The Human Path – Explanation of Core Classes

The primary concept behind The Human Path is to bring people closer to the earth and closer to self-awareness, thereby helping lead the “organism of humanity” to more sanity (and survival as a species) in the way we live. There is a vast difference between how we behave as a collective species vs. how we behave individually, but the only way to affect change in the collective is to expand the awareness of the individual.

This is accomplished by learning and working with a variety of skills that are primarily earth skills and survival skills. Learning and practicing any or all of these skills will lead to a greater awareness of both one’s environment and one’s self. This isn’t a hypothesis, this is just a basic fact.

My emphasis when teaching is hands-on, hands-on and hands-on. A certain amount of lecture is always necessary to introduce a concept, but I generally get people moving on a skill within about 30 minutes of introduction. A lot of teaching can then be done while students are working on the tasks. As an example, the last bow-drill fire class we had in the core basic class, it was pouring rain. With just some tarp and a patio roof, almost every one of 20 students had a bow drill fire going in less than 3 hours. This initial-experiential approach is a very effective method of teaching most of these skills.

There are many ways to break down the body of basic skills that I am teaching. The way I arrived at it was through my own way of learning and putting together these skills over 2+ decades. They are organized in a way that allows them to be internal (learned on an individual level only), small team (specialties) or even seen as dividing lines of roles and interactions in a small community.

These skills are also presented with the background scenario of an “end of the world as we know it.” The reason for using this scenario as a backdrop is to:

1) Add some adrenaline and excitement to the training at higher levels. This enhances the training experience and connects people much more realistically to being able to work with their skills under varying levels of stress.

2) Help us all think realistically about what preparedness means, and how to hopefully divert our species for an inevitable clash with our disconnectedness from our own resources and life-sustaining ecology.

The Human Path – Specialty Advancement from Basic through Level 1


So without further ado, here are the way these skills break down:


1. Intellect (learning, problem solving). Archetype = Scholar, Element = Air

2. Body (martial arts & medicine). Archetype = Warrior, Element = Fire

3. Environment (the earth, the planet, the universe). Archetype = Eco-Caretaker, Element = Earth

4. Mind (intuition, awareness). Archetype = Mystic, Element = Water

5. Unification and Merging (putting it all together). Archetype = The Awakened Human, Element = Man or Spirit

Micro Level (Team):

1. Primitive Engineer. This is the Problem Solver of the team who can take care of logistics, transportation, storage, and create or work with tools that make things more efficient.

2. Combat Medic. This follows the adage that helping and harming the body are two sides of the same coin. Self-defense (both of self and patients) as well as the primary medical provider of the team.

3. Eco-Survivalist. This person is the expert at creating fire, building quick shelter, primitive hunting and fishing, finding and purifying water, and all the aspects that are involved with immediate survival. The knowledge and skill to do all these things is based on a sound understanding and connection with the earth and its local ecology.

4. Scout. This is the eyes and ears of the team, both in a wilderness or urban setting. Seeking and finding information that is relevant to survival for the team, as well as ways of getting that information back to the team, are what this specialty is primarily concerned with.

5. Leader. As the title would indicate, this is the concept of leadership and the execution of a plan in a seamless and integrated manner. Strategic thinking, planning and interpersonal communication are the primary aspects of this specialty.

Obviously, there is a lot of overlap between specialties. For instance, the scout has to also possess a high degree of eco-survivalist-related skills. However, that is why the Basic and Level 1 classes are a general foundation across all levels. Like any concept, the compartments we put around it are there to help us learn pieces of the puzzle one at a time rather than be overwhelmed by information.

The Core Classes are a way to introduce all of this curriculum in a class or “team” setting. The first 2 core classes (Core Basic and Core Level 1) are done in a non-specialized way. That is, all skills across all specialty areas are taught as one long block of instruction.

After Level 1, specialties become much more intense and be focused on only that specialty for the same amount of time that was spent on the foundation (Basic and Level 1) courses. So for instance, if a person finishes Level 1 and wants to take Level 2 classes, they would be spending about 55 hours in (as an example) the eco-survivalist specialty, working ONLY with those eco-survivalist (i.e. 55+ hours learning and working with new eco-survivalist skills only) skills as they take them to the next level – also under much more intensity and external stress than in the Basic and Level 1 courses.

At the end of the individual specializations after level 2, field exercises bring each person and specialty back into a team environment as they learn to apply their enhanced skills as a team with again much more intensity and external stress.

THP is just starting, and is still in the mode of being mostly a “weekend school.” It isn’t about money (which is why the classes are so cheap) but of course has to be self-sustainable. Although this is the first time I am teaching this curriculum in this format (and through my own school), it is certainly not the first time I am presenting it at all.

I have easily enough material to go up (with about the same amount of time and curriculum as exists for the Basic and Level 1 classes) at least 4 levels right now. However, I am currently almost mid-way through the second Basic Core Course, and looking to start the first Level 1 class by mid or late summer. I’m really looking forward to getting folks through the first few levels so that we can start concentrating specifically in each area and “upping the ante” in how the class is presented. It is my experience that adding in the adrenaline of a realistic scenario not only greatly enhances the amount that students are able to retain, but also the quickness with which that material can be learned.

Sam Coffman