Ukilái: Annual Gathering of Men
Ukilái: Annual Gathering of Men Moab, Utah, USA May 31 - June 4, 2019 In the face of all the...
Read MoreSelect Page
Posted by Bill Sutton | Dec 2, 2018 |
Ukilái: Annual Gathering of Men Moab, Utah, USA May 31 - June 4, 2019 In the face of all the...
Read MorePosted by Bill Sutton | Nov 6, 2018 |
Ukilái: Annual Gathering of Men Rannoch Moor, Scotland April 18-22, 2019 In the face of all the...
Read MorePosted by Around the Fire Editor | Nov 5, 2018 | Hot News, November 2018 |
In today’s complex, ever quickening world that promotes superficial ideals and is quick to discard authentic relationship, how can a woman or a man navigate the minefields that threaten their most vulnerable selves?
What IS it to be a good man in today’s world? How can a man’s innate action-oriented nature be expressed in a way that serves himself, his family, his community, and ultimately, humanity as a whole? What IS it to be a woman in today’s world? How can a woman honor her creative capacity and nurturing qualities and still have a career path or seek a position of leadership? If she elects to be a stay-at-home mother, providing a safe harbor for her loved ones in the storms of life, will she feel respected…by herself and by others?
Gatherings of men among men and women among women, guided by elders who offer embodied life experience as well as timeless ancestral wisdom teachings, provide an important container for exploring these questions. Sacred Fire has a strong track record in offering these opportunities, with Men’s and Women’s Retreats available again in early 2019. Is it time to gather and deepen your wisdom of who you are? Give yourself the gift; healing and inspiration await.
Read MorePosted by David Wiley | Oct 20, 2018 | Event Landing Page, Export, November 2018, Ukilái, women and men |
Don David Wiley recently shared his perspective on the importance of men coming together in the presence of an elder or elders, those who have important, embodied wisdom to share for the benefit of future generations. Here is what he had to say:
The problem in the masculine is that when we, as men, get nervous, we tend to hide out. We have this sense that we are going to figure it all out by ourselves because we want to feel capable in the eyes of others and don’t want to show this vulnerability in public. Yet if you are not able to see what is in the way, then how can you effectively change it? Most times what’s not being seen isn’t obvious. As an example, your mind has unseen blindness to its own nature much less being able to see the nature of situations confronting you. Therefore in order to be effective in the face of this condition, which can drive you further into your head, you need to reverse directions and come out rather than going in. Yes, you can read some articles, book or web posting, but that’s just information. What you need is real human interaction with others, particularly other men, who are successful problem solvers in the area you’re trying to work through.
So why is this? Why can’t we just go look something up and “know it” whenever we need to “know it”? This idea of “knowing”, or at least being seen as “smart” is important to men since the nature of the masculine drives a desire to create effective action. This prioritizes mind-cognitive perception over emotional perception. In contrast the feminine prioritizes emotional perception, which many people tend not to associate with perception. (As a side note, it actually is and arguably can be more valuable than thinking.) We need to connect both thinking and emotional perception in order to “know” or “learn” about what’s important in life and how it works in 3D. Generating this requires more than just being in your head. You need a setting and the right situation for this to work. Indigenous Peoples with intact, longstanding cultural traditions understand this reality. That has been the role for elders whose wisdom, coming from years of cumulatively learned and earned life experience, is modeled and thereby transferred. If it isn’t transferred, it gets lost and needs to be regained through years of struggle and study. Therefore there is a need to pass these powerful insights on to others for the benefit of future generations.
In order to produce this capacity to live well and walk in the world in a soul-connected way, a social process is required. Like the wise indigenous cultures that have been around for quite some time have learned, it requires being with each other, as men, exploring, deepening and reinforcing this growth in perception and perspective through the support of an elder or elders. You gain something in that setting, then you move back into daily life as your classroom. You go through your challenges – societal, interpersonal, internal challenges – you engage with them and then you cycle back to this experience with other men, again led by an elder or elders who can help take things apart and continue establishing effective life approaches. It’s something that requires help. This is natural. There is nothing wrong; you are not defective or bad. This is just the way it’s done. So, taught by my elders and path and the way of Spirit, I offer it because it works and I want to see men strong and successful. That’s what Ukilái is about.
Ukilái, a Gathering of Men led by Don David Wiley is sponsored by the Sacred Fire Community. The next one is coming up January 17-21, 2019.
Read MorePosted by Britt Espinosa | Oct 3, 2018 |
Ukalái: Annual Gathering of Women Blue Deer Center March 14-18, 2019 The feminine is incredibly...
Read MoreAround the Fire is the newsletter of Sacred Fire and is published monthly.
If you’re new to Sacred Fire, here are three ways to learn more:
Around the Fire is published by the Sacred Fire Outreach team:
Director
Sharon Brown
Strategic Direction
Karen Fernandez
Lawrence Messerman
Sharon Brown
Editorial Team
Erin Everett
Christine Staub
Linda Azar
Web Publishing
Sally Casper
Britt Espinosa
Graphic Design
Leticia Gamboa
Sylvia Law
Social Media
Erin Everett
Abigail Murray-Nikkel
Database Administrator
Linda Felch
Event Support
Heidi Griswold
Web Design and Development
Malowany Creative
Living Magic LLP