By Dan Sprinkles

Our ancestors knew that waiting deep inside each young person was a transformative spiritual force waiting to be released once subjected to appropriate community and ritual. Once released the young person would gain status, perspective and heart connection to the world around them, triggering the seeds of maturity, responsibility and wisdom… on a good path toward the fullness of their being.

The Sacred Fire Community announces that it is offering Young Men’s Initiation into Adulthood. This ritual will be open to young men from the ages of 16 to 25 by application process. The ritual will be guided by David Wiley, community elder, ritual leader, and healer in both the Huichol and Nahuatl traditions. Dan Sprinkles and Gary Weidner who are also shamans in these traditions will assist him. Additionally, a crew of dedicated men volunteers from the community will support the initiation.

The initiation is a commitment to the quality and meaning of your life. It requires a time of introspection and preparation. For those who are eligible, there will likely be an initiation this summer. Now is the time to step forward.

For more information please contact us here or phone Dan Sprinkles at 845-810-0200.

I was lost and overwhelmed; searching for a depth to life that I knew existed but had no idea how to find. I felt like a drop of water in the ocean; lost in the crowd and yet entirely alone. During the initiation what I found is that there were others that were searching for something greater. I found men that I could laugh with, cry with, men who understood me and what I was going through, and in talking with them I found that I wasn’t nearly as lost as I thought I was, and in fact was exactly where I needed to be. But mostly I found that I don’t have to do this alone. ~ Colin Lenhart – Initiate

“The initiation is, without a doubt, powerful. Its effects are transformational in the sense of allowing that which is not essential to drop away. It works to benefit the individual and by extension the community. It provides the occasion and impetus for a young man to take his place as an adult in the world with attending responsibilities, respect and dignity. It forges a bond between the initiates and the cadre of men in the community who support and mentor the young men in the initiation process. Above all, it gives the initiates a deep sense of who they truly are. This becomes the authentic place where they live their lives from.”  ~ Dan Sprinkles