Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!

I am an athlete, have been almost my entire life. Soccer is a passion of mine, and while others can boast that their team may have won the state championship or other high honors, I can proudly say that while I was a captain, the entire athletic conference for my high school division, referees included in the vote, selected our team as the Robert Tingly Memorial Good Sportsmanship Award winners. What does this mean, and what does this have to do with SpiritFire you may ask.

Well, to earn that award, they looked at every member of every team - which team was the most kind, most passionite about their skills on the field, and how they treated those they were competing against as well as those who officiated the game. Our team treated everyone we played against, and each other, with the highest level of respect. Accidents happened, and in the spirit of competitiveness, people were knocked over or hurt. Our team members were the first ones to apologize and lend that other person a hand in getting up, or if they needed to be carried off the field, we helped them to their bench. NOT, every team was like this, in fact, there were some pretty aweful people out there. The kind that purposely tried to injure a member of another team, or took advantage of a bad call. We held ourselves, and each other, to a higher standard, not just as athletes, but as people respecting other people.

Society puts such an emphasis on competition, for sports, for jobs, for posessions, etc. How often do you see someone behaving in a manner that screams, "it's all about me!" and shake your head at them in disbelief? More often than not I find myself smiling in the face of the person that could have held the door for me, but instead walked through it and let it close behind them. When I get through the door and they are still close enough I remind them that I was right behind them and make them think about someone besides themselves for a minute. (I'm respectful, but I'm no wallflower either.) I might even throw in a line about, "remember that poem, All I Needed To Know I Learned In Kindergarden?"

So in the spirit of compassion and ethical treatment for others, especially in our community, it was with great pleasure that I saw this article today, and had to share it:

Sprinter gives Olympic medal to opponent

NEW YORK (AP) - Shawn Crawford confirmed that he gave his Olympic silver medal to Churandy Martina, the sprinter who finished second in the 200 meters but was later disqualified for running out of his lane. "I'm like, if a guy is 10 meters in front of me, I don't care if he stayed in the middle of his lane," Crawford told The Associated Press on Friday after finishing third in the 60 at the Millrose Games. "He was going to beat me anyway. He didn't impede in anybody's race." Crawford, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist, originally came in fourth in Beijing.

Teammate Wallace Spearmon was third but was disqualified for running out of his lane. American officials studied video of the race and then filed a protest against Martina for the same error. Martina and his Netherland Antilles team have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing that the protest was filed too late under rules set by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Martina finished in 19.82 seconds behind world record-setter Usain Bolt. Crawford's time was 19.96.

"It wasn't about doing the right thing. It's just me as an athlete - I feel like we all compete and train for four years to get to the Olympic Games," Crawford said. "We got there, he was told he finished second after all that, he took a victory lap. I can understand his humiliation and embarrassment and all that.

"Me being an athlete, I know how he feels, so I feel like it was to me to give it up to him."

Crawford left the medal for Martina at a hotel during a meet shortly after the Olympics. The two have since spoken about it.

"He was very surprised, thankful about it," Crawford said. "He thought it was very big of me to step up like that."

One of the highest honors in sports is to be the winner of an Olympic medal. It is not just for the fact that your country beat another country in competition, but more for the fact that the athlete accomplished this achievement in a nerve-wracking environment, with all the world watching, and did it proudly for the place he or she calls home. The unselfishness of this particular athlete reaffirmed my belief that there are greater things in life than winning an award that will collect dust on a shelf, or be forgotten about years later.

It reminded me of that time my team won the Good Sportsmanship award. It reminded me that there are people in this world that DO care about others, that WILL lend them a hand in time of need, that WON'T let a door slam on someone behind them, and will ALWAYS care about the world around them, and the people they share it with. They will do the right thing because their heart tells them it's right, and for no greater honor than feeling good about what they did for someone else. THAT's what I'm talking about!

Love and Light,
SarahFae

New Exercise

I've been working my way through some exercises in relaxation, attentiveness and focus with my class, and I think this one in particular is highly valuable and potentially useful to SpiritFire attendees.  It could easily be matched with transformative breathwork, or some of the other processes that get taught in SpiritFire workshops — but it only takes a couple of minutes a day, especially once you get used to it.

1) lie down in a relatively comfortable, dimly-lit space.

2) make yourself comfortable.

3) Begin flexing muscles, small and large, in order, from the tips of your left fingers up your arm to your shoulders.  

4) As each muscle tenses, hold it a moment and then release it, releasing the tension that goes with it.

5) As you reach your shoulders, scrunch up the muscles on the back of your neck, and then release the tension; do the same to your face, chest, and then down your right arm.  

6) The more attentive you are to tightening and releasing each muscle, the easier this will be to do quickly.

7) Tighten and then release the pectoral muscles of the chest, and then the horizontal bands of abdominal muscles.  Tighten the muscles of the lower back and release.

8) Tighten the buttocks and then release.  You should feel your spinal column relax against the floor, especially if you tighten and release the muscles of the lower back as well.

9) Tighten and release the muscles of the thighs, front and back; and then the calves.

10)  Flex, tighten and release the muscles of the ankles, feet, and toes in turn.

11) Take a few minutes to sense where there is any further tension in your body. Then work your way through all the body, top to bottom, rapidly tightening and releasing all the muscles through a second round.

12) Repeat a third time, if necessary.

At this point, you will have given yourself a thorough workout of all the major muscles and minor muscle groups, and you should be feeling relatively calm, relaxed, and happy.  Intense workouts using this method can generate tears, moments of anger, flashes of pain, and even spontaneous laughter.  It's slow-going at first but the process picks up speed with practice, and it makes me feel most days as if I spent part of the previous night dancing in the sweet spot at SpiritFire.

Mindful

When I wake up from the shortest nap I can take and still function, I know I am at SpiritFire, I am aware of the community I am connected with, I am mindful of the steps I take along a path alive with the roots of trees worn smooth by the feet of many brothers and sisters before me. Whispering voices drift through my hair in the breeze, laughter echoes through the woods, disguising its origin, becoming the air I breathe. Eyes become as bright as the sun, as deep as the universe and as warm and comforting as a mothers breast. Drum hearts beat in anticipation of the divine union of spirit. The fire…. the fire is my heart burning for learning, awareness, evolution, change, oneness, it is the sun and we are the heavenly bodies that revolve around it, honoring its gifts, its life-giving power, its consistency and its perfection.
When I am at SpiritFire, I know where I am, I AM where I am. I am more mindful of each moment on the Mountain because I am there with purpose! The more I live in awareness of the moment, the better I live!

Peace now,
Brett

A New Nation

I sat motionless, eyes transfixed on the television, sitting among my peers and co-workers as the 44th president of our country was sworn into office. What captivated me was not only the words he was speaking, but that he said them with such conviction, and without once looking at his notes, and without the use of a teleprompter. I know there are those of you in community who can speak from the heart with the same passion and effortlessness that he did on that day, and I admire you all for that. What you give to others when you can do this, just as I felt coming from this man, was a true sense of understanding for all people regardless of background, faith, beliefs, age, sex... the list goes on.

As he spoke, Obama touched on just about every subject he could, sometimes sublty, other times with more fiery seriousness and he essentially let us know that he was going to honor his words. That he didn't just do what most politicians do and say what we wanted to hear to get into office. He gave me a sense that he was going to fight the good fight, and that he knew what odds he was up against. It felt to me like we were seeing Olysseus coming home from his Odyssey and after everything he had to fight through to get to Ithaca, that he was standing before us a humbled and grateful hero.

In that moment at the pdium, and speaking to the faces gathered before him and to the people listening around the world, he knew that there were the those in places of great decision-making power that are happy with the way things are even when they know that they are not right and should be changed. And he was going after them next. At that moment, forgive the reference, but I also pictured that scene in Rocky where he dances with great joy after successfully climbing all those steps of the Philadelphia Library, arms straight up in the air in achievement, and a knowledge that he wasn't done yet.

He spoke of the economic woes and his intentions to change things for the better. He spoke of the educational system and how it has been failing us, and he spoke of the trust "we the people" have not had in our government for a very long time. When decisions are made behind closed doors it is a dangerous thing. It's like putting all your money in a bank, not getting a receipt and having a teller say, "trust me, it's there." There aren't many people who can blindly trust in situations like that, so it was refreshing to hear the newest leader of our country tackle these issues and concerns head-on only moments after being sworn in. I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders a little bit. That burden that has been there for the last several years. The weight of putting on the happy face and keeping all these issues that keep me awake at night to myself so that my daughter can grow up in a positive environment.

We create the container for ourselves and for each generation that follows, and not just around the fires we build and tend for our gatherings. Not just in our communications with each other, but with everything we do with our daily lives. Watching the inauguration and seeing every face of every person there, most of them as I was, with tears brimming in their eyes, with something we had not felt from a person in the Oval Office in a long while - hope and faith. Of all the things he spoke of, the part that stood out the most for me and rang the truest, was this:

"This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed – why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."

Our country has made great strides indeed, and as a community we have a love for each other that is like no other. We welcome each other with open arms even if we have never met before. We share in each other's stories, and grow with each other. We look forward to seeing each other and "pay it forward" by taking those yummy good feelings from our gatherings back into our every day lives. I do believe our tribe, as near and as far as we reach has been changing the world just by being who we are. Isn't it refreshing to have a president who seems to support the same ideals with live by? After seeing what he has done so far, just in his first few days of office, I am so looking forward to seeing how the attitude and the economic state of our country begins shifting as well. And as that happens I am so looking forward to seeing what our tribe can do to make it even better!

Love and Light,
SarahFae

Bringing it all Home

As I read through what Lyra posted regarding community, and ponder what my beloved (Ahriana for those who don't know) posted regarding our upcoming journey to India, I have a couple of thoughts that seem to serpentine through my mind.

I find it rather interesting that I'm attending a gathering of indigenous peoples from around the world, my beloved is speaking from the pagan perspective (an entire dialogue in itself about what that does and doesn't encompass) and I'm feeling as though I don't fit into any single path and so what am I representing while I'm there? I look around me and observe a lot of people in my circle following a Native American, Wicca, Buddhist, Taoist, or some formal path that has some structure, sacred texts, or other element that creates a sense of belonging or kinship that others who follow the same tradition can associate with. But, I also look around and see an entirely different group that don't call themselves by any given title or group; the seekers who pull from the various traditions and sort of blend the best of what fits their souls...this seems to be where I find myself.

Here are my questions:
1) Since there is no tribe that these seekers belong to because of their spiritual beliefs, is this why events such as Spirit Fire and other gatherings become "home" or community.

2) Assuming this is the case, how do these seekers take it beyond the environment of tribe and step into a more contemporary venue where a different form of community can be established?

3) What is it that I'm bringing to this gathering in India that could be considered of indigenous nature? Who am I representing and how can I share what this group embodies from the collage of traditions from which we draw upon?

And, in response to Lyra's post, I feel that we find the ability to express our deepest questions and theories of what it is to be human/spirit at the Spirit Fire gathering without fear of rejection, persecution, or isolation in a world that is already too isolating. This freedom and desire to explore what spirit is and how we connect with it in myriad ways, is exactly what draws me to these tribal events...it's the inner most exploration of self in the presence of others trying to find commonalities that both verify my experiences and allows for a richer, more deep experience of my own.

So with this I leave for India with that little nudging from spirit letting me know that I will not be the same person when I arrive back in the states. I wonder what magical unraveling will occur?

Many blessings to all...

In all ways...

Windancer

Rising from the Ashes!

In one week, I leave for India to sit in discussion with Elders from Tribal and Pagan traditions from 40 countries. We'll be talking about the "Renaissance of Ancient Ways" and I will be speaking on the subject of contemporizing what we already know. Using correlations between the elements of earth, air, fire, water and spirit to address, respectively, government, education, economics, religion, and the arts, I am asking that we, of all tribes and traditions, rededicate the ceremonies and rituals we regularly perform to change our current condition.

Why is this pertinent to Spiritfire?

I'll be sharing that the element of Fire carries such qualities as energy, passion, will, and clear vision. Our economic position, whether personal or that of our Country, is a driving force in our lives. It is the fire that warms the modern world, and our language reflects the element. For example, we "burn ourselves out" in our work efforts. We are "on fire" when a job excites us. When we can't find a job - the market has gone "cold."

Because Spiritfire is a powerful ceremony using the same energy that it takes to drive our economy, I see this gathering as an opportunity to affect change in that area - and since our economy is such a big concern, what better time than now?!

The question is, how do we do it? Is it as easy as placing intention? What are we asking the element of Fire to achieve? What, exactly, is wrong with the economy, and what needs to be corrected? Fire unleashed without direction is destructive and dangerous. Fire directed well
can consume and change, leaving the Phoenix to rise from the ashes.

What tools do we use? From the time we enter the gate, how do we use our voice, our movement, and our music in service to the economic fire?

Do we re-kindle a dying spark? Do we calm and direct a flame blazing out of control? What is the practical application of this fire to the larger concerns of our world?

We could sure use an economic Phoenix right now!

I'd love to hear your thoughts and, with your permission, be able to share them when I am in India.

The Pathways Series: Music

Pathways Series: Music

Every fire circle gathering has unique aesthetics and intentions that fuel the interactions between people and the various mechanisms that bind them together in sacred space: SpiritFire refers to these as the Pathways of music, motion, voice, and seva.

Many of those who come to SpiritFire attend other fire circles around the country: Forestdance, MayFire, Phoenix Fire – and find an underlying sense, as Lisa so aptly describes in her recent post, of community. We share much, and our various forms of celebration are similar, but one of the beautiful aspects of having different events is the diversity we find.

I’d like to offer an exploration of how fires can be specific in their own ways of doing things, and offer a discussion about SpiritFire’s approach to each of the pathways. Music seems like a good place to start; recently we had our first staff meeting and devoted a good chunk of time to this topic (as well as the other pathways), and I know folks have been discussing these things in various forums, both public and private, quite a bit.

So what is the SpiritFire approach to music and the fire circle? What our the intentions and aesthetics of what we do? How can we celebrate diversity and spontenaeity at the fire and yet keep the circle’s boundaries consistent and clear for everyone to enjoy?

A few years ago we put together a (rather wordy but complete) basic description of how SpiritFire walks the path of music. You can access that in its entirety via the Yahoo Group files section, or contact us for a copy. We’re hoping to put up some new pages on our website that are dedicated to the individual pathways, and I’ll let you know how that idea progresses.

Here, however, I’m just going to offer some bullet points, and then share some of the staff’s realizations and decisions that transpired during the meeting in mid-January.

• First – SpiritFire is primarily a percussive fire circle; this was a big part of our discussions at the meetings. Our music is made from instruments of indefinate pitch, meaning non-tuned instruments, as opposed to instruments of definite pitch, which are tuned and focused on melodic content.

Tablas are a wonderful example of walking the line in-between these two ideas. They are tuned, but percussive; or the hang drum, which is a multi-pitched steel drum, but the pitches are rich in overtones and meld well with softer percussion.)

So how do we view our relationship to instruments of melodic nature? We felt the need to clarify some of that for ourselves, as a staff, which in turn will help us support the container more easily once we’re at the event. As many of you have seen, each night’s fire lighting ritual is focused on a different theme; each night’s focus is created by both staff and recruited community members, who are responsible for creating and maintaining the container that night. What we’ve set up is that for each night, the faciltators have the final say about what kinds of non-percussive content might appear at the circle, within the following perimeters:

1. Melodic offerings are meant to be brief, as a specific statement or transitional moment; they should done conscientiously and at pre-agreed upon times (with that night’s faciltators). For the most part, they are offered at dawn.

2. Those wishing to offer melodic music need to first check in with the night’s facilitators, and come to an agreement about the nature of the offering.

3. Folks should not assume the rest of the circle must stop and listen – the offering (like any other offering) needs to leave room for others to participate. A melodic offering is not a “spotlight” for someone to perform – it is meant to enhance and contribute to the sense of sacred beauty that is there, and to support the intent of that night’s focus.

On to the rhythmic/percussive part of who we are – here are some of the ideas that have grown over the years – and are already in practice:

• During the drumming sections, especially those with more drummers at a time, SpiritFire encourages playing 3-4 hand drum “parts” with multiple people playing a part in unison.

• Diversity in percussive sound is important, and can be supported in a few ways:
i. Bells and rattles are critical to helping those on hand drums and dunduns keep together – if many people are playing djembes, consider helping with a solid, consistent rhythm on a bell or rattle.
ii. We are trying to actively encourage other drum styles in addition to the djembe/dundun ensemble: dumbek/frame drums, congas, etc. – and all the musicians need to be an active part of holding space for those sounds. If a group of dumbeks is playing, consider allowing them to have their space without dunduns/djembes. There are loaner drums for those who want to participate in groups of instruments that they don’t own.
iii. Sacred Sounds like didgeridoos, singing bowls, and other such instruments are an important part of our circle, too!

• We ask that drummers stay conscious and connected, in service to dance.

• Our rhythmic aesthetic is one of long-playing grooves with very few sudden “breaks” to end a rhythm, which can throw a dancer off. Once a rhythm comes to an end, we ask the drummers to refrain from introducing a rhythm too quickly, so that chants and other sounds have a chance to manifest. It might be that a chant or sacred sound moment goes on for a long time with no drums – that’s a good thing.

• One soloist at a time, if there is a soloist!

• Simpler parts will meld with ensemble playing (particularly large groups) with more clarity and effect than fast, busy parts with many beats.


That’s quite a lot to digest; on the other hand, we’ve been building on these foundations for a few years now. Your thoughts? What else is there to consider for music? What things deserve more conversation or focus?