominance but as an initiatory vow—enduring tears, unkemptness, and isolation for seven years—to earn belonging through selfless acts that heal the village.

​ Bearskin Archetype

Shaw frames the bearskin-wearer as a mythic model for men: post-war rejection by society prompts an elder’s mandate to reject grooming and comfort, fostering a raw, generous masculinity that gives gold to the poor without expectation. This critiques modern men’s inward retreats, urging instead public storytelling of such tales to invoke “decency, courage under fire, and forgiveness” in gatherings.

European rites that attuned men to ecological rhythms, fostering resilience, erotic kinship with earth, and the ability to “story” crises. This developmental arc counters patriarchal dominance by awakening vulnerability and guardianship, where psychological maturity emerges from reciprocal wild bonds rather than conquest.

​ Cultural Repair

Wondering about the role of nature in tutoring our boys. In speeches and writings, ecology becomes the “great mother” schooling male psyche toward humility and generosity, as in Bearskin tales where wilderness exile births cultural healers from egoic boys. Shaw warns that without this linkage, men perpetuate ecological harm through uninitiated psyches, urging multi-day immersions to heal both personal development and planetary collapse

​ Communal Renewal

In speeches like his Salt Spring Island event, Shaw invokes bearskin to highlight “friendly and strong” masculine energy rooted in ancient narrative fidelity, countering cultural dissolution by reconsecrating myths for collective ballast amid collapse. Masculinity emerges as this embodied vow—wild yet generous—bridging personal ordeal to cultural repair.

cost

sliding scale 320-370. at 320 we cover costs and a modest fee for the host to cover marketing, travel, insurance, food, campsite rental, inventory, etc. 370 all costs are covered, and the income makes the work to organize and host this camp sustainable

doing-cooking, hauling wood, lighting fires, cleaning up, sharing, walking, listening

included in the price is

three days accomodation at the stars and moor campsite

facilitated conversations around the coming of age of our boys

firewood for cooking food together and gather around

all cooking equipment

shared sleeping in two gorgeous bell tents

what to bring

mugs, plates, utensils

sleeping bag and mat

you are encouraged not to use artificial light during the camp, flashlights, torches, headlamps, etc instead we aim to rely on ambient light to attune to circadian rhythms and hone our awareness of how to move and act and adapt to changing conditions, and for a few days submit to natural limits and see what comes of it

we will set aside all screens for the duration of our time together. an emergency number will be provided for family and friends in case they must urgently contact you during our time together

modern disconnection from ecology—through urbanization and screen dominance—stunts male psyche growth, leaving men in “soft civilized” stasis unable to access imagination or communal voice.