Growing Corn : Tools for Community

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Corn Mother

The Huichol Corn Goddess Tatei Newitsika teaches women their role as time-keepers of the world, holders of the cycle of life. The cycle of life is deeply reflected in the stages of growth. Children are given their name according to the season (time) they were born or stage of growth of the corn. By performing a cleansing ceremony and giving offerings to the rising sun, and by acknowledging the changes of the seasons and through planting and harvesting rituals, birth of babies, youth initiations and through the death of the elders, Tatei Newitsika is honored. Hence, the feminine aspect in the world is honored.

The Sacred Fire Community’s Lifeways Programs

Our ancient ancestors lived in profound connection with all life. People were born into communities that provided rituals and ceremonies to help them move through the transitions of life while maintaining a sense of their place in their society and a connection to the gods that created and sustained them.

The Sacred Fire Community's Lifeways offer a cycle of sustenance for our people, a way of moving through the stages of life to reconnect with each other, our communities, and the whole of life. From our birthing group through initiation rituals for young people to retreats for adults and our death and dying council, our Lifeways rituals and programs support and nurture our people from the beginning of life to the very end, and are an integral part of maintaining life and this world.

These programs teach connection to Divine and are rooted in ancestral wisdom that works in today’s changing times. Lifeways teaches us a way of life connected to the Cycles of Life. Go to www.sacredfirecommunity.org for more information on these programs.

Ukalai (Uh-kay-la-ee) is a Huichol word meaning ‘a woman who has reached a level of maturity and has taken on the responsibilities of spirit, community and family". She has become a support for herself and others. Ukalai indicates that she has found her role and place within herself, the community and in the world.

“The women’s retreat called my heart and I could not refuse. I don’t particularly go to or like retreats. …. What I learned and what was given to me is priceless. As a practitioner of Plant Spirit Medicine, I use what I learned about men and women almost every day. For me personally, I made friendships that I cherish and I so appreciate what was given back to me that life took. I feel more like what I remember and am grateful for the experience. I highly recommend this ‘retreat’ to heart.”
~D. Baker, Asheville, NC

Deanna has been actively involved with women’s circles since 1989. Her work with women is about reclaiming the innate relationship to the divine and the mysterious nature of the feminine within their lives and the lives of communities. From this place, women find a place to stand rooted and strong, authentic and purposeful.

Women’s Work is about restoring and maintaining harmony and balance with all our relations by honoring and celebrating the cyclical nature of life. It’s about guiding our adolescent girls to become mature women with social and spiritual integrity. And it’s about helping our women remember who they are, their purpose in the world and how to manifest their gifts.

“Deanna creates a safe container in which self-exploration and healing are possible. Without her guidance, I would not have entered my darkness to begin the essential healing needed to embrace the fullness of my life.” Michelle B., PA

Women's Work

Sacred Emergence: Initiation into Womanhood

The vital and timeless ritual of initiation has been lost in our culture, leaving young people confused about their purpose and their relationship to the whole of life. Without the guidance and support of ritual and community, the powerful drives and overwhelming emotions of the initiatory age can lead to destructiveness and turmoil or to the sublimation of the heart’s true calling. Sacred Emergence is a powerful initiation for girls into womanhood. In claiming the sacred feminine in her life, a young woman connects with her inherent gift to create and to become the person she was born to be.

Initiates from the 2011 Sacred Emergence Ritual with Deanna and Karen.

The next Sacred Emergence ritual will be in July 2013. Click here to learn more about Initiation into Womanood for 2013.

visit\www.sacredfirecommunity/lifeways/sacredemergence

Ukalai - Lifeways Women's Retreat

The Sacred Fire Community's Ukalai Lifeways Women’s Retreat offers women restoration and balance in a world of linear, fast-moving action. By taking the time to reconnect to the essential being of the feminine, to unlock forgotten pathways to the heart, and to improve the relationship dynamics with the masculine, you will remember a woman’s innate gift of bringing harmony and balance to your life, your family and, ultimately, the community. As busy, active women, we must take time out for restoration in order to remember our true role and purpose in the world. Ukalai is designed to be your annual retreat.

Listen to Deanna speak about Ukalai on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz75k2skv_Y&feature=player_embedded

Deanna co-facilitates, with Sherry Boatright, this four-day retreat one to four times a year in various parts of the United States, Mexico and soon in the UK and Australia. See our Calendar of Events and contact her for more information, or download the flier.

“The Women's Retreat provided an opportunity for me to go within myself and, at the same time, be in a warm and supportive community of women, in a sacred, natural setting. Feeling safe and protected, it was life-altering to be able to let go and touch the spark of Divine in myself and others. The retreat leaders were the perfect combination of wisdom, caring, humility, and guidance. I would highly recommend this program for anyone who wants to deepen their connection to the natural world and strengthen their relationship to life.” Jennifer, New Orleans

Women’s Four-Day Healing Gatherings

It’s easy to lose ourselves at the smorgasbord of our domestic life. Women have a need to be together; we are relational beings, after all. We need to regain our confidence and our spiritual connection to Mother Earth, reclaim our wild nature and relate at a very deep level. We need to have fun as we rediscover ourselves, learning to be leaders in our community and remembering our inherent role as women in the world, again and again and again.

Deanna offers one- to three-day Women’s Gatherings in Colorado and Utah. The multi-day gatherings are usually camp-outs built around a seasonal theme related to the divine feminine nature. To find out more, see our Calendar of Events and contact us.

"I was looking for something in my life, "something spiritual." I saw a flyer for a woman's program called Winds of Change and thought, that looks interesting. That weekend changed my life, opened my eyes to another world of heart and connection. To a world connected to the earth and nature. I was hooked, and I attended the next four years of woman's retreats, and two Lifeways woman's programs. Every one was different and exciting; I learned so much from the women there.

I have attended workshops on the medicine wheel, on the changing seasons and have participated in a traditional temazcalli (sweat lodge) with Deanna. I always come away with new teachings, a deeper connection with myself, others and the power of the earth." Debra Patton-Davis of Colorado

The Art of Women’s Fire Circles

Deanna offers counsel to women on how to create effective Women’s Circles with Fire at the center. The circle is a natural way of gathering people where every voice is welcome and heard. We come together with a receptive attitude to speak thoughtfully and listen deeply, thereby connecting to our hearts and one another. By honing our leadership abilities, we discover powerful ways to be of service to our communities.

Deanna is an initiated Firekeeper in the Sacred Fire Community. She will visit your women’s circle, help you create a women’s circle, offer teleconference workshops and provide counsel for your own women’s circles. See our Calendar of Events and contact her for more information.

“The Women's Circles undertaken in NT last year with guidance from Deanna and later her physical presence were a profound testament to how Women's Medicine can balance and ground an entire group/shamanic project.” R. Menadau, Australia