My immediate view every morning + the first time I had ever camped in a tipi.

I wrote a paper that delves into my Sundance experience (with some background information and a bonus creative writing piece at the end). Read the full paper here. This is an excerpt from my paper:

Being removed from this dominant, mainstream form of education and put into a
place of ceremony, my frames of thinking started to shift. In school, we analyze and
rationalize everything and try to create hypotheses or give things reason. In contrast, the
pedagogy of ceremony requires that you simply be . Language acts to control, therefore in
being rather than thinking, reading, or writing, we do not try to possess the knowledge and
meaning can arrive in its own way. This shift also diminished my neurotic need to have a full
schedule, and I am learning to trust that a flow exists, which we cannot control. I have also
come to know that there is no real need for me to be in competition with myself or with my
peers in terms of money or grades; those ideas are echoes of colonial individualism and
ownership. The discrepancy between how rich, successful, or powerful I wanted to be and
where I currently am in life only caused anxiety that was not necessary; the Sundance and
the land have shown me that I have everything I need right here, and that I am enough. It is
still a process of unlearning and relearning, but it is important.

Sundance was almost a year ago. It feels so far away in time and space! So many things have changed since then. I still certainly believe that it was a major catalyst in a long transformative journey that I am, and forever will be, on. However, I can also feel some of the teachings slipping away. Space plays a big role in influencing mindset, and being in a space of ceremony allowed me to reflect on Western norms and all of their various pros and cons. Flowing back into work and school, I have re-adapted to the current structures (a little rigid, timelines, expectations, pressure, the usual). However, teachings that I still carry with me from Sundance include an awareness of the systems I reside in, a greater appreciation for all life, and more trust in the process. I think that Sundance influences my work as a sustainability practitioner. “Papercut by papercut”* I am bringing these teachings into my writings, how I engage people, and how I design things. Less power structures. No more “us vs. them”. No NIMBYism. Yes to dialogue. Yes to open-mindedness + other ways of being. Yes to creating space for diversity.

*a phrase I borrowed from Harold Glasser.