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The Hand Drill - a spiritual practice?

31/8/2016

 
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I've just returned from a few days camping where I had a bit of a breakthrough experience with the Hand Drill, and experienced what I can only really term a spiritual experience. I am usually very sceptical of what people call "spirit" but I did have quite a profound experience all the same.

With the hand drill, it is just your body and two pieces of wood, coaxing the ember out of the wood, and then nurturing and caressing that ember to light the tinder bundle. Even before the weekend, I have found it to be quite a profound bodily experience, in terms of the energy it requires and the discomfort you may experience from doing it. And I find it very difficult not to be moved by this technique. For me, it has taken dedication, determination and awareness.
And one could say that it could be akin to a spiritual practice, like meditation, and to continue using the hand drill (unlike the bow drill which once you've grasped it needs little practice) you need to keep "practising" to keep your hands and muscles conditioned and so one could say that it does become a "practice." I don't get the same profound experience with the bow drill most likely due to the added technology but with the hand drill it is just you and two pieces of wood, so I find it very primordial and I can not be helped but to be moved by it, and I see it as a gesture, an offering to that something which is bigger than us all.

I also acknowledge that this is very personal to me, and I don't want to get preachy by it or enforce my way onto others, but I do somehow want to impart some of this awareness through my teaching (if I do hold any"workshops") by introducing story and a little light ritual where appropriate rather than it just being a practical workshop. I also think that learning friction fire should be your own journey and once a little knowledge has been imparted on how to make and use friction fire kits then it is for the individual to take it forward in their own way as they so wish. And for those who continue to light fires without awareness, so be it, but for me I will continue in my own way, and if some more people decide to do it with a little more awareness then that is all good too.

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  • Home
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      • Stories
      • SHFF Story
      • Myths - China - Sui
      • Myths - Aztec - New Fire Ceremony
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