AW You’ve been hosting your own men’s group and sweat lodge for a few years now, what was the attraction about helping at Manifest?
TT I wasn’t attracted to Manifest at first. It was only when I heard you talk about it that I got a good feeling about it. You spoke with passion about the challenge of convincing men that there would be real emotional benefit from attending. I got a real sense that it helps men connect on a deeper emotional level. That’s what drew me. I think that’s what we (men) need, and we can only experience that once we are together; just blokes. It’s got to be both something tangible and a mystery. It’s a space for us to recognise that we too are emotional beings and take time to sit down with each other to explore how we actually feel about things. It’s a supportive space to do that in; just hanging out together.
AW You’ve been helping Gareth and Philippa maintain the site and to run other events, why is Ashlyn Woods so special to you?
TT Gareth is such an open, willing and helpful man. He and Philippa have created a formidable space to connect with nature, and to deepen our connection with ourselves and others. Ashlyn is a magical mystery tour, a place created with enthusiasm to serve a higher purpose; it’s a sheer delight. There are some massive elm trees that somehow managed to survive the ravages of Dutch Elm Disease, and many other species. A walk through the woods is never the same twice.
AW Manifest is a great opportunity to get a feel for working wood. You don’t have to have any practical skills to create something worthwhile with a penknife as you sit around the camp fire. Tom has quite a unique way of running the green woodworking area a Manifest.
TT I set up the green woodworking area up in the middle of the woods in a space we call Ash circle. I have my own bivuac, shaving horses and tools and I set it out by the fire. It’s an informal space for people to come and hang out. We call it green wood because its freshly cut and therefore full of sap which makes it easy to work with draw knives, carving axes and whittling knives. I’ll offer a basic session about use of the tools and tool safety and then its open for people to come and sit around whittling and carving; to just drop in to as and when they feel. I like to let the wood show the person how to use the tools.
