Location: Mashuyak - 25min outside - Ulukhaktok, NWT
N70° 39.255’ W117°42.583’
Date: May 16, 2006
Time: 11:15am
Temp: 3°C
State: rejuvenated from the solitude of Mashuyak. Sad to leave the land, but excited to head back to Ulukhaktok and spend some time in town.

Mashuyak - continued
Here, at the northernmost point of my journey and the true beginning of the SFD film project, the solitude of Mashuyak is providing time and space to reflect. Having just captured what I believe to be the opening sequence of my film, the workaholic/builder in me is finally at ease, my thoughts focused less on the film and more on my physical, mental and spiritual state.

Here out on the land, only two things remain: the landscape and the passage of time. Time is passing, shaping the hard stone and carving the world into being. The image the keeps running through my head is that of a blacksmith forging steel... This image has less to do with the frozen landscape and more to do with my past, why I'm here and how I hope to grow, as a person, as I head South.

Forging
Although I have the benefit of an unbelievably loving and supportive family, I've still managed to experience a fair share of life's fire. Although the flames come in different forms, I think every one of us has experienced some degree of this shaping fire. In life, things don't always go 'according to plan' with hardships often catching us off guard. One minute we're at the top of our game, then in the blink of an eye, face down in the dirt. Although these personal detours are often filled with pain and suffering, time pushes us forward, reshaping suffering into knowledge, understanding and hopefully, in time, wisdom.

For me, as an adult, I am now interested in being my own blacksmith. I am interested in creating my own fires and forging the self. I feel it's now time to crank up the heat and begin hammering away at my body, mind, and spirit. To hammer may seem violent, but for me it simply represents discipline. I wish to hammer away all the gunk or impurities that have gathered over the years in order to arrive at a shaper sense of the self. In trying to explain my thoughts to Forbes the other night I had the following,

In my life I've experienced pain and suffering, but I've always worked hard to use that pain and suffering for growth. I have also at the same time been given a tremendous amount of gifts. I believe it is important to recognize that everything in my life, pleasure and pain, has occurred with purpose. Faith. And, although in the end, the universe may be indifferent, I owe it to myself to stand up and use what I've been given. I also believe the first step on the road to using these gifts, is to forge my mind, body & spirit. I feel anything less, would disrespect the past, myself, and everyone or everything that has brought me to where I am. Anything less, would work against my human nature.

In martial arts (Aikido) we talk about polishing the mirror and sharpening the sword. The mirror represents a time of spiritual reflection, whereas the sword a time of intense physical training. As I begin the road South, I will work to balance both.
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“In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in an clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth.” - Mahatma Gandhi