Ho! Explorers!

On Saturday I found myself taking on a double header of activities. Starting with the Rosicrucian Museum (which the captain’s report is below) but also my high school reunion. As they were on opposite ends of the Bay, I spent a good amount of time traveling to and reflecting on them in context of one another.

I’m really rather grateful for the opportunities that the Explorers Guild offers to reconnect with friends. Most of the people at my reunion I hadn’t seen in many (oh so many) years but something that I appreciate about the Explorers Guild is that we’re constantly offering opportunities for us to come together. A few people at the Guild event this weekend I hadn’t seen in a long time, and the joy I feel about seeing their faces really reminds me that the effort it takes to offer and get to an event is worth it. There are of course many of you who I still haven’t seen in many moons, but whenever you do decide to come to a guild event again, I hope you know how excited I (and the others present) will be to see you.

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum Captain’s Report

Our exploration of the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum was a success. Scylla, Lark, and I established a plan that divided our larger cohort into three smaller groups. Each would cross the line in the sand and review our field guide before entering the museum. This was all in hopes of avoiding suspicion, as the museum’s weekend policy did not allow groups larger than nine.

My concerns quickly faded once we arrived. Outside the museum doors stood a massive group of school children. Surely this crowd would serve as a perfect distraction while we paid admission one at a time. The plan worked beautifully, but soon a new challenge appeared: figuring out who inside was an Explorer and who was simply a tourist.

Fortunately, Scylla, Lark, and I had planned for that too. We had a passphrase, a call and response that every Explorer was taught before entering. It went like this: “Have you seen the King Tut exhibit?” The reply needed to include one of the words explorer, explore, or exploration. For some Explorers, I barely recognized them, their disguises were that good. Hex and Flint “Christopher Smith” were so convincing that when I saw them, I did a triple take trying to figure out who I was looking at. As I wandered through the museum, I heard faint exchanges of the phrase echoing through the galleries as Explorers gradually found one another.

Our exploration of the museum was fascinating. Explorers discovered the underground tomb, played Senet, learned about alchemy, and even met the talking oracle, Thoth. Alongside these highlights were countless artifacts from ancient Egypt. I spent much of my time playing Senet with passing Explorers, which conveniently placed me near Thoth, allowing me to overhear the wild answers Explorers received from their questions.

Before I knew it, our time had come to an end. Our group, which had been scattered throughout the museum in pairs and trios, gathered outside at the labyrinth for our collective Semper Explorandum moment. It felt unusual that our first moment all together was also our last, but everyone seemed to have had a wonderful time. The field guide challenge concluded with Riley, a new Explorer, winning the prize of a handsome copy of the Book of the Dead for their private collection.

Reminders!

Members, this is the final week to vote for the next board of director roles.

As for Explorer Guild comings and goings, there are a few related events but nothing imminent on our calendar. We will be revealing some plans for the coming year though, so keep an eye out.

If you are someone who is interested in helping us plan events, now is a great time to let us know. Our Explorers Guild Council, meets once a month as we focus on event planning. It’s a great way to get an idea off the ground, and a lovely group of people to be around. If you’re interested, reach out so that I can tell you more about it.

Semper Explorandum Explorers!