Featured Article from Winter 2002 Issue of EarthLight: Exploring Second Nature: Youth, Wilderness, and Rites of Initiation by Flynn Johnson click here to return to article Recommend this article with the following e-mail: (clickable link included in message) E-TO:   E-Mail address of recipient: E-FROM: Your E-Mail Address: Your Name: Brief message to be included in e-mail (replace as needed): I thought you would enjoy this article from the Winter 2002 edition of EarthLight Magazine (and now part of the EarthLight Library). Here is the web address. Location of document or web site: http://www.earthlight.org/essay44_johnson.html Brief description: [Excerpt] Maria spent most of her time on her rock. She watched as the loons dove deep and then surfaced far away. Like the loons, she dove deep into herself, into her fear of the night, into her fear of the unknown. Maria possesses a courageous spirit, that draws her deeper into life and deeper into the mystery of herself. As she faced her loneliness on the solo, she learned to distinguish between her natural tendency to get lonely and her capacity to be alone. She realized that ultimately she was not alone: all of nature was with her. Listening to Maria was like witnessing a flower as it unfolds into the fullness of its splendor. /// Flynn Johnson, M.A., founder of The School of Natural Wonder, has been leading vision quests and other experiential, nature- based programs for the past eight years. He lives in southern Vermont with his wife and son.