BEN BROWNER

30 years ago my dad took me raccoon hunting, then a couple years later we brought home a deer.  Both times he courageously taught me what it looked like for a man to cry.  30 years and over 50 kills since, I still cry deep tears of grief every time I take a life...

But the biggest tears I've shed thus far was while ushering my father over this same threshold early last year.  After a hemorrhagic stroke left him non-verbal, half-paralyzed and praying for relief, he was legally admitted into WA's "Medical Aid in Dying Program." In January of 2025, on an evening like none other, I helped him to cross over in my very own bed, partaking in a deeper ritual than I'll ever be able to comprehend.

I've always carried a cavernous medicine within me, and though it rarely comes out in social settings, there are certain containers through which this dharmic path is laid bare.  As true as my passion is for Celebrating Life, so too is my propensity for Holding Death.  Come join us - if you will - for another deeply sacred ritual of transition... All of you is welcome here. 

~ Ritual & Workshop Info ~

On Thursday afternoon, 25 men will spend 2.5 hours consciously taking the life of 5 locally-bred sheep, while singing and caring for one another through the process. It's ok to simply watch, there's no need to dive any deeper than you're comfortable.

We'll then butcher these sheep with the help of 5 seasoned guides during our last 2.5hrs, and pass off the gift of their bodies to our MANiFEST Chefs, so that our entire camp of 150 men can partake in this miracle at various meals throughout our weekend.

The Slaughter Ritual will be capped at 25 men. We ask you to self-select out of this container if you've already participated in the taking of a Life.  Thank you for making sure that newcomers have a chance to experience this for the first time... Though it's not mandatory, it's highly suggested that if you partake in the Slaughter Ritual, you should stay for the Butchering Workshop as well, in order to see the process through to the end and really understand the entire cycle of it.  All knives and other materials for the workshop will be provided by Ben.  We just ask that you show up with an open mind, and a willingness to feel your feelings.

~ Contextual Information ~

Western cultures are incredibly Death-adversed.  It's generally kept out of sight at all costs, and has become a taboo to even talk about in normal circles.  One of this cultural malady's worst expressions is factory farming:  where an animal's quality of life is grossly trivialized through commodification;  where their quality of death is made sacrosanct through industrialized processes;  where the impact of taking life has been ripped from our own cultures;  and where words like "beef, pork, and venison" pathologically take the place of these miraculous animals who become us.  Through this process, a chasm of deceit has formed at the core of our culinary - and human - experience.  Our aim in this container is to at least begin filling that chasm with the Truth about what it actually means to Eat.

We understand that some people may feel triggered by the idea of a slaughter ritual - and we honor your feelings - but we also ask for open mindedness around the fact that this isn't some exercise of machismo power.   In fact, it's quite the opposite.  Through this experience, we expect - and pray - to be absolutely humbled by the gut-wrenching syphoning of another's life for our own.

What comes from this process - for many others in previous sacred slaughter ritual - has been absolutely life changing.

A Deep Gratitude to Our Seasoned Butchering Guides:

Nick Canino, James Rian OKeefe, Colin Lounsbrough, & Dakotah Maxwell