Want to learn more about Sacred Fire and meet the directors? Join us for an Info Session on Wednesday, May 13, 6:30–8 pm in East Chatham. RSVP here.
Families re-register each fall, and pay each year’s tuition separately. Sliding scale tuition for the Fall 2025–Summer 2026 year includes the following options:
Tier 1: $2,300
Tier 2: $1,925
Tier 3: $1,550
Please note: Tier 1 tuition represents the actual cost of the program to Flying Deer. However, to ensure that the program is accessible to families, we offer two additional tuition options. A payment plan is available at checkout, and we also offer financial assistance.
Location: East Chatham, NY
2025–2026 Dates: View and download the schedule.
Please note that registration for this program is by invitation only, with attendance at an info session required. The program fills early; it’s best to reach out the year prior. Contact us to find out more.
Sacred Fire is a three-year wilderness rites-of-passage program for boys, beginning at age 13 or 14, who wish to undertake a conscious journey into adolescence with the heartfelt support of family and community. The essence of this process is to create a world of deeper connection with Nature, Self, Community and Spirit.
The Sacred Fire community includes three groups of participants (Crayfish, Buckskins, and Dogwoods), program graduates (Fireboys), instructors, parents, “uncles” (mentors), and elders. First-year participants are Crayfish, second-years are Buckskins, and third-years are Dogwoods. If your son chooses to enroll in the Sacred Fire program, with parent support, his family joins eight or so other new families in becoming a tight-knit Sacred Fire community.
Each year, the Sacred Fire calendar year begins in October and ends in July, and each year the three-stage rites-of-passage journey repeats itself in a unique way. The year includes a weekend campout in the fall, Adventure Days one Saturday a month from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm throughout the school year (with the exception of January and February), family potlucks, a Mothers’ Ritual, and a five-day Initiation Weekend in June.
“Sacred Fire has been the most significant aspect to my son’s continuing growth and development from boyhood to manhood.”
Parent of Sacred Fire graduate
How can you tell if your son is ready for a rites-of-passage program? If he is between the ages of 13 and 15, chances are the answer is “yes,” whether he knows it or not. Here are some specific signs to look for:
- His body is starting to grow fast, his voice is dropping…
- His relationships are changing, he is feeling the awkwardness of social scenes…
- There is tension developing in his relationships (especially at home)…
- You are hearing him say things that make you say, “Did he just say that?!”
- He is hungry for more freedom, feeling confined…
- He is beginning to look for real challenges…
- He is interested in participating in a coming-of-age rite of passage…
- His family supports him to do so!