After the successful seminar "Restoring Paradise - Healing Ceremonies for the Earth" with Brooke Medicine Eagle, I was invited to teach at an outdoor college in Sirdal/Norway. My task will be to teach the new students [grade 9] how to burn incense with herbs and how to sing songs to go with it. You can't imagine how excited I am about this new opportunity to bring my treasures into the world!

"The OUTDOOR COLLEGE is a Norwegian-German joint project. Maike and Günther Hoffmann (trained educators & outdoor trainers) founded the experiential education agency EVENT NATURE GmbH on the Schlei in Schleswig-Holstein in 2002. EVENT NATURE offers school classes and other interested parties the opportunity to strengthen team skills through sporting activities such as cutter sailing, kayaking, climbing in the high ropes course and other experiential education exercises.
In Norway, OUTDOOR COLLEGE is also involved in the Sirdal Huskyfarm with owners Odd and Tone Kvinen. On site, you will be supervised by the house and project manager as well as three to four teachers and a Norwegian language teacher so that you quickly feel "at home" in your new foreign language. The outdoor instructors with appropriate natural sports and educational qualifications will also come to Sirdal for the expeditions."
Source: outdoor-college.de

Funnily enough, I arrive at the College at the same time as a food truck and can help the two tutors [Birte, who also picked me up from the airport, and Sven] unpack and store the food – the quantities are quite something! Then I move into the guest room and explore the area a little – wow, what a landscape, I'm impressed. In the evening, the students come back from their very first tour, because the school year has just started. I also meet Meike, who has hired me for a few days. We immediately like each other.
During dinner, I will be introduced to the entire team and make my first contacts with the students.

The teaching begins under the heading “incense and singing”. First, we make incense sticks out of mugwort, rosemary and green sage and then try to sing and burn incense for each individual person outside. We have varying degrees of success – but we definitely have a lot of fun!
Songs sung today: "The river is flowing", “Let the beauty” & “Take me down”. I write the lyrics on the board in the morning, along with the schedule for the workshop day.

The monthly report of the 11th outdoor college year states: “On Tuesday, we were visited by a songcatcher who held workshops with us and taught us some of her songs, which we all sang together.”

After consulting with the team, we are offering two groups of your choice today – one group can “wrestle and tussle” with Sven and the second “sing and smudge” with Meike & Peti. After a snack break, we will all meet around the fire to "carve & sing". The feedback indicated that everyone was happy with this division and the implementation: one group had “action” and the other had a quiet ritual by the river, with time to reflect and contemplate.

What the students said about it in their monthly report of the 11th outdoor college year states:: "On Thursday, we had the choice between a sports workshop in the gym and another workshop with the Songcatcher, this time about herbs. The workshop “Wrestling and Grappling” in the gym was a kind of preview of a later sports topic and already aroused anticipation in many. The other workshop was a very nice and relaxing contrast to the sometimes somewhat stressful everyday life."

Today we sing the following songs: "Fire transform me / Feuer verwandle mich", "Große Mutter", "Gesegnet sei der Ort". The students are really enjoying “Feuer verwandle mich” – and they have surprised us all with a powerful rap. I'm totally thrilled!

Maike and I are running this workshop together, which I think is great!
First, we look at the effect of our own behavior on the people around us: “In which everyday situations can my behavior put other people in difficult or uncomfortable situations?” We do a role play for this, with some students playing different roles, and one in which Maike and I demonstrate the difference between careless and mindful communication. The students participate in the discussions with great enthusiasm and show what mature personalities they already are. Using the story “Two Wolves in Our Hearts” we work out that we have the freedom to choose. Whatever we focus on grows, becomes bigger and stronger, becomes a habit.
At the river, the students are then given time and opportunity to think about what is important to them in their relationship with nature. Their notes are sealed in envelopes and stored in Maike's wolf box until they are needed again one day. In the feedback session for the entire duration of the workshop, I receive a lot of loving appreciation, my heart is touched and very pleased.

Today we sing, among other songs, “Feuerkind - Kuate” & “Ein Hoch auf die Küche”. In the afternoon, the outdoor trainers arrived for the first kayak tour. The excitement about it has been buzzing through the OC all day! At the first dinner together, I ask the students to greet the newcomers with a song – and they rap “Fire transform me”, at full volume and veeeery convincingly. The enthusiasm is huge, there is great applause, also from the outdoor trainers.

Outdoor trainers and tutors are preparing the kayak tour together with the students: the dreaded capsize training is already over, next up is packing: The floor of the gym is almost completely covered with equipment, cooking utensils and clothing from the four different teams.

After the luggage and boats have been stowed away, there is a farewell session led by Maike with a large group of 26 students, 3 outdoor trainers, the entire OC team and me as a guest. Finally, I will sing a song with everyone; the English original is by Starhawk, the German lyrics are by my fellow musician Duke Meyer, and it means:
“Everything begins with a single step, the next one already brings about change; and like everything that ends, our singing is also an opportunity for a new beginning.” I get a response from one of the outdoor trainers that makes me smile: the same person who previously told me that she didn't really get on with the spiritual part of this ritual is moved by the song and thanks me from the bottom of her heart.

After a final room check, the journey to the Frafjord begins through a fantastically beautiful landscape - and in brilliant sunshine! I am happy and also a little proud to be part of this impressive caravan. Now the boats are unloaded, the four teams set up their tents and we say goodbye. When Maike and I return to the OC, it seems to be pretty quiet there...

On the last day, Maike invites me to go on a wonderful trip near the river. Her “boys” (the two hunting dogs) accompany us. We enjoy the landscape and the time together, plus delicious fried potatoes in the evening.

I would like to thank the students for their trust, their engagement with the songs and their appreciation; to the OC team for their fine hospitality and acceptance; with Günther for recognizing my potential during the workshop with Brooke Medicine Eagle [hence the invitation to the OC] and especially with Maike, who gave me a wonderful experience through her generosity, joy, trust and such a special level of friendship on an equal level, thank you for a fulfilling, happy time in the outdoor college.

As Maike, Günther and I have already decided, I will be coming back in May 2025! I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again and to being able to give the 11th year some advice.

Nachdem ich wieder zu Hause war, erreichte mich ein Video von Outdoortrainerin Karina - was für eine schöne Überraschung! Auf dem Fjord wurde "Feuer verwandle mich" gesungen von den Schülerinnen und Schülern - doch seht und hört selbst!

... lies neatly filed in the dining room of the OC, here is the title page.