New Brothers & Staff
NY/Metro-NJ October 2013 NWTA
What a wonderful group of men! Over the weekend of October 3-6, a staff of 36 men initiated 30 participants into a new way of being, the way of the New Warrior. I was privileged to be on the staff as a member of the Elder team.
This was our community’s first training at a new site, Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, NY. We had reluctantly concluded that our old site, Camp Sunrise in Harriman State Park, was becoming too run down, so after a long search (there are not many suitable sites available) we decided to try SLC, a Jewish summer camp that offers facilities in the off-season for groups and events. Located in a valley between Breakneck Ridge and another ridge line north of the town of Cold Spring, the camp straddles a long narrow lake amid many groves of maples and other deciduous trees—there were very few pines of any type. The leaves were just beginning to turn, painting the landscape with beautiful red and orange highlights.
The site is not perfect. Being in a steep-sided valley, moving around the site meant climbing up and down steep hillsides—my legs and knees were not happy! Also, the site is not as private as Camp Sunrise—there’s a staff on site, and the potential for other groups to be present elsewhere on the grounds. None of these, to my mind, were insurmountable issues as long as we were cognizant of them. The spaces we were given exclusive use of were excellent, including a large gym-cum-playhouse we used as the “pit” and a lovely old high-ceiling dining/meeting area we used as the staff room. The sleeping quarters were much better then we’ve been used to at Camp Sunrise and included good solid camp bunks. We were even able to use an isolated section (a long climb uphill!) for the Brother Dance, an evolution that needs to be both outdoors and private.
But beyond all these site considerations, the important thing is that the training went off with hardly a hitch. The staff worked very well together—there was a lot of “lover” energy present, and a willingness to be flexible and let what happens happen. Staff men have been checking in on the list serve with what they’ve heard from the participants, and so far it’s been very positive—the new brothers felt cared for in our hands and seem to have got what they came to the weekend to get.
For me personally, I felt increasingly confident in my role as an elder on the weekend. Without going through a long explanation, I was in a role that gave me a special connection to one of the Co-Leaders (assistant leaders in MKP jargon); that connection made this weekend a particularly deep one for me. The head of my elder team, the Ritual Elder, is a man I deeply respect and admire, so I learned a lot about how to stand in that elder space, the King energy that blesses and commissions the deeds of the warrior.
This Wednesday evening (October 16), the new brothers and staff will be gathering again in Manhattan for a Homecoming Celebration. The new brothers will speak about their experience, and their friends and families will get an opportunity to remark on what changes they’ve seen in these men. We’ll also have some drumming and, of course, lots of food. Give me a call if you’d like to come!
