By Ana Cortés, Sacred Fire Tepoztlán (Mexico)
“You are going to enjoy this year,” I heard Grandfather Fire say, “but you need to understand the difference between the year of the Fire Bird and the Earth Dog year.”
As Grandfather continued, those of us gathered for this very special audience learned that the difference in energy between last year and this year would be dramatic.
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We live in an age when the outlook of materialism has gripped our culture, robbing us of right relationship with the living world. So few people remain who can remember and speak to the vital wisdom our ancestors held. In times when humanity stumbles, the Spirit of Fire, sometimes lovingly referred to as Grandfather Fire, will seek a human form as a conduit to transmit the guidance that is needed to restore balance. When the call to serve this purpose is accepted, it is a blessing for all. Here is a glimpse into one such story.
The moment when Fire comes to speak can be dramatic.
A sudden hush has fallen on those gathered around the hearth. Whereas just seconds before the circle was filled with a crescendo of drumming, percussion instruments and voices raised in song, now there is respectful stillness. It is a stillness fueled by an air of expectancy. The activities of the afternoon and evening have led up to this moment, warming hearts and minds. Conversations with other attendees, both well known and newly welcomed, were enjoyed over a shared meal. Participation in the consecration of the hearth fire created a ritual container set apart from everyday life. Personal stories, jokes, poetry, laughter and song all helped build the flames of relationship, human to human, even among those who had been strangers at the beginning of the day.
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By Jeff Suwak, Sacred Fire Olympia
Erica Cohen was just wrapping up work in her garden when the earthquake started. She wasn’t concerned at first. Tremors are common in her Mexican town, and they generally pass with relatively little fanfare. The shaking didn’t stop this time, however. It got stronger. Something was different. She could sense it. That’s when things got scary.
As the earthquake intensified, Erica tried to get farther away from her house to make sure it didn’t fall on her, but the ground turned to jello beneath her feet. She could only struggle to stay standing as the world thrashed around her. Subsequent reports indicated the event lasted about 20 seconds. For Erica, it felt like a lifetime.
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by Prema Sheerin, Sacred Fire Asheville, NC, USA
In this fourth article in a series of five, traditional healer and Sacred Fire Community Lifeways provider Prema Sheerin continues her exploration of the five “elemental” emotions that are a natural part of the human experience.
Like the rain that comes to cool the heat of summer, grief (which is associated with the season of autumn) provides nourishing moisture that allows us to process and heal the losses we will inevitably encounter. In our modern western culture we have become obsessed with happiness and we have shunned the emotion of grief, believing that it is ‘negative’ and ‘depressing’. We apologize for our tears and sadness, thinking that we are ‘bringing everyone down’. A vast polarity has been created between sadness and happiness and we see happiness as being the desired outcome, a place to arrive and stay. We have forgotten that happiness, like all elemental emotions, will arise and then subside to make way for the next feeling that will swell in response to the circumstances of our lives.
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by Christine Staub, Sacred Fire Greensboro
Record-breaking storms, floods, fires and earthquakes have been much in the news lately – no corner of the world is immune to such natural disasters. For those most seriously affected, the impact is devastating. The comfort and refuge of “home” and of a particular way of life is often completely stripped away. What is the best insurance policy to cover this kind of tragedy?
The answer may be surprising. It does not have the name of a major insurance company. Money in the bank is helpful but does not cover the extreme, unaccustomed emotional turmoil. When fresh water, food supply, transportation and communication channels are down, victims may have to evacuate homes and neighborhoods for unspecified periods of time. Government and aid organizations may be slow to bring in help.
So what is the best insurance policy for natural disasters?
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