A Circle Within a Circle: Human Life and Community

During my recent experience of Sacred Fire’s Life Cycle Living program, ably facilitated by Prema Sheerin and Lisa Lichtig, I was introduced to the natural flow of human life through eight important stages. It was compelling to see how each stage organically feeds into the next, and how each has its particular work, gifts, and associated emotions. It felt good to begin to understand these stages and to see with fresh eyes how I may have moved or failed to move naturally through each of them. I saw the possibility of revisiting each stage, fully grieving opportunities that had been missed, honoring the lessons that had been learned, and claiming healing forward movement. In particular, I saw the beauty of looking at life as a circle rather than as a line, recognizing how elders are meant to contribute their earned wisdom to the youngest members of a community.

All of us present expressed our ideas and feelings and there was room for it all: excitement, grief and hope. Most of all, we came away with a knowing that we cannot do this alone. It is the connecting warmth of the fire, the community of people and the divine natural world that will gracefully carry us through these beautiful cycles of life.

— Angela Ocone
Sacred Fire Ojai, California
May 8, 2018