An unrivalled immersion into myth, wilderness and soul.
About
The Westcountry School of Myth
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 school is focused on a five-weekend programme, now in it’s 21st year. 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, Rev Rowan Williams, Malcolm Guite, Vesper Stamper and Paul Kingsnorth.
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 a summer school in July 2024 – a four-night residential. There will also be day events and one or two stand alone weekends each year. Keep an eye on the events page for updates or sign up to the school newsletter here 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 .
Dr Martin Shaw is an award winning writer, mythologist and oral storyteller. His book Bard Skull was described by The Sunday Times as “rich and transgressive…a singular vision”.
Dr Shaw founded the Oral Tradition and Mythic Life programmes at Stanford University and his conversation and catalogue with Ai Weiwei is available with the Marciano Arts Foundation. Rowan Williams describes him as “a true and transformative enchanter”.
Shaw is a wilderness rites of passage guide and lived for four years in a tent exploring the British landscape. For over 20 years he has led the Westcountry School of Myth in Devon and brought ancient story into the centre of thousands of peoples lives. An Eastern Orthodox Christian, his evolving work is part of a revival in what he calls Christian Mythopoetics.
What if?
the program itself is a rite of passage
What if we dwelt within the psyche of the story rather than imagined it was all neatly contained within our own heads? What if the stories owned us rather than the other way around?
Search engine
Use this form to find things you need