Fire Tribe Gathering

Winter Solstice 2002 Fire Tribe Gathering

By Tara Severns

It was the Gathering I'd been hoping for. Yes, the first three Gatherings were all wonderful. This one was more so.

First of all, this was the spot. Yeah, it's not the prettiest place we've Gathered, but it has cabins, hot showers, electricity, a nice indoor meeting space, flushing toilets (well, usually), a dining hall with good food, and even a swimming pool. Having such amenities freed our collective energies for more creative outpourings. And I should mention that the hospitality of our hosts defined the word Aloha.

This Gathering went for five days, and I found I had the time I wanted; time to create, time to beautify, time to play, time to explore, and time to breathe consciously. And best of all, I had time to spend with friends, and time to make new friends. There were 104 people at the Gathering, at least half of whom I'd not met before!

The spaces created were amazing. The welcoming portal started everything off right, with a lively song and a fortune cookie. The light temple, not only beautiful, provided a wonderful opportunity for me to ground and connect, and to get in touch with sacred images. I regret not finding the energy at night to experience the sweat lodge that James created. A Zen rock garden! Did you know an ugly drainage ditch was disguised there? The healing nest was inviting and peaceful, and the tantric temple was painstakingly transformed from the mere shell of a water tower into a divine, sensuous room. The Inner Child temple was so much fun! Full of the best toys for creative work! Whee! It proved to be so powerful in its draw of trickster energy that great floodwaters gushed through its heart one afternoon. And finally, how could I not mention the Circle? I wish I could show you all a picture of the area as it was the day before we started. Heavy earth-moving equipment flattened it, and we began the process of raking and filling. Two loads of mulch softened the ground, and the torches were put in place. This is how it was when we began, simple and beautiful. From there, it slowly became more complete - the prayer flags, the portal, the rangoli, the music, the movement, the intentions, and the smiles. Thank you to everyone who contributed to creating all these spaces.

On Wednesday morning about 16 of us piled into the camp van to drive to a nearby trailhead where Kay led us along a ridge trail through protected lands. The pace tested the patience of some, but I was in heaven, bending down to examine flowers and lichens, pausing in front of trees to learn their stories, and to look down into the valleys. At one point, we saw the drooping leaves of a young sandalwood tree. I was grieved to hear how greed for the wood had devastated the environment, and touched to learn that once most of the trees were gone, rebellious Hawaiians killed any young sandalwood tree they found so that their children wouldn't know the hardship caused by the greed for it. Somehow, the tree escaped extinction, though its road to recovery will be long and hard. While eating lunch at the end of the trail, I found a native snail called "snot with a hat" on my hand (Yeah, I know. Some of you might smirk, but I felt blessed).

There were so many other activities at this Gathering, some planned, but most offered on the spur of the moment. We had African and Brazilian dancing, yoga sessions, guided meditations, group massage, mask making, ceremony planning and rehearsing, adornment playshops, the sweat lodge, a fire circle field trip, drum making, tribal dancing, a presentation by Magnus and Spinner on the Alchemy of the Fire Circle, and many more. I heard people already cooking up new playshops and activities for next time.... I can't wait!

Then there were the Circles. In a process open to all, the opening ceremonies were planned and created throughout the festival, effectively drawing in the creative elements and contributions that had spontaneously bubbled up in the Gathering's stew pot of people and talents. One of my favorite opening ceremonies was the first, in which each of us simply placed a twig, along with a piece of paper infused with our prayers, into the fire pit. A flame was introduced, and we circled round, adding kindling and logs as the blaze grew. The ceremonies became more elaborate as the Festival progressed, full of rich symbolism, majesty, and even humor. There were personal ceremonies, as well, such as the sacrifice one woman made of the long hair she had cut off that day, and the one in which a man offered to take on our pain and negative emotions so they might be dissolved as he made a symbolic sacrifice of his body to the sky. There were undoubtedly many more personal ceremonies carried out privately by individuals undertaking their transformational work around the fire.

Over the course of the three all-night circles, I had many memorable experiences. My heart sang as I witnessed Severino leaping as if weightless around the fire, radiating joy. I felt honored to find myself in the company of so many sister drummers. Though chants in English are most accessible and meaningful for me, I did appreciate the few simple chants in Hawaiian. The appearance, as if from nowhere, of the dancers in beautiful Brazilian carnival costumes made me smile. At one point I chanced to see hula-hoops forming a vortex around Griz as he played his didjeridoo. The sudden breaks into choreography were impressive and fun. I relished the playfulness and intimacy of popping food into the mouths of dancers and drummers. Questing Bear's Witch Doctor added a dimension to my experience that's hard to describe. I'll never forget how Magnus inserted embers of light into the heads and hearts of the drummers after gifting them will beautiful illusions. From above the circle I watched the ritual return of the solar child as light goddesses and cosmic clowns danced around the rangoli lotus and the fire grew in the center. I noticed I wasn't the only one to visit the Percussion altar time and again, searching out the right sound for the moment. The most profound sounds, for me, came in the quiet times, as the didjes and singing bowls swelled into the circle and filled it with their expressive, abstract melodies.

On the last night, I played drums until I couldn't sit still, then stomped around the circle with shakers until I was visited by the fleeting flash hallucinations which signal impending sleep, and I stumbled. I found Sev asleep in our nest outside the circle, and I curled up there with him. The drums vibrated the earth and rocked me to sleep. I awoke to see the playful spot of mirror-reflected sunlight bouncing around the circle. I was so thirsty! For water, yes, yet I had an equally intense thirst to play a drum. I drank, and as I sat down with a stick in my hand, I saw Murray on the hill, dancing in mid-air, suspended under a 20 foot tripod by four hooks in his back. My reaction to this sight was complex, full of both good feelings and bad.

To only report on the parts of the Gathering that felt good would be dishonest. The circle provided me with unexpected opportunities to work on personal transformation. These were difficult, painful moments, but they pointed directly at the deepest issues that hold me back, that make me less than who I want to be. I make a pledge to those who were drawn into these moments with me that I will seek ways to address these issues and grow.

There were some disappointments. Several people were incapacitated for a time by migraines or asthma. One man's inappropriate behavior left several women feeling uncomfortable. The community as a whole, while beautifully stepping up to the tasks of creating their festival, fell short in following through with their responsibilities to clean up. I wish a thousand blessings on those who did their share. A thousand blessing more to those who picked up the balls dropped by others; may you never need to do so again.

I'm hopeful that everything we may perceive as negative aspects of the Gathering can be put to use in helping us improve for the future, and can assist us in ever transforming into our highest visions.

Finally, I want to thank all those who offered their healing energies: essential oils, hugs cuddles and kisses, patient listening, good advice, food, sacred sounds, massages,homeopathic remedies, chocolate, love, and all the rest. I'd also like to acknowledge the healers everywhere, especially the healers within each of us. Mahalo nui loa.

Text: ©2002 Tara Severns. No part of this may be reproduced in any form without express written consent of the author.