Forgiveness Around the Fire: Patty Grant Brings Grief and Healing to the Sacred Fire Community
By Erin Everett, Patty Grant and Cindy Fogle
On Saturday, July 21, I attended a special fire offered by the Sacred Fire Community and our Maggie Valley, NC, USA hamlet featuring the story of the recent work of the Cherokee on moving toward forgiveness of centuries of oppression by the white dominant culture. Patty Grant, member of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians as well as a founding member of the Cherokee Healing and Wellness Coalition, was the special guest. I took notes during the fire, and, with her permission and the collaboration of Cindy Fogle, our Firekeeper who organized this important event, I wrote an article about the event, Patty’s talk and the sharing afterward.
Cindy added a few details, and we sent it off to Patty, inviting her to correct our ignorance and white perspective. The article that appears here is a collaboration between the three of us. Cindy and I are grateful for Patty’s patience and grace and her assistance, which has allowed us not only to share this experience, but to do it in a way that the telling of it reflects her voice and perspective.
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The Cherokee Journey to Forgiveness and Healing
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The Sacred Fire Community and the Living World
By Erin EverettYou’re new to the Sacred Fire Community, and you show up at a hamlet fire in your town.
As you come closer to the fire, and as you keep coming back, you find the fire is more than just an excuse for gathering and talking about our lives. The process of making offerings, sharing and listening is changing you. The fire is becoming more alive for you, and whether you’re sitting with a candle at home or with a group at a community fire, you begin feeling like you’re spending time with a friend.Eventually, as you warm up to the fire, you find that the world is becoming more alive for you, that even the trees, streams, rivers, lakes and mountains of your land dance with sacredness. You begin hearing emotions in the thunder and rain, change in the wind, wisdom from the forest. Your life, the very air around you, becomes more filled with meaning.READ MORE…
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SFC Website Team
For an entire year, these spicy, fired-up individuals poured their passion and talents into the work of creating a website for the community. The website reflects in its every page, with its every image, line of text and programming code the enormous amount of thought, care, time and heart this all-volunteer team devoted to this project.
Our deepest gratitude to everyone involved:
Bill Sutton, Jeff Bartlett, Erin Everett, David Wiley, Mary Long, Sherry Boatright, Annie King, Madeline Merritt, Joshua Cowan.
Our thanks include the many other community members who offered their own juice and fiery ingredients to this collaborative mix.
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Eliot Cowan on Taking a Stand for Sacredness
On September 2nd at 3 pm Eastern (noon Pacific/1 pm Mountain/2 pm Central/8 pm UT), Eliot Cowanwill be featured for a candle-conference to discuss the importance of ‘taking the stand’ to support the Sacred Fire Community’s work in the world.It is time for boldness. It is time to draw ourselves and our separate communities together more closely and to move forward to provide warmth in a time of great coldness and turmoil. Join us for this heart-felt discussion.
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Sitting Pretty (Hot!)
We are pleased to announce that our raffle was won by Sarah Davis. Not only does Sarah receive a paid Reunion registration, but she gets to sit in the “Hot Seat”: a choice position close to Grandfather at His audience. Congratulations Sarah! And we still hope to see many of you at Reunion this coming week!
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Mentors: What are they good for?
“The mentor guides the young person to find the gifts that truly serve their highest potential for themselves, their families, and their chosen communities. Their union creates a living bridge between generations.”
—from the Sacred Fire Community Lifeways Mentoring Program
A Lifeways Mentoring Program planning retreat is scheduled for August 3 to 5 in Asheville, NC, USA.
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Fire Stories
Have a story about deep community that needs to be told? Send it to us! We’ll prep it for publication and post it here.
Dear Firekeepers,
By Jessica De la O
As many of you know, me and hubby, Larry Messerman, have lived in Bend, Oregon for 3 1/2 years. In that time, we have had peaks of interest in the community fires, but mostly valleys. Private and social fires are widespread in Bend’s backyards. It is not uncommon to hear about a large gathering around a fire, especially on the full moon or solstices.
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Meeting The Dragon: Ending Our Suffering By Entering Our Pain
By Mary Jo Archuleta, SFC Marketplace Manager
This book drew my attention because of the authors’ description of pain, pain as a dragon.
A dragon has been described to be fierce and filled of fire from deep within and blowing its flames at point break; just like pain we humans experience. Author Robert Augustus Masters describes how to bring suffering to an end by entering the dragon.
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STOP THE PRESSES
Save $300 off Ancient Wisdom Rising
The Sacred Fire Community supports this event, and we hope to see you there!
Do you feel called to help the Sacred Fire Community’s sister organization, the Sacred Fire Foundation host this exciting event, which will take place November 9-11, 2012 at the Lodge at Simpsonwood?
If any of the following positions sing out to you, click on them for more information.
Contact SkyFox for more information.
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Deep Relationship
Partnership is a domain of learning, just like music or engineering. However, few people have had the benefit of teachers or elders to prepare them for it.
September 8-9 2012
Malibu, California
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Upcoming Events
August 3-5 2012
Weaverville, North Carolina
August 4 2012
Weaverville, North Carolina
August 10-13 2012
Margaretville, New York
August 11 2012
Margaretville, New York
August 25 2012
Toronto, Ontario
September 8-9 2012
Malibu, California
October 3-7 2012
Old La Sal, Utah
October 6-7 2012
Alice Springs, Northern Territory
October 13-14 2012
Perth, Western Australia
July 2013
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Upcoming Events at the Blue Deer Center
September 21 – 24, 2012
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