Honoring is our way of bringing a rite of passage experience into the lives of our campers. Each new Flying Clouder, staff and camper alike, spends a whole day in silent reflection, sitting up on the mountain above Flying Cloud. During this day pondering who they are, who they have been, and who they want to become. After this day of reflection each person is “spoken for,” or publicly affirmed the next day in a celebratory evening of gravity and merriment.
Finally, each newly honored Flying Clouder is given an FC blanket and Flying Cloud words, which speak to some of the best and most prominent qualities we see in them in camp. The Words are touchstones for growth and personal anchors to the natural world, encouraging each of us to live up to the “best selves” that the community sees in us. Yesterday, 9 of our group were honored after a day of reflection on the mountain, and here are their Flying Cloud words:
Jack T.
Kingfisher and Lark
Meeting at dawn
The glittering spring
Cradles their dance
John W.
Clouds part before constellations
as foxes bow their heads to the stars
Wesley K.
Bounding hares shake the ground
To praise the fruits of autumn
Eren K.
Among the striped maple’s roots
The mink speaks the spring to life
Wyatt R.
As the rain softens
The sun’s rays fill with golden drops
Illuminating the forest floor
Ethan O.
Each footfall with care
The moose lifts its gaze
Towards the mountain
Lorenzo P.
Weaving with grace as his pack runs
The wolf’s heart lights aflame;
A song of the hearth
Arlo K.
In the hearth of the moonlit eyrie
The eagle welcomes thunder home
embracing an old friend
Pluto E.
From noble heights of white pine’s nest
The osprey knows a turning world
A moonlit hour deepens to rest
That’s all for now. Our group is leaving on trips soon – stay tuned for more!
Take care,
Elliott