Becoming An Elder
Online Via Zoom
Sun, June 23 2-3:30 pm EDT (US), 11-12:30 pm PDT (US), 6-7:30 pm GMT (UK)
Register Here
Many people are asking: Why don’t we have more elders today? How does one become an elder? How can I learn from elders?
Join us for an enlightening opportunity on June 23rd as we host an intimate conversation between two distinguished members of the Sacred Fire community: Don David Wiley and Chris Griffin. In this event, “Becoming an Elder” Chris will interview Don David as they delve into the profound journey of living a life that leads one to becoming “of use” to their community as Elder.
Don David Wiley is a teacher, elder and a founder of Sacred Fire community. He is well-known in traditional circles as one who lends his body as a human vessel to be the “god-speaker man” for Grandfather Fire. He is a healer, ceremonialist, and ritual leader in two ancestrally related indigenous traditions from Mexico—the Huichol mara’akame path and the Quiapaquiz path of Nahuatl weather working and a Tepahtiani or healer in that tradition. He has devoted his life to fulfilling the task given to him by the Spirit of Fire, “Reach out to the people of your modern world and provide help while teaching how to live life more aligned with Spirit and the nature of the world through awareness, connection, and engagement.”. He is considered an initiated elder in these two traditions as a Tsaurixika in the Huichol path and a Temachtian or teacher in the Nahua tradition along with being a Tlamatinimel, or knower of the Nahua ways. He performs baptisms for the children, initiation of young men into adulthood and funerary work for those who have passed.
Chris Griffin has served the Sacred Fire community for nearly two decades. With a background in software engineering and technical leadership within the medical device industry, Chris brings a unique blend of professional expertise and deep spiritual commitment. His journey through traditional meditation paths and Plant Spirit Medicine has led him to his current role as a Firekeeper, hosting monthly fire gatherings and serving as the Chairman of the Sacred Fire Board.
During this interview, Don David and Chris will explore the sacred role of Elders in our communities, the wisdom gained through life’s trials, and the importance of maintaining spiritual connections throughout one’s life. This event is an opportunity to gain insight into the power of Lifecycle Living and the deep, ancestral wisdom that guides us towards a purposeful and connected existence.
Schedule
June 23 2024
6-7:30 pm GMT (UK)
2-3:30 pm EDT (Americas)
11-12:30 pm PDT (Americas)
Price
$30 Fee, Personal-Use Only Recordings Made Available to All Who Register.
Becoming an Elder is of particular benefit when attended LIVE, so you can benefit from instruction and dialog with the presenter. Recordings are for the benefit of those who are unable to attend or are unexpectedly called away. Recordings are for the registration holder; please do not share your recording with others.
For more information
For more information, contact Sherry Boatright at sherry@sacredfire.org
Featuring
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Don David Wiley. In 1996, Don David Wiley’s life was profoundly altered when who would later come to be recognized as the Spirit of Fire, often called Grandfather Fire, appeared before him as an apparition in the garden of a meditation retreat center near Cuernavaca, Mexico. Grandfather sent David to study with two indigenous elders, Don Lupe Ríos Gonzales of the Wixárika (Huichol) tradition of Mexico’s Sierra Madres and Don Lucio Campos Elizalde of the Nahua tradition of the central highlands in formal medicine and ceremonial apprenticeships in these two ancestrally related shamanic paths. As a result, David received an initiation as a mara’akame – or a shamanic healer, counselor, and ceremonial leader in the Huichol tradition. He was also initiated as a quiapaquiz (caller of the sky-waters, in Nahuatl) or granicero – or weather worker in Spanish, ceremonial leader, and healer from the Nahua path.
Concurrent with Don David’s immersion in this traditional medicine path work, Grandfather Fire asked David to serve as a traditional spiritual medium, or Axihuatakame, so Grandfather could provide his teachings while speaking through Don David’s body during special gatherings. Over the years, Grandfather Fire inspired Don David and the community growing around Grandfather’s wisdom to spread traditional lifeways worldwide through two nonprofits – Sacred Fire, which trains Sacred Firekeepers and hosts events, and the Blue Deer, a retreat and healing center for nature’s medicine.
Through all of this, and his experience with elders of these traditions, Don David has developed a comprehensive spiritual perspective on the phenomenon, power, and importance of prayer from the most practical aspects to the spiritual processes that empower this way of engaging life and living.
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This course was created by Sacred Fire Co-Founder Don David Wiley, informed by his more than 25 years of experience as a Nahua and Huichol traditional healer, ceremonial leader, teacher and elder. His comprehensive spiritual perspective on the phenomenon, power, and importance of prayer incorporates both the practical and the spiritual, empowering people to fully engage in their day-to-day lives.