In troubled times we are creating a culture of resistance and delight. This learning community on Dartmoor in the far west of the United Kingdom, believes that myth has something vital to say about the condition of both our lives and the earth. That certain stories we need right now arrived, perfectly on time, about five thousand years ago.

Central to this is the notion that culture and wildness have experienced an artificial separation, and that both initiation and myth can create what Shaw calls a Culture of Wildness. It is such a culture that the school and its scholars endeavour to raise up.

The Programme

The school is focused on The Programme, now in it’s 21st year, occurring over five weekends. The next course will begin in September 2024. Each weekend will entail the telling of myth(s) or fairy tale(s) by Dr. Martin Shaw, and then response and study to it. The course has been revisioned for 2024 and includes prestigious guests both online and in person, including Iain McGilchrist, Reverend Rowan Williams, Malcolm Guite, Vesper Stamper and Paul Kingsnorth.

Summer School

Over the gatherings quite a braided knot of relationship is formed between the story of your own life and the great ocean of these epic tales. The atmosphere is convivial, studious and lively in appropriate measure. It’s a mighty thing. It’s a migratory voyage through the grandeur of language, mythos and place. Alongside the flagship 5-weekend Programme there is also Summer School—a four-night residential.

There will also be day events and one or two stand alone weekends each year. Keep an eye out for updates or sign up to the newsletter to receive the latest course news. Dr. Martin Shaw’s books and free resources can be found at his small publishing house Cista Mystica. Further inquiries can be sent to [email protected].