The Canadian Path created the Northern Lights Ceremony, and the Northern Lights Quest as a way to achieve the North Star section award. Unfortunately, the ceremony is a bit vague on how it should be done.
It says that the Northern Lights Ceremony should occur 6 months before the white tails should be receiving their North Star Awards. This means it will probably be in January. It also says it should ideally be outside.
Being that our group is in Manitoba, having a ceremony outside is a bit iffy in January since it could be very cold. As such we chose to stay inside for it.
The brown and blue tails line up in River Banks. Each has a glowstick to wave around. They have been told they have a special job to be the northern lights.
The white tails walk in through the middle of the riverbanks to meet a section scouter at the front. At this point their would get their tails and certificates, but it feels a bit flat to just leave it at that.
I decided to write a new beaver story for the occasion. Feel free to use it in your own ceremony. I also made a nicer certificate.
One frozen winter night Keeo heard a strange crackling noise outside the lodge. The other beavers were fast asleep and Keeo decided to go take a look. Outside on the icy pond he could see a clear sky and a big round moon. The air was crisp. Suddenly he saw colours dancing in the sky. Blue, green, white, and tiny ribbons of pink.
"Wow," said Keeo, "I have never seen this before."
"Do you like my dancing?" asked a voice.
"Who are you?" asked Keeo.
"I am Aurora, the northern lights. Who are you?"
"I am Keeo, the talking beaver."
"I have never seen a silver beaver before."
"I have never seen the northern lights before." said Keeo.
"You can only see me on cold winter nights if you look to the North. I can guide you on your quest." said Aurora.
"What quest?" asked Keeo.
"I can see you are almost ready to go new places and have new adventures," said Aurora, "but first you need to complete the Northern Lights quest."
"How do I do that?" asked Keeo.
"You are on a journey to discover your true north, by following the path of the North Star, Polaris. You can find the North Star in the sky by finding the two bear constellations in the sky, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Sometimes they are also called the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper."
"What do I do then?" asked Keeo.
"You need to learn to navigate this path using the night sky. The stars, the moon, and the northern lights. You need to prove yourself in the Northern Lights Quest by showing that you have outdoors skills, and that you work hard to help your community."
"I think I can do that." said Keeo.
"And you won't be alone," said Aurora, "You can always ask for help from Big Brown beaver, or Malak the owl, or the other beavers in your lodge, or the Jones family."
"Thank you," said Keeo, "I will go back to my lodge and work on my Northern Lights Quest with my family and friends. I was nice to meet you, Aurora."
"It was nice to meet you too Keeo."
