“In our modern western culture we have developed an astounding abhorrence to death, the natural and inevitable counterpart to life. With our belief in the power of technology to overcome the forces of nature, we have come to view old age and death as a kind of enemy, something that needs to be vanquished. We have bestowed increasing importance upon the power of our minds and have lost touch with the heart’s ability to embrace the void, the darkness, the great mystery. This approach brings with it a profound fear in the face of an unconquerable force that is an integral part of life itself. And so, in our fear, we skirt around the subject of death at all costs.” — Prema Sheerin
What is your relationship with death? What would you need in order to have a peaceful death?
Creating a relationship with death is a vital part of being fully engaged with life. So many of us put off attending to important aspects of this transition because we are in denial that death might come at any time. And yet a peaceful death can be in the details. Just as in going on a journey, there are certain things that need to be in place in order for you to truly relax and be present, so it is with the journey of death. And knowing that these things are taken care of also allows us to be more relaxed and present in the journey of life. What if you had the opportunity to just show up to a class and be walked, step by step, through taking care of all the practical aspects of each phase of the journey of death – before, during and after? READ MORE.
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Dear supporters of Sacred Fire,
What is the role of ritual in our lives? Is it, as our larger cultures might vaguely imply, simply an effort of going through the motions to provide us with a feeling of comfort, control or alignment? Or is it a nearly forgotten and precious tool to connect human beings with the living, aware world around us?
We are the Council of Tsantawu, a sacred weather mountain in Georgia, and we’re asking you to look deeply into yourselves. Maybe sit by a fire, a stream, with the ancient rocks or mountains, and listen. Are you called, at this time of change on our planet, to join us in the important work of re-establishing right relationship with this sacred mountain for the benefit of our people, the plants and the animals?
This is an amazing opportunity to participate in an authentic weather ritual to bring benevolent weather to a large area in the southeastern United States. Whether you live in this region or not, you may, in fact, have a role to play: some of the ritual walkers who are committed to this work hail from Connecticut, Chicago and Colorado as well as the southeastern states of Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. We also have a team of dedicated people who come to offer their support to this ritual.
We ask you to take some time to consider our request. You may have been interested for some time, but the timing has not felt right. Or your heart may be leaping as you read this, as something is welling up deep within. As your heart leaps, your mind may be quickly following with… I can’t afford it, I’ll never get the time off work, how will I get the support from my partner, my family or my community to allow me to walk through this door. If Tsantawu is calling you, all of these things will fall into place… some smoothly… some requiring new levels of trust and patience on your part. READ MORE.
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“I have spent most of my life denying myself as a woman, misunderstanding what it means to be a woman. The retreat has helped me reconnect with a deep authentic part of myself.” — Christele Askew, France
Women seem to have wider choices in our culture than they have ever had before, but research shows that women are more dissatisfied than they have been in years. What’s going on?
The Lifeways Women’s Retreat experience is based on the belief that women have lost their grounding in the innate sacred feminine. By restoring the knowledge and experience of the sacred feminine, a new way of being can emerge for our people.
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By Phil Roberts
As a Firekeeper and Plant Spirit Medicine healer, I have been holding Community Fires and building my healing practice in my local community on the west coast of Australia for several years.
In October, I was invited to share both of these experiences with a new audience on the other side of the country. Queenscliff is a beautiful seaside town on the south-east coast that doesn’t have a Firekeeper or any Plant Spirit Medicine Healers. Not yet anyway!
In the afternoon, over 35 people gathered to listen to and share stories about the wonderful gifts of the plants. This was followed by a community fire in a local indigenous garden that night. I met a wonderful collection of people that night, with a terrific diversity of ages, from young children right up to the elderly. There were so many people already doing great heart work in their community, gathering around the fire and building connections in a new way. READ MORE.Have a story about fire or deep community that needs to be told? Send it to us! We’ll prep it for publication and post it here.
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Did you miss the November 2012 “Getting Ready for Deep Relationship: The Trust Factor” webinar?
Do you have a friend or loved one who needs a new perspective on relationships? Do you need a last minute holiday gift for them?
There’s still a chance to learn from the recordings of this engaging and practical course with facilitators Karen Aberle and Cristian Valenzuela. An eye-opener for couples and singles, “Getting Ready for Deep Relationship: The Trust Factor” is now available from the Sacred Fire Community Marketplace – only $25 for the full 3 sessions. Order today!
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