Center Fire

For time immemorial, people worldwide have gathered around a central fire to share stories, cook food, ward off predators, and be warmed. Fire transforms. Powerful stories carry the same transformative potential to alchemize healing and ignite change. Stories inspire us by revealing that remaking our world is possible, love and fairness can triumph over hatred and greed, and mistakes and misperceptions can be portals for learning new ways of seeing and being. Stories invite us into a more expansive We populated with living entities yearning and enacting generosity, harmony, healing, and regeneration. They help us find ourselves in others and remind us we are in this together. We feed the Fire with stories, encircle it to listen deeply to each other, and open ourselves to be transformed. 

Prepare
Joy Harjo

That first earth gift of breathing. Opened your body, these lungs, this heart. 
Gave birth to the ability to interact with dreaming.
 You are a story fed by generations. You carry songs of grief, triumph. Thankfulness and joy.
Feel their power and they ascend within you. As you walk, run swiftly, even fly. Into infinite possibility.

Let go that which burdens you. 

Let go any acts of unkindness or brutality. From or against you. 
Let go that which has burdened your family. Your community or nation. Or disturbed your soul. Let go one breath into another. 

 Pray thankfulness for this Earth we are. For this becoming we are. For this sunlight touching the skin we are. For the cooling of the dark we are. 

 Listen now as the Earth sheds her skin. Listen as the generations move. One against the other to make power.
We are bringing in a new story.
We will be accompanied by ancient songs.
And will celebrate together. 

Breathe this new dawn. 
Assist as it opens its mouth. To breathe. 

~ Joy Harjo from Poet Warrior