Becoming Human: The Four Shields Model of Nature-Based Therapeutics

“If there were a measure of ‘mental health’, it would involve the ability of individuals to grow into the fullness of each season – that is, the ability to fully become, or enact, the contents of each shield.”

  – Steven Foster and Meredith Little

All that we do and teach at the School of Lost Borders may come down to this simple intention: to tap into the deep memory that we are not separate from nature, that, indeed, we are no different from the land on which we live. To know this simple truth sets us upon the path to becoming “fully human.” Nevertheless, after absorbing centuries of messages that tell us we are different from nature – separated and above – such a path is not so clearly marked. As a result, we feel alienated and disconnected from ourselves, from others, and from this planet we call home.

The Four Shields model offers us a compass to help us find our way back to our origins on this living planet. 

This wheel of human nature was handed down to Steven and Meredith in the early days of Lost Borders and has become essential teaching for regaining our human wholeness within the wholeness of life. The wheel of life is archetypal, crossing boundaries between cultures and time; it is both simple and profound.

The Four Shields demonstrates that our lives move with the seasonal cycles and directions found in the natural world and incorporates all aspects of being: body, psyche, mind, and spirit. It begins in the summer of physical awakening, turns into the fall of our inner depths, moves into the north of our intellect, and emerges in the mysteries of spring. The Four Shields also helps us understand the maladies and symptoms that occur when the natural cycles become hindered in our lives. 

Thus, the Four Shield provides an excellent diagnostic tool, as well as the means for restoring movement toward wholeness.

Program Overview: During this six-day experiential ceremony, we will dive deep into the Four Shields, evoking each shield through teaching, solo time on the land, council, story-telling, and mirroring. Each shield will reveal its essence and provide a doorway to the next shield. We will also look at how the Four Shields teaching is used in wilderness rites of passage and how it can be applied in other therapeutic settings, schools, and organizations.This will be a hands-on, practical program, as well as a time to deepen your practice of becoming more fully human as a being on Earth.

Who is this program for:This is a program for folks of all identities who want to explore the confluence of nature and human wholeness. It may be particularly ideal for folks who work in humanitarian fields and are interested in integrating more nature based perspectives and modalities into their work and lives. We welcome all people; BIPOC, white folks, women and men, queer folx, transgender, gender fluid or non-conforming, and folks who diverge from the “norm” to this program.

Program Questions Contact: Gretchen “Grae” Gerlach [email protected]

Maximum enrollment: 12   

Please note: Lost Borders works to keep our offerings accessible to all those who are called, especially those from systematically marginalized communities. We do not turn anyone away due to lack of resources. Scholarships are available. The $300 deposit is considered both a sign of commitment from participants & financial support for the considerable work done to enroll a course.  For both these reasons, the deposit is non- refundable or non-transferable unless the program is cancelled.  The balance of the program fee is due at the start of the course.