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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Keeps the Fire
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251118
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251203
DTSTAMP:20260513T162006
CREATED:20250408T220403Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250417T214338Z
UID:9001-1763424000-1764719999@keepsthefire.org
SUMMARY:SPA Pilgrimage
DESCRIPTION:This is a closed specialized program.\nAfter becoming a mara’akame\, Don David Wiley took on a sacred commitment—mandas made not only with his words\, but with his heart\, his feet\, and his life. Each year\, he has walked the ancient trails to Wirikuta\, the sacred desert nestled in the mountains of central Mexico\, a place the Wixárika people revere as the birthplace of the world. \n \nThis pilgrimage is no simple journey. It is a return\, a reweaving of relationship with the ancestors\, with the Sacred Sites\, with Fire\, and with Divine. For the Wixaritari\, this path is a living thread that sustains their tradition\, their identity\, and their understanding of life. For Don David\, it is also an act of profound devotion—a personal offering of love\, respect\, and fidelity to the sacred agreements made when he was initiated. \nToday\, Don David serves as the attending shaman for Grupo Tatewari\, guiding other mara’akate in this yearly pilgrimage to fulfill their own mandas. With each step\, he not only renews his personal commitment\, but also holds space and spiritual direction for those walking beside him—ensuring that the sacred teachings\, the ceremonial precision\, and the heartfelt devotion of this ancestral path are preserved\, honored\, and passed on with integrity as Grandfather Fire has instructed. \nThis deepening of commitment is made possible under the care and guidance of Don Efren González\, a respected elder Wixárika mara’akame\, who is teaching and accompanying Don David and the group to ensure their experiences are not only authentic\, but rooted in the real transmission of the tradition. Don Efren’s presence brings wisdom\, depth\, and spiritual authority\, helping the group to grow in clarity\, humility\, and devotion\, while strengthening their healing work and understanding of the ancient ways. \nIt’s important to note that this pilgrimage is not open to the public. It is a sacred commitment reserved exclusively for initiated mara’akate who have been entrusted with this responsibility as part of their ongoing spiritual training and service. \nYear after year\, through sun and silence\, dust and stars\, Don David walks with the prayer of continuity in his chest—honoring not just the steps of the elders who came before\, but also carrying the prayers of those who may never see those mountains. Each pilgrimage is a renewal of his spiritual covenant—an expression of gratitude and humility\, and a testament to the unshakable relationship he holds with the wisdom of the ancestors and the sacred geography of this world. \nIn walking these ancient paths and leading others upon them\, Don David reminds us that commitment to the sacred is not a one-time promise—it is a lifelong dance with mystery\, duty\, and love. \nThis pilgrimage starts and ends in Casa Xiuhtecuhtli.
URL:https://keepsthefire.org/event/spa-2025/
LOCATION:Casa Xiuhtecuhtli\, La Presa 200\, Tepoztlan\, Morelos\, 62520\, Mexico
CATEGORIES:Sacred Sites,Specialized Pilgrimage,Traditions,Wixárika Pilgrimage,Wixárika Tradition
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://keepsthefire.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/wirikuta.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251104
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251105
DTSTAMP:20260513T162006
CREATED:20250407T224451Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250407T224451Z
UID:8982-1762214400-1762300799@keepsthefire.org
SUMMARY:Offerings to la Virgen del Rayo
DESCRIPTION:Pilgrimage to Iztaccíhuatl: \nHonoring the Weather Beings\nLong before foreign feet ever touched these lands\, Iztaccíhuatl stood as a silent sentinel\, her snow-crowned peaks watching over the valleys below like a mother over her children. She was not merely a mountain\, but a living presence—an ancient protector whispered into being by Divine breath itself. \nThe original peoples who lived near her revered her spirit and recognized her connection to the sacred forces of life. She was—and remains—deeply entwined with Chalchiuhtlicue\, goddess of the waters that give and sustain life. In time\, her sacred image was syncretized with the Virgin of Lightning\, and even later with La Malinche\, yet the essence has never changed. She is the guardian of cycles\, of fertility\, of sky and storm—a threshold between earth and heavens. On her slopes\, high and remote\, rituals were once offered in prayerful silence and ecstatic song—gifts of flowers\, jade\, feathers\, and food placed with devotion to call forth rain and abundance\, and to honor the elemental spirits that walk beside us. \nToday\, this lineage continues. \nEach Spring and Fall\, Don David Wiley leads a group of graniceros—weather workers—up her sacred spine\, to a special site near the sky. This place was revealed decades ago by his beloved teacher\, Don Lucio Campos Elizalde\, a renowned Mexican shaman and guardian of ancestral knowledge. Don David met Don Lucio in Nepopualco\, Morelos\, in 1996\, a moment that marked the unfolding of a prophecy—Divine reaching toward the modern world through a path of fire and cloud. It was then that Don David was initiated as a granicero\, tiempero or quiapaquiz in Nahuatl\, and the transmission of sacred weather knowledge began—heart to heart\, breath to breath. \nSanta Bárbara\, patroness of storms and protector of those who walk between worlds\, once revealed while Don Lucio lay in a coma for three years that Nahua granicero souls would reincarnate in modern times and come from the four corners of the Earth. And they have. Year after year\, they return—no matter the distance\, no matter the thunder—to fulfill their mandas\, sacred vows etched not in ink\, but in soul. \nLa Virgen del Rayo \nIn 2004\, the group erected a modern statue of the Virgin of the Lightning to mark the site—not as a monument\, but as a living altar. They hoped that this contemporary expression would shield the sacred place from the unknowing tread of hikers who might not understand the weight of older\, pre-Hispanic imagery. And so\, each season\, they climb. They dress the Virgin in beautiful flowers and offerings\, they sing\, they pray\, they eat together under the watchful eyes of the weather beings. Then they return to the sacred valley of Tepoztlán\, carrying with them the mountain’s breath and blessings. \nThis is not a ceremony of the past. It is a living promise—an echo of Divine calling those who remember to step forward. Rain or lightning\, heat or hail\, they come. Not out of obligation\, but out of love\, service\, and the unwavering knowing that this is what it means to be in relationship with the forces that sustain life. \n \nAnd when they descend from Iztaccíhuatl’s heights\, each granicero carries back not only offerings fulfilled\, but gifts received—protection\, strength\, and the memory of standing face to face with the sacred. They bring these blessings to distant lands\, where they work quietly to help restore a lost balance\, to awaken hearts\, and to invite the world once again into right relationship with nature\, with the unseen\, and with the ever-present grace of Divine. \n\nIztaccíhuatl Volcano \n Invitation to Join the Ceremonies on Iztaccíhuatl\nIf something in your heart stirs as you read about this sacred pilgrimage—if you feel a quiet knowing\, a gentle pull from the mountain\, or a sense that you are meant to be in relationship with the forces that give and sustain life—you are warmly invited to step forward. \nEach journey to Iztaccíhuatl is part of a larger ceremonial cycle—a sacred act of love\, service\, and devotion. The walk up the volcano is just one of the many ritual responsibilities that must be fulfilled during the Fall and Spring ceremonies of Weather Work. It is not a trek\, nor a symbolic gesture\, but a living tradition—an offering made in prayer and gratitude to the weather beings\, the ancestors\, and Divine. \nSome people come simply to accompany the offerings at Iztaccíhuatl as respectful guests. Others may sense a deeper calling stirring within them—an ancestral echo\, a tug at the soul. If this is the case for you\, there is a path of inquiry to follow\, to discern whether you are being called to serve as a granicero—a Weather Worker—in the tradition guided by Don David Wiley. \nWhether you are drawn to witness\, support\, or explore a potential commitment\, you are welcome. \nTo attend or learn more\, please write to:\n📧 workingwithweather@keepsthefire.org \nYou will be contacted by the Chief of the Granicero Group\, who will guide you through what is needed to participate and coordinate any necessary logistics. \nThis path is not reserved for the few\, but open to those who are willing to listen\, to remember\, and to walk in right relationship with the sacred forces of nature. \nWe look forward to hearing from you. \n 
URL:https://keepsthefire.org/event/offerings-to-la-virgen-del-rayo-2/
LOCATION:Casa Xiuhtecuhtli\, La Presa 200\, Tepoztlan\, Morelos\, 62520\, Mexico
CATEGORIES:Nahua Tradition,Sacred Sites,Traditions,Weather Work Ceremonies
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://keepsthefire.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/virgen-del-rayo-2014-close-up-e1744065192502.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Weather Workers":MAILTO:workingforweather@keepsthefire.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20251031T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20251101T020000
DTSTAMP:20260513T162006
CREATED:20250408T225253Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250408T231108Z
UID:9027-1761937200-1761962400@keepsthefire.org
SUMMARY:Audience with Grandfather Fire: Fall Weather Work
DESCRIPTION:This is a open audience hosted by the Weather Workers.\nAudience with Grandfather Fire: \n\n 
URL:https://keepsthefire.org/event/fall-ww-gff/
LOCATION:Casa Xiuhtecuhtli\, La Presa 200\, Tepoztlan\, Morelos\, 62520\, Mexico
CATEGORIES:Grandfather Fire,Nahua Tradition,Open Audience,Sacred Sites,Traditions,Weather Work Audience with Grandfather Fire,Weather Work Ceremonies
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://keepsthefire.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/gff-e1743732040321.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Weather Workers":MAILTO:workingforweather@keepsthefire.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251023
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251031
DTSTAMP:20260513T162006
CREATED:20250408T231930Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250408T232041Z
UID:9030-1761177600-1761868799@keepsthefire.org
SUMMARY:Tepahtiani Training: Chalma-Chalcatzingo Pilgrimage
DESCRIPTION:This is a closed specialized program.\nOnly initiated Graniceros can apply to become Tepahtiani. \nHis program is lead by Don David Wiley\, supported by his office. \n  \n 
URL:https://keepsthefire.org/event/tt-chalma-chalcatzingo-pil/
LOCATION:Casa Xiuhtecuhtli\, La Presa 200\, Tepoztlan\, Morelos\, 62520\, Mexico
CATEGORIES:Nahua Shamanic Healing,Sacred Sites,Tepahtiani Classes,Tepahtiani Pilgrimage,Traditions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://keepsthefire.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dji_0041-e1744154330516.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Don David Wiley's Consultorio":MAILTO:consultorio@keepsthefire.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250927T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250928T020000
DTSTAMP:20260513T162006
CREATED:20250402T234309Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250402T234309Z
UID:8604-1758999600-1759024800@keepsthefire.org
SUMMARY:Audience with Grandfather Fire: Harvest Tsantawu Festival
DESCRIPTION:This is a closed specialized audience hosted by the Tsantawu Coincil.\nAudience with Grandfather Fire: \nA Sacred Opening\nAs part of the Fall Harvest Tsantawu Festival\, the Audience with Grandfather Fire takes place at the end of the first full workday. This private gathering offers the Ritual Team direct guidance from Divine\, ensuring that their service aligns with the deeper intentions of the season. \nUnlike the Spring Audience\, which is held at the end of their time together\, this Fall gathering provides essential insight before stepping into sacred work. Grandfather Fire\, speaking through Don David Wiley\, offers wisdom that illuminates the path forward\, helping the team attune to the needs of the land\, the elements\, and the spiritual forces at play. \nDuring this time\, Don David surrenders fully\, as Grandfather Fire takes over his body\, sending him “to the workshop.” He remains unaware of what transpires until the following day when the Ritual Pilot shares Grandfather’s guidance\, ensuring that the message remains pure and unfiltered. \nAfter the Audience\, the Ritual Team dedicates a full day to absorbing\, reflecting on\, and discussing Grandfather’s words. This time of integration is vital\, allowing each member to embody the wisdom received before stepping into their roles. With hearts aligned and purpose clarified\, they enter the ceremony fully prepared to fulfill their part in the sacred cycle of reciprocity between humanity\, nature\, and the unseen forces that sustain life.
URL:https://keepsthefire.org/event/fall-gff-tsantawu/
LOCATION:Stone Mountain\, 1000 Robert E Lee Blvd\, Stone Mountain\, GA\, 30083\, United States
CATEGORIES:Closed Audience,Grandfather Fire,Sacred Sites,Traditions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://keepsthefire.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/gff-e1743732040321.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Tsantawu Council":MAILTO:CONTACT US We look forward to hearing from you! info@sacredstonemountain.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250519
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250524
DTSTAMP:20260513T162006
CREATED:20250410T202636Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250410T210007Z
UID:9049-1747692000-1748037599@keepsthefire.org
SUMMARY:Mara'akate Training
DESCRIPTION:This is a closed\, specialized program and is not open to the public.\nThis program is hosted by Grupo Tatewarí.\nWixárika Mara’akate Training Gathering\nThis is a sacred gathering for those who have received and confirmed a spiritual calling to walk the path of the Mara’akame—the traditional shamanic healer of the Wixárika (Huichol) people of Mexico. Participation is not open to the public and requires strict spiritual commitment\, preparation\, and ongoing training. \nTo become a Mara’akame\, one must go through years of apprenticeship\, pilgrimages to sacred sites\, and eventually receive direct initiation by Grandfather Fire Himself. This path is not chosen lightly—it is received\, confirmed\, and answered with humility\, endurance\, and devotion. \nDon David Wiley\, as the traditional conduit for the God of Fire\, was entrusted with a profound responsibility: to make this ancestral path accessible to those in the Western world who are genuinely called. Through decades of pilgrimage\, apprenticeship\, and instruction from revered Wixárika elders such as Don Lupe Ríos Gonzáles and Don Efrén González\, Don David has been guided to support those called to this path\, in service to a world that has lost its connection to the Sacred. \nSeveral times each year\, initiated and apprentice mara’akate from Grupo Tatewarí gather with Don David around the Fire for continued training\, spiritual renewal\, and communal counsel. These gatherings are an essential part of the formation and deepening of each mara’akame’s path. \nThe role of a Mara’akame carries immense responsibility: \n\nTo offer traditional healing and guidance\nTo lead ceremonies and rituals for transformation and reconnection\nTo help others alleviate suffering and restore balance in their lives\nTo protect and carry ancient spiritual knowledge\nTo divine\, lead\, and serve their communities with integrity\n\n \nThis is not a program for the curious or casually interested. It is a path of spiritual service that demands courage\, sacrifice\, and a deep relationship with Divine. \nIf you believe you are being called\, the first step is to seek confirmation through the proper channels. Only then can the journey begin. \nThis path is alive. It reshapes those who walk it. And it is only for those who are truly called.
URL:https://keepsthefire.org/event/maraakate-training/
LOCATION:East Coast Hearth\, 66 Rocky Hollow\, Weaverville\, NC\, 28787\, United States
CATEGORIES:Sacred Sites,Specialized Pilgrimage,Traditions,Wixárika Shamanic Healing,Wixárika Tradition,Wixárika Training
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://keepsthefire.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2022-inside-tuki.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250503T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250504T020000
DTSTAMP:20260513T162006
CREATED:20250403T041739Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250403T041936Z
UID:8708-1746298800-1746324000@keepsthefire.org
SUMMARY:Audience with Grandfather Fire: Spring Weather Work
DESCRIPTION:This is a open audience hosted by the Weather Workers.\nAudience with Grandfather Fire: \n\n 
URL:https://keepsthefire.org/event/gff-spring-ww-2025/
LOCATION:Casa Xiuhtecuhtli\, La Presa 200\, Tepoztlan\, Morelos\, 62520\, Mexico
CATEGORIES:Grandfather Fire,Nahua Tradition,Open Audience,Sacred Sites,Traditions,Weather Work Audience with Grandfather Fire,Weather Work Ceremonies
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://keepsthefire.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/gff-e1743732040321.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Weather Workers":MAILTO:workingforweather@keepsthefire.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250502
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250503
DTSTAMP:20260513T162006
CREATED:20250403T043029Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250407T224331Z
UID:8710-1746144000-1746230399@keepsthefire.org
SUMMARY:Offerings to la Virgen del Rayo
DESCRIPTION:Pilgrimage to Iztaccíhuatl: \nHonoring the Weather Beings\nLong before foreign feet ever touched these lands\, Iztaccíhuatl stood as a silent sentinel\, her snow-crowned peaks watching over the valleys below like a mother over her children. She was not merely a mountain\, but a living presence—an ancient protector whispered into being by Divine breath itself. \nThe original peoples who lived near her revered her spirit and recognized her connection to the sacred forces of life. She was—and remains—deeply entwined with Chalchiuhtlicue\, goddess of the waters that give and sustain life. In time\, her sacred image was syncretized with the Virgin of Lightning\, and even later with La Malinche\, yet the essence has never changed. She is the guardian of cycles\, of fertility\, of sky and storm—a threshold between earth and heavens. On her slopes\, high and remote\, rituals were once offered in prayerful silence and ecstatic song—gifts of flowers\, jade\, feathers\, and food placed with devotion to call forth rain and abundance\, and to honor the elemental spirits that walk beside us. \nToday\, this lineage continues. \nEach Spring and Fall\, Don David Wiley leads a group of graniceros—weather workers—up her sacred spine\, to a special site near the sky. This place was revealed decades ago by his beloved teacher\, Don Lucio Campos Elizalde\, a renowned Mexican shaman and guardian of ancestral knowledge. Don David met Don Lucio in Nepopualco\, Morelos\, in 1996\, a moment that marked the unfolding of a prophecy—Divine reaching toward the modern world through a path of fire and cloud. It was then that Don David was initiated as a granicero\, tiempero or quiapaquiz in Nahuatl\, and the transmission of sacred weather knowledge began—heart to heart\, breath to breath. \nSanta Bárbara\, patroness of storms and protector of those who walk between worlds\, once revealed while Don Lucio lay in a coma for three years that Nahua granicero souls would reincarnate in modern times and come from the four corners of the Earth. And they have. Year after year\, they return—no matter the distance\, no matter the thunder—to fulfill their mandas\, sacred vows etched not in ink\, but in soul. \nLa Virgen del Rayo \nIn 2004\, the group erected a modern statue of the Virgin of the Lightning to mark the site—not as a monument\, but as a living altar. They hoped that this contemporary expression would shield the sacred place from the unknowing tread of hikers who might not understand the weight of older\, pre-Hispanic imagery. And so\, each season\, they climb. They dress the Virgin in beautiful flowers and offerings\, they sing\, they pray\, they eat together under the watchful eyes of the weather beings. Then they return to the sacred valley of Tepoztlán\, carrying with them the mountain’s breath and blessings. \nThis is not a ceremony of the past. It is a living promise—an echo of Divine calling those who remember to step forward. Rain or lightning\, heat or hail\, they come. Not out of obligation\, but out of love\, service\, and the unwavering knowing that this is what it means to be in relationship with the forces that sustain life. \n \nAnd when they descend from Iztaccíhuatl’s heights\, each granicero carries back not only offerings fulfilled\, but gifts received—protection\, strength\, and the memory of standing face to face with the sacred. They bring these blessings to distant lands\, where they work quietly to help restore a lost balance\, to awaken hearts\, and to invite the world once again into right relationship with nature\, with the unseen\, and with the ever-present grace of Divine. \n\nIztaccíhuatl Volcano \n Invitation to Join the Ceremonies on Iztaccíhuatl\nIf something in your heart stirs as you read about this sacred pilgrimage—if you feel a quiet knowing\, a gentle pull from the mountain\, or a sense that you are meant to be in relationship with the forces that give and sustain life—you are warmly invited to step forward. \nEach journey to Iztaccíhuatl is part of a larger ceremonial cycle—a sacred act of love\, service\, and devotion. The walk up the volcano is just one of the many ritual responsibilities that must be fulfilled during the Fall and Spring ceremonies of Weather Work. It is not a trek\, nor a symbolic gesture\, but a living tradition—an offering made in prayer and gratitude to the weather beings\, the ancestors\, and Divine. \nSome people come simply to accompany the offerings at Iztaccíhuatl as respectful guests. Others may sense a deeper calling stirring within them—an ancestral echo\, a tug at the soul. If this is the case for you\, there is a path of inquiry to follow\, to discern whether you are being called to serve as a granicero—a Weather Worker—in the tradition guided by Don David Wiley. \nWhether you are drawn to witness\, support\, or explore a potential commitment\, you are welcome. \nTo attend or learn more\, please write to:\n📧 workingwithweather@keepsthefire.org \nYou will be contacted by the Chief of the Granicero Group\, who will guide you through what is needed to participate and coordinate any necessary logistics. \nThis path is not reserved for the few\, but open to those who are willing to listen\, to remember\, and to walk in right relationship with the sacred forces of nature. \nWe look forward to hearing from you. \n 
URL:https://keepsthefire.org/event/offerings-to-la-virgen-del-rayo/
LOCATION:NC
CATEGORIES:Nahua Tradition,Sacred Sites,Traditions,Weather Work Ceremonies
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://keepsthefire.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/virgen-del-rayo-2014-close-up-e1744065192502.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Weather Workers":MAILTO:workingforweather@keepsthefire.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250410T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250411T020000
DTSTAMP:20260513T162006
CREATED:20250402T231707Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250402T232044Z
UID:8589-1744311600-1744336800@keepsthefire.org
SUMMARY:Audience with Grandfather Fire: Tsantawu
DESCRIPTION:This is a closed specialized audience hosted by the Tsantawu Coincil.\nAudience with Grandfather Fire: \nA Sacred Dialogue for Alignment & Divine Intention\nThe Audience with Grandfather Fire is a sacred gathering held at the backend of the Tsantawu Spring and Fall Rituals. \nIt is not a time for preparation\, but rather a moment of profound confirmation\, ensuring that all that has been done during the Rituals is in alignment with Divine intentions. This sacred dialogue is the final act that bridges the human efforts from the people gathered to honor this sacred site\, with the will of  Divine. \nDuring this sacred audience\, Don David Wiley offers his body to Grandfather Fire\, allowing Tatewarí to speak directly through him. As the conduit for this powerful force\, Don David is taken to the “workshop” and\, in that moment\, relinquishes control\, knowing that what will unfold is entirely in the hands of Grandfather Fire. He cannot anticipate or prepare for what will be spoken\, as the communication is beyond human foresight. Only after the Ritual Pilot delivers the rundown the following day does Don David understand the guidance shared during the session. \nThe Audience with Grandfather Fire is a time to trust the work that has been done. It confirms that everything — the prayers\, offerings\, songs\, and rituals — was in alignment with the greater purpose. It is a moment of surrender\, a time to receive divine feedback and guidance that ensures the sacred work has been completed in harmony with the natural world and the spirits that guide us. \nThis special gathering offers closure and clarity\, affirming that the Council’s sacred acts of service\, gratitude\, and reverence have met the mark and that they are walking the path in right relationship with the elements\, the ancestors\, and Divine. \nIt is a deeply humbling and awe-inspiring moment\, one that reinforces their commitment to serving and restoring balance in the region around Stone Mountain\, Georgia. USA.
URL:https://keepsthefire.org/event/gff-tsantawu/
LOCATION:Stone Mountain\, 1000 Robert E Lee Blvd\, Stone Mountain\, GA\, 30083\, United States
CATEGORIES:Closed Audience,Grandfather Fire,Sacred Sites,Traditions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://keepsthefire.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/gff-e1743732040321.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Tsantawu Council":MAILTO:CONTACT US We look forward to hearing from you! info@sacredstonemountain.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250407
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250411
DTSTAMP:20260513T162006
CREATED:20250402T220552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250402T220751Z
UID:8554-1744063200-1744322399@keepsthefire.org
SUMMARY:Tsantawu Ritual
DESCRIPTION:A specialized\, closed program offered by the Tsantawu Council.\nSACRED STONE MOUNTAIN SPRING or FALL CEREMONIES\nCeremony connects us to the rhythms of the world and the power of the seasons. This sacred rite helps restore balance with the great forces of weather in the Stone Mountain region. It was given so that we may express respect\, gratitude\, and humility in the way our ancestors did—so that we may make a difference for the animals\, the plants\, and our human brothers and sisters in these precarious times. \nThe Weather Ceremony is both beautiful and profound. Serving on the support team for this ceremony is a deeply moving experience—one of giving and receiving\, purposeful in a way that transcends the self. \nIn times of great challenge\, the elders emphasize the vital importance of continuing these ceremonies for the well-being of our planet and our people. This work requires courage and sacrifice. This is one of those times. \nSometimes\, a Mountain is More Than a Mountain\n \nLong ago\, when drought gripped the land and the rivers ran dry\, a prophecy stirred to life. The spirits of the weather had turned away\, reflecting the growing imbalance between humans and the earth. Seeking guidance\, Sherry Boatright (Don David Wiley’s wife) journeyed to the Nahua highlands of Mexico\, where Don Lucio\, an elder weather worker\, saw beyond time and space. His vision led her to a sacred mountain—one that could speak to the weather spirits and restore the relationship between land and sky. \nUnable to leave his homeland\, Don Lucio entrusted this mission to Don David Wiley\, a conduit of Fire\, a weather worker\, a keeper of ancestral wisdom. Guided by the old ways\, he and Sherry ascended Stone Mountain\, carrying sacred copal to offer their prayers. As the fragrant smoke curled into the sky\, the heavens responded. Rain fell. \nThus\, a forgotten dialogue was rekindled. A bridge between worlds was restored. \nThrough Don David’s service to Grandfather Fire\, the echoes of ancient ceremonies resound once more\, calling us to remember\, to listen\, and to heal our severed connection with the elemental forces that sustain all life. Those who step onto this path do not merely witness history; they become part of it. \n  \n\nAs Caporal Mayor of the Nahua Weather Workers\, Don David supports these biannual rituals to reconnect with this sacred site and mend the severed relationship with the water beings\, the ancestors\, and the sacredness of the land. \nAs part of his service to Divine\, Don David has helped reignite sacred sites. \nFor centuries\, Indigenous peoples around the world lived in deep relationship with everything around them—honoring their ancestors\, life itself\, and the divine forces that sustain us. They celebrated the sacred places that allowed them to communicate with these forces\, ensuring an ongoing relationship through ceremony. Seasonal ceremonies were offered each year to cultivate and nurture this reciprocal relationship of gratitude. \nBut these traditions have been dismissed. Elders are neglected. Our sacred relationship with Mother Earth and all living beings has been distorted. We have forgotten how to listen with our hearts. We seem to have lost our way. \nAt some point in time\, there was a rupture—one that severed our traditions and cast our ancestral wisdom into oblivion. \nNow\, many fail to see that what we have today exists because of the sacrifices and devotion of those who came before—those who listened to nature\, honored their traditions\, and held ceremonies. \nWe must reconnect with these monumental beings—not only to express our appreciation but to actively engage with them once more. Only through this restored relationship can we begin to heal the balance of our world.
URL:https://keepsthefire.org/event/tsantawu/
LOCATION:Stone Mountain\, 1000 Robert E Lee Blvd\, Stone Mountain\, GA\, 30083\, United States
CATEGORIES:Nahua Tradition,Sacred Sites,Traditions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/avif:https://keepsthefire.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/stone-mountain-1.avif
ORGANIZER;CN="Tsantawu Council":MAILTO:CONTACT US We look forward to hearing from you! info@sacredstonemountain.org
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250401
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250408
DTSTAMP:20260513T162006
CREATED:20250402T222226Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250402T232216Z
UID:8566-1743544800-1744063199@keepsthefire.org
SUMMARY:Tsantawu Prep Camp
DESCRIPTION:A specialized\, closed program offered by the Tsantawu Council.\nSACRED STONE MOUNTAIN SPRING OR FALL CEREMONIES – PREP CAMP\nRitual Team Prep Camp: A Path of Service and Belonging\nStepping onto the Ritual Team path is a sacred commitment—one that requires dedication\, endurance\, and a deep sense of purpose. This is not merely an act of service; it is a calling to stand in relationship with the land\, the elements\, and all beings. \nThroughout the year\, those called to this work prepare themselves—fasting\, training\, and refining their spirits\, bodies\, and hearts. Each spring\, they journey to Georgia for days of intense preparation leading up to the Ritual\, where they chant\, dance\, and offer their devotion to the mountain. In the fall\, they return to give thanks\, completing the sacred cycle of reciprocity. \nIt is demanding. It is transformative. And it is profoundly meaningful. \nPhotograph from the SacredStoneMountian.org website \nThe Ritual Team is a village of seekers\, bound by service and guided by tradition. If you feel called to this path\, we invite you to join us—to find purpose\, belonging\, and a deeper connection with life itself. \n\nDon David Wiley is the attending shaman and ritual leader\, currently training Patrick Hanaway to carry forward this sacred responsibility.
URL:https://keepsthefire.org/event/tsantawu-prep-camp/
LOCATION:Council House – Carrollton\, Georgia\, 142 Hamp Chappell Rd\, Carrollton\, GA\, 30116\, United States
CATEGORIES:Nahua Tradition,Sacred Sites,Traditions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://keepsthefire.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/tsantawu-e1743634474643.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Tsantawu Council":MAILTO:CONTACT US We look forward to hearing from you! info@sacredstonemountain.org
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