With my deepest sincerity, I express gratitude for absolutely everyone involved in this event. It was truly transformative to experience this abundance of love, natural beauty, unconditional support, playful creativity, shared sacred knowledge, free expression & accepted raw emotion….

Julie

 

Sacred Flame was a joyous, wild, heart-centered, invitation to community, connection, celebration, presence and expression. Adding some magic to our lives is just what we need!

Oliver

 

I danced and twirled all night as my body moved in circles around the sacred fire. Entranced by the drumming I surrendered to the flow and to The beating of my heart. May the alchemical fire continue to burn and transmute my lead into gold. As I make my descent from this mountain and into the crowded city may I transition gracefully and with ease. I am above the clouds! Ecstatic! Grateful! Fully enthralled by this expansion! Thank you Devra for keeping the sacred flame alive and gathering the tribe…

Centehua

 

What a blessed journey, I am grateful to have shared space, breath, and the divine with all of you gloriously radiant souls….

River

 

It was amazing and I am in gratitude for a wonderful Solstice celebration, sacred flame style!...

Alison

 

Deep gratitude, still bathing in the energies of the all nighter fire circle. I had some deep physical challenges throughout Friday and Saturday but once the magic of the circle started I got sucked into the vortex of drumming, dancing, chanting and sharing with all these beautiful souls that gathered for this very special ceremony. The magic that was co-created was so tangible and is still with me. Something shifted deeply inside of me and I am still integrating. My biggest question is: When out of your comfort zone, things and circumstances challenging you, can you be with it, move with it, and find out what is behind that edge? Soooo rewarding! What else is possible when we keep on moving through obstacles and get to the other side of pure freedom and liberation from limiting thoughts and beliefs? Thank you all, the organizers that made this whole experience happen, the worker bees and their support, the cook who served us so deliciously, and each and every participant! It was an experience of a life time!

Heike

 

I am blessed and honored to have been in sacred circle with so many Ones dedicated to our

transformation; when One transforms, we all benefit from it and when many gather to evolve

this way, the effect is exponential. Profound levels of trust, connection and surrender were integral

to the unfolding as we shared ourselves and our love. Initiations and rites of passage often involve

being challenged to move through and beyond our physical challenges and limitations, and we all did

just that. Serving this event was a labor of love and joy for me. Much gratitude to all, especially

Devra, for your contributions. blessings

Amrita

 

All night solstice fire circle drumming and dancing until sunrise. Check. Had a very powerful moment at 430 am. Spirit danced me, personally, while laying down! Too deep to even try to put into words...

I have heard people say that they were danced and moved by Spirit. And while I have experienced that in a sexual setting, I have never experienced it in dance. It has always felt that as much as I am into the music and the beat, it is still me pushing to move, pushing to dance, all while still enjoying it. Same with drumming. There are moments I am in the flow, but its still me drumming and has never been something otherworldly.

At 4:30 am, I finally laid down in the corral. The sun was just starting to bring some light to the day, but it was still pretty dark. I laid down next to Heike, put my hands and body on hers and had my normal "tantric twitches" as our energies melded (if you don't know what tantric twitches are that's an entire conversation around energetics - pm me)

And then something else happened. My twitches and contractions suddenly started happening with the beat of the drums. Within a couple minutes my entire body was moving to the beat of the drums and I was not doing anything to tell my body to move. It was strange and I was fully aware and yet had no control. I was looking at Heike and trying to get her input - I was still completely aware of what was happening and yet - I just let it flow and it was the strangest yet most beautiful feeling of being danced. That is the only way I can describe it.

This went on for about 15 minutes and then, like the wind, it just left. I turned over and noticed the most beautiful oak tree above me and I fell in love with that tree.

Then at Heike's suggestion, I got up and moved all of this through dancing around the fire.

All of yesterday I had such an incredible empty mind and beautiful peace. Unfortunately, life got in the way again and the mind was back at work being a nuisance, but it was nice to know and feel what else is possible. Another experience for which I have no box. So once again, thank you so much to all of you!

Jonathan

 

I have two highlights! The first one is picking up a strange man, Jeff McBride, at the airport and driving him up to the event. And then through the weekend getting to know just getting to know how truly strange & amazing he is! My second highlight was persevering through the night chanting, dancing and walking around the sacred fire and flames, celebrating the dawns early light & having Devra Gregory standing by my side! And seeing the faces and feeling the hearts of The new family that was created around the sacred fires!

Joni

 

Many beautiful moments for me.. the most was seeing the moon, Jupiter, Venus, lineup over the circle on solstice eve... just breathtaking... getting to greet the sun the morning of summer solstice.. beautiful songs and connections.. so much love for the San Diego Tribe ...also the open night mic was soooo great..thanks to all who donated their talents. I think the best though was seeing how ecstatic and happy Devra was at the end of the journey... glorious..  nothing is better than getting to witness the true ecstatic joyful heart of another and getting to be joyful for them...

Gina

 

The fire circle works in such mysterious ways. For me, a lot of lead came up for transformation in the circle. As Amrita said, it's often an SOS (same old shit) experience. Many tears, many questions. When I drew tarot cards during the circle, they also pointed to the same strategies I have been using; no news there, either. But in talking about it afterwards and connecting with old and new friends, in the experiences of beauty on the mountain and sharing with all of you, in the journey home and awakening to a new day here in Berkeley, I feel renewed energy, peace, gratitude, and commitment to my path.

Deep gratitude to Dev and everyone on her amazing team for their hard work in creating sacred space for us. Their thought, commitment, and kindness were the threads that bound our community together. Thanks and love to all who participated as well. It takes everyone bringing their whole selves to stir the cauldron, and y'all brought your heart songs, your love, and your radiance all night long. Huzzah!

Tigris

 

I found part of what had been lost, and got back to the source.  I connected with people who are seeking the same thing.  I was able to return home to daily life, and  the complex issues of my  life suddenly seemed so simple to change, without fear.

Bianca

 

Last weekend was... how do I describe it?  It's hard to put into words.  I FEEL different.  I have heard that "Ceremony" is powerful and it's not like going to a rah rah seminar.  I am beginning to understand and have experienced it twice now... once at Long Dance last summer and now this past weekend.  My energy feels amazing and my meditations have been different these past 2 days.  I usually have to "get into state" but I am already there... pretty cool to be living in meditation.  I am forever in appreciation!   Thank you!

Kim

 

What a magical, excellent, heart opening weekend. Beautiful people, beautiful land, connection, sharing, opening, becoming. What great magic! I'm so impressed by the capability of everyone who made it happen. Dev & crew made it look so easy. You are amazing! I feel so blessed to have connected with this wonderful San Diego chapter of the growing family of fire. I miss you already. Seeing the pictures and comments here is softening the transition back to another reality. Love to you all!

Oliver

 

I have had the most amazing weekend up at the Harrison Serenity Ranch on Palomar Mountain. Advertised as the "Sacred Flame Fire Circle Fest," this happening event began Friday night with a vegetarian potluck (I brought ripe cherries) and culminated in a 3-hour Djembe drumming and free style dance around a central bonfire in an old horse corral. The personal focus for participants was to create a vision of who we ought to be, transform within, purify ourselves, and seek illumination in walking and dancing around the fire. Over fifty people came, some from as far away as San Francisco and Las Vegas, and most were strangers seeking to improve their spirits. All are just regular people with issues such as mourning grief or rebuilding life after some other loss or just seeking inner change. We stayed in a bunkhouse or camped in tents. Saturday involved workshops on yoga, singing "to the trees," learning to drum, trance dancing, a walk on the land to come in touch with nature, and the grand finale, a 7-hour drumming and dance that began at 11 pm and lasted until daybreak at 6 am. You read that right, I walked or danced around that circle for the better part of five to six hours. I also participated in the drum circle, employing the techniques I learned that afternoon and a few from other drumming classes over the past few months. At times when the drums slowed, we sang songs of community, transformation, and coming closer to our spiritual identity (whichever denomination you choose). I actually only got an hour of sleep before breakfast, then packing out. After a few hours of sleep, I at a light meal and reflected on this wonderful retreat I experienced. And it is strange that I hardly knew anyone who attended, but that did not matter because this was not about them, but about how the group formed for the community we shared before departing. This evening, I have very sore muscles, a few bug bites, and lots of visual "video" to review about my experience. Just amazing. And I actually got to drum next to the professionals in the drum circle!

Ron

 

The Summer Solstice Sacred Flame Fire Circle was a transformational experience that I needed to restore my sense of self-worth, my connections with others, and the need to refocus on personal growth and health.

Les

 

I really loved this fire circle. It was the first time that I attended anything that was even remotely close to this, and I fell in love with this type of ritual. I loved the freedom of expression that was allowed, yet it wasn’t the crazy expression of drunkenness. So it was expression, but in a controlled atmosphere. The fire circle helped me overcome my fear of dancing in front of people, and also helped me start to get back in touch with my sense of rhythm. I feel like this would be a good ritual for people who are dealing with emotional issues, as releasing into the fire is very helpful. The fire circle was also important to me as it helped me transition into a new phase of life, and so to be able to have a ritual to help symbolize that was truly a blessing. I can’t thank the organizers enough, I know how much time and energy went into those three days, but the time and energy was worth it since it caused positive change in many people’s lives. Please continue these!!!!!!!

Nic

 

What a divine tribe was gathered to call for the energies of the Universe. This was my first Sacred Flame fire Circle, and  I found it to be wonderfully transformational and deep rooted in ancient spirituality that is sorely lacking in today’s world. Let’s do this again and again and re-create our connection to Mother Earth, acting as conduits to the Glitter of the Universe above.

Tommy