Keeping the Fire: Stories from our Hearths
Online
Saturday, April 18, 8 pm EDT | 5 pm PDT | Sunday April 19th 10 am AEST
Register Here
Keeping the Fire:
Stories from our Hearths
This new online offering brings together voices from our global network and international community of Firekeepers, sharing personal stories of walking this path.
Through intimate conversations, our Firekeepers speak about tending community, navigating deep personal transformation, and discovering what it means to dedicate themselves to something greater than the individual self. Their journeys reveal how this work fosters growth, resilience, and a profound sense of purpose.
These stories remind us that when we come together to keep the fire—within ourselves and within our communities—we help nourish the collective flame that supports humanity during these times of deep change.
Facilitated by our longstanding Firekeeper and Speaker for Sacred Fire, Lawrence Messerman, we will be inviting you to connect with our Firekeepers and sharing stories from their hearths from all around the world.
Schedule
Keeping the Fire
April 18th, 2026
8 pm EDT | 5 pm PDT US
April 19th, 2026
10 am AEST (Australia)
Please join the call at least ten minutes before start time in order to ensure your connection is complete.
If you know someone who could benefit from more fire and heart in their life, invite them to join us!
Price
We want this offering to be affordable to all and are offering a sliding scale registration fee. Please pay what works for your budget.
$10 USD (approx. £8.00, 6.65 AUD)
$15 USD (approx. £12.00, 9.98 AUD)
$20 USD (approx. £16.00, 13.30 AUD)
$25 USD (approx. £20.00, 16.63 AUD)
For more information
For more information, contact Sylvia Edwards at sylvia.edwards@sacredfire.org
Featuring
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Lawrence (Larry) Messerman has been continuously astonished by–and deeply grateful–for the wisdom of Grandfather Fire ever since he first ‘met’ Grandfather at a gathering on the beach in Santa Barbara, CA over 25 years ago. Under Grandfather’s guidance, Larry went on to become a mara’akame (initiated healer and ritual leader in the Wirárika or Huichol tradition) as well as being involved with Sacred Fire in various capacities. (The gods seem to like keeping human people busy!) This includes organizing Ukilái retreats for men, helping to launch Sacred Fire’s mentoring program for young adults, as well as becoming a Co-Executive Director and eventually Executive Director of Sacred Fire. He currently serves as Sacred Fire’s Speaker or chief spokesperson. Larry and his wife Jessica De la O and their friend Sherry Boatright help people connect with Grandfather Fire’s ‘primal form’ at their monthly community fires in Carrollton, Georgia.
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Mark Bradford, Mark has been a physiotherapist for over 30 years and has worked in Australia, and North America. Interested in what it is that allows people to change aspects of their life from the physical, psychological and spiritual perspective. For the last 12 years he, with his wife and 2 boys, have been part of a month-long journey, established by Grandfather Fire, to a sacred site in Central Australia. He has been initiated as a Firekeeper for two years, and shares a hearth with his wife Liz at their home in suburban Melbourne. Mark grew up in the country and has a strong affinity with the natural world. Recreating something of the connection that he experienced growing up, by creating a hub for community events at their home, having monthly community fires, and creating a space for his son’s friends to gather around the firepit. He enjoys growing and sharing food, hiking and swimming in Port Phillip Bay which is close to his home.