Spring Equinox 2026

Next March will see a really special event taking place over the equinox. This coming Spring sees the first national gathering of The Swains.

Dates:

Friday 20th March midday – Sunday 22nd March – 15:00

Men are welcome to hang out and decamp slowly... leaving by 10am on Monday 23rd March, 2026

(The main event runs from Friday noon until Sunday 3pm but men are welcome to arrive Thursday evening and to stay until Monday.)

Location

Powdermill Woods, Battle, East Sussex.

To summarise what you will find:

• Direct connection to your ancestors.

• Welcome to the Brotherhood of Man.

• A challenge to dig deeper and go further.

• Genuine encounters with your edges.

• Practical tools for life as a man.

• A genuine rite of passage without any woo woo nor voodoo.

The whole thing takes place in woodland where we can be fully immersed in the elements. You will find a just balance between the spirit of endeavour and the supportive warmth of human connection.

The event will be for up to 30 men. Sessions will be led by Darren Deojee and those he requests to facilitate aspects on his behalf. There will be 13 places reserved for new men.

This will be an edge event. Even if you have previously attended one of Darren’s gatherings, you should expect to find the limits of your comfort zone.

Food

Men need full bellies of nourishing food to cope with the cold and the time spent in the woods. There will be a cauldron of vegetable/bone broth and meat stock on the stove all weekend. Otherwise, we will be roasting chicken, lamb, venison and other wild meats. Apologies but there will be no accommodations for those wishing to maintain a vegan or vegetarian regime. This decision is based on optimal nourishment and group resonance.

Intoxicants

With the exception of tea and coffee… there will be no consumption of intoxicants until after the work has been done. There will be a celebration after the rite on Saturday night where we can let loose a little. On Sunday, it’s back to work.

Gadgets

There will be faraday bags supplied for our phones so we can properly connect with each other without digital eyes and ears waggling. Explain to any loved ones that this will be total downtime and that we will be out of touch for the duration. This is a hunting party where the slightest distraction is likely to startle our quarry and leave our bellies empty.

Sweat Lodge

There’s a space where we could have an indigenous sweat lodge which Darren would lead, following our own practices and style... not the techniques imported from other cultures. . This would require support with the building of the structure and sourcing of stones. If someone feels a charge to make that happen and would like to take a lead on that, please get in touch.

Parking

There’s plenty of space for cars on site but there will not be much flexibility for manoeuvres… only one or two vehicles will be going on and off site until we all leave at roughly the same time. Come with the expectation of staying there for the entirety of the time… Friday noon until Sunday afternoon… Monday noon for those staffing.

Payment

The fee for the weekend is on a sliding scale from £250 upwards. We ask that if you are feeling abundant, that you pay accordingly. It is not only that we can use the money for positive things to support the development of The Swains. It is our experience that the more you invest, the more you prepare mentally... and the more you gain from the encounter. It is our experience that the less you invest, the less you get out of the experience.

A helpful guide for payment is that it should be in proportion to your own wages. How much would you expect to get paid for three full day’s work away from home? £500? £1000? £3000?

The only person you will be cheating is yourself. Ask yourself how much you want to get out of this experience, how transformational you would like it to be.

All new entrants are advised to commit before the winter solstice so that a mental process of psychological preparation can occur in the months leading up to the event.

Please feel free to share this with any men you suspect would like to be there...

Wishing you all well…

iam +++