by Bill Sutton, Executive Director of the Sacred Fire Community organization

For some in our community, the latter portion of the year is a time of spiritual work. Those called to traditional path work have just returned from their annual journeys for pilgrimage, ceremony and instruction. In the Northern Hemisphere many have led harvest festivals for their communities. And many of you may have just attended an annual solstice Fire. It is a really rich time of the year.

The recent US elections caused quite a stir for many of us. In a Grandfather Fire held just 2 days after the elections, Grandfather brought forth some invaluable counsel for how to view and move with these changes in a good way. Sacred Fire Community founder and chairman, don David Wiley, compiled a summary of His words, which we sent to the community through our aging Yahoo list-serve a few weeks ago. Read the letter from don David with Grandfather’s comments here.

2016 Firekeeper Training Attendees
Front (L-R): Mai Duong, Serene daRae, Amanda Kerner, Ana Cortés, Simon Huxley, Carolyn Claire Mitchell, Colin Lenhart
Middle: Autumn Peterson, Bruce Sherriff, John Walden, Erica Cohen, Sherry Boatright
Standing: Jaime Velez, Buffy Aakaash, David Wiley

In early December, eight new Firekeepers were initiated at the 2017 Firekeeper Training. These Firekeepers now return to serve their communities by holding the sacred place for all to connect and receive the blessings of Fire. The initiates are:

Serene daRae (Berkeley, California)
Simon Huxley (Acton, Wrexham, Wales)
Amanda Kerner (Santa Monica, California)
Colin Lenhart (Seattle, Washington)
Carolyn Claire Mitchell (Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland)
Autumn Peterson (Boulder, Utah)
Bruce Sherriff (Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia)
John Walden (Grand Junction, Colorado)

Also attending the training were Mai Duong (Toronto, Ontario), Sherry Boatright (Carrollton, Georgia) and Tepoztlán firekeepers Ana Cortés, Erica Cohen and Jaime Velez. Please join me in sending a warm welcome and gratitude to these individuals who have been called to devote their lives in service to their communities.

Your local firekeeper participates in nominating and electing a representative that sits on the international Firekeeper Council. Members of the council serve one- to two-year terms, and help bring feedback and issues to the attention of the community organization so that we are able to better support all firekeepers and the hamlets they serve. Our Fire Chief Annie King is on the council, as well as five firekeepers representing the five major regions of the Sacred Fire Community. Current members include…

Ana Cortés, Mexico
Mai Duong, Canada
Angela Ocone, United States
Phil Roberts, Australia
Lucy Wells, United Kingdom

As we speak, some members are finishing their terms of serving on the council and others will be joining in January. Please join me in thanking the members of the council, and particularly Angela Ocone and Lucy Wells, who will be stepping down from their council roles, for their service to their firekeepers, communities, and the work Grandfather has inspired us to undertake in bringing the gifts of Fire to the world.

sacred-fire-community-mesa-life-projectThe Mesa Life Project has made great progress in preparing for their first residential building, which they hope to complete in 2017. Adding to their consultorio, they’ve built a new road (you no longer need an SUV to get there!), an outdoor kitchen, and outdoor shower/bathroom facilities. Find out more on their newly relaunched website.

Finally — A generous donor has challenged us to raise $10,000 by the end of this year. If we achieve this goal, they will match it, dollar for dollar. With $20,000.00, we will be able to rebuild our website and identity around our new logo, create tools that will provide better support for our firekeepers and hamlets, roll out our new Life Cycle Living event and programs, and publish the first chapters of our firekeeper manual, which provides needed teachings for all firekeepers. Please help us out today!

Coming up

We’re busily preparing for a grand variety of events and programs in 2017. Mark your calendars!

Grandfather Fires

Others are being requested. To find up-to-date information or to register, visit the Grandfather Fire event page.

Ukilái Men’s Retreats

Ukilái is an annual opportunity for men to regroup, renew, and connect with the essence of the masculine. Two Ukiláis are scheduled for 2017:

Visit the Ukilái page for more information and registration.

Moving with Emotions

Presented in concert with members of the Global Process Institute, this public program is an adaptation of a critical part of firekeeper training, related to working with the flow of emotions that compose our existence:

  • April 1-3, Queenscliff, Australia

For more information, please contact Tim Simon.

For Firekeepers and holders of Men’s and Women’s Fires

  • Women’s Fire Facilitation Training
    March 10-13 in Asheville, NC
  • Dancing with Emotions / Moving with Emotions
    April 1-3 in Queenscliff, Australia
  • Firekeeper Retreat
    June 6-9 in Galway, Ireland
  • Dancing with Emotions
    July 7-11 in Carrollton, Georgia
  • Annual Firekeeper Retreat
    July 11-14 in Carrollton, Georgia

More information will be forthcoming through the usual Firekeeper channels.

Voices of Wisdom

Voices of Wisdom is an offering of the Sacred Fire Foundation in collaboration with the Sacred Fire Community. Held over a weekend at a local Fire hamlet, Voices of Wisdom provides an opportunity for community members to learn from and spend time with elders from a variety of traditions in an intimate setting (around a Fire, of course!). We are working with the Sacred Fire Foundation to schedule four Voices of Wisdom events in 2017. Locations and dates TBD. Look to the next Around the Fire and intermediate Hot News broadcasts for more information as it becomes available.