The Sacred Fire Foundation's (SFF) mandate, particularly to support the continuance of Indigenous life ways for future generations, is of great benefit to humanity. As we collectively face the erosion of the natural world due to the homogenization of a dominant, capitalistic worldview, the voices of Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge Holders are key to navigating climate crisis. Just as ecosystem health is reliant on biological diversity, so too are we reliant on cultural diversity to understand the living, breathing, ancient world we reside within. Cultures that have adapted, respected, and lived in balance with their surroundings for millennia are integral transmitters of sustainable practices. They teach us how to be human. As an artist, educator and writer, the events organized by the SFF regenerate my own capacity to feel connected with the world around me. From that place of connection, I am rejuvenated, excited and inspired.
The Sacred Fire Foundation is an exception nonprofit supporting, among other values, the invigoration and revitalization of Native American cultures. Sacred Fire Foundation has supported, over the last two years, the Gwich'in Elders' Traditional Stories Project (within Arctic Village's Camp Goonzhii, 2016), and the White Eye Traditional Knowledge Education Camp (2017). Both of these initiatives occur in Alaska among the indigenous Gwich'in people (Dené/Athabascan), in cooperation with the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Both project were initiated by Gwich'in Elders, who have directed both projects from their inception. Through the generous support of the Sacred Fire Foundation, Gwich'in traditional knowledge and stories have been successfully passed from the Elders to younger Gwich'in people, and to those non-Gwich'in willing to learn this ancient wisdom. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Sacred Fire Foundation in future years!
The Sacred Fire Foundation has taken a careful, quiet, almost personal approach to supporting the American Indian Institute and our work with and for traditional Elders from the Four Directions who are maintaining their ceremonial, spiritual ways for the health of the People and Mother Earth.
The SFF generously contributed to our independent initiative - The Innovative Young Indigenous Leaders Symposium, which is a project created, led, and developed by three young Indigenous people living in BC. Our group joined the Tides Canada shared platform which directed us to the SFF and we were impressed and inspired by their vision and values that guide their work. We completed the grant proposal and were surprised that we were selected as we are not a project located in the USA - we saw this as a strong commitment by the SFF to support Indigenous grassroots organizations that are committed to the cultural resurgence of their Nations. We are grateful for the opportunity to be supported by the SFF and we owe them many thanks for providing us support to ensure our project was a success.
Sacred Fire Foundation is an incredible organization that works tirelessly to supporting awesome initiatives from organizations from all over the world that promote traditions from native communities, and preserves their ancient wisdom.
I’ve been moved in many occasions by learning about the wonderful projects of the applicant organizations, because they are working so passionately and fiercely for present and future generations.
Being part of such a great team has been a blessing for me. I’m really proud of being part of the staff!
Sacred Fire Foundation is a labor of love for the indigenous and sacred of our times - supporting small-scale and grassroots initiatives that have the potential to turn ripples into waves allows for the most marginalized and vulnerable voices to be heard, protected and celebrated. Thanks to the guidance, mentorship and support of SFF to our small Andean School Kusi Kawsay, we are able to provide a dignified education rooted in Andean Culture to economically challenged indigenous children and youth. We consider SFF a wonderful partner and our hermanas! SFF is a nonprofit with profound, deep and true intentions - we are grateful to know you and thank you for all that you do!
The Sacred Fire Foundation's Voices of Wisdom - this amazing series of events provided heartfelt and profound teachings & wisdom from various elders of different indigenous traditions. We need this to get back to living connected lives, to return to the ancient ways and get out of the mess that we have created for ourselves.
The SFF funds an extraordinary indigenous culture to continue their sacred pilgrimages to the most holy sacred site of their tradition. Without this help, the people, known as the Wiraxica (Huichol of the Western Sierra Madres in the state of Jalisco, Mexico), would struggle even more than they do in this modern world, to find their way to the ancient and ancestral place where their Gods were birthed. The SFF helps to keep this tradition, contiguous with an ancient history and lifestyle, alive and functioning in the growing world of materialism. The SFF acknowledges that ancestral wisdom is an antidote to the destruction of the natural world, teaching through their actions and prayers, to help bring about a more balanced future.
The SFF funds outstanding Indigenous leaders and programs for the reasons I mention above. They are on the cutting edge of foundational work for the good of the indigenous traditions that still live and breathe on earth. They also acknowledge that time is of the essence and that more help is needed to preserve the past for the future generations to survive.
Sacred Fire Foundation is supporting our lives. We need to learn and live more like the original peoples of the world if we are going to survive as humans. So granting them financial support is an important and urgent mission. I'm honor to be a donor for the Sacred Fire Foundation.
The Sacred Fire Foundation supports the revitalization of Indigenous wisdom traditions through providing venues and grant support for Indigenous science based healers, most of whom are culturally Indigenous to the traditions they are keeping vital through practice. I have been able to attend two amazing Ancient Wisdom Rising conferences. Being introduced to earth-based wisdom and insight has had a profound effect on my worldview, and has grounded my intuition in many ways. I am grateful for this organization, I love the Sacred Fire magazine, and I look forward to participating more in the future.
The Sacred Fire Foundation is an excellent organization doing very important and unique work. The Foundation’s mission is dear to my heart. I had the privilege of volunteering for a small organization with similar goals back in the 1970s, when I was in college. Nobody was paying much attention to indigenous cultures. Back then I glimpsed something essential that was not available to me anywhere else in the Ivy League university I was attending. I understood, more intuitively than logically, the depth of wisdom embedded in ancient cultures and their importance for my own life and for the modern world.
The developments of these last decades, and the direction human beings are moving in culturally, ecologically, economically, etc. etc. have convinced me: The knowledge that Indigenous peoples hold around how to be, listen, live and move in the world is essential if life is to continue on our planet in a sane and sustainable way. And like so many other valuable aspects of life on this planet, they are in danger of extinction. The Sacred Fire Foundation does a formidable job of both supporting indigenous groups in their own struggle to keep this wisdom alive in the face of almost insurmountable obstacles, and bringing their wisdom to those of us living in the ‘developed’ world. Ancient Wisdom Rising, and the newer Voices of Wisdom series, are powerful and moving events, that allow us to be touched directly by the words, music, stories, dance, and above all, the presence of heartfelt, brilliant and generous Indigenous leaders. Their attitude and words bridge the gap between our worldview and theirs.
As a firekeeper in the Sacred Fire Community I aspire every day to quiet my mind and live from my heart. It is clear to me that for these indigenous teachers, it comes naturally. Soaking in their presence I have felt something deep awaken in my own heart, and I will continue to support the Foundation in the hope that many others can benefit in the same way.
Sacred Fire Foundation is doing the heavy lifting--supporting traditional wisdom keepers *and* helping those of us living in modern society understand how critical traditional wisdom is to our survival. I'm inspired by the Foundation's mission, the Indigenous leaders the Foundation supports, and the people who have become change agents as a result of this work. If more organizations valued sacred wisdom and brought its healing powers to our broken systems, the world would truly be a different place.
Sacred Fire Foundation is making a difference in the world and effecting social change by supporting the continuance of indigenous traditional knowledge and worldview. We are honoured and excited to be able to support indigenous communities worldwide as they strengthen their traditional practices. I just came back from visiting one of our grantee partners in Perú, a wonderful school rooted in Quechua traditional knowledge and culture, and I felt so inspired to see the deepness of connection to their land and the pride and force of their voices. I wish every child, indigenous and non-indigenous had the opportunity to grow up like this.
Sacred Fire Foundation's work is unique in that it supports indigenous communities that hold the key to everyone's survival: a deep relationship with land, each other and nature that we can all learn from to take better care of the planet, to learn to live in community, to practice reciprocity and respect.
The Sacred Fire Foundation's mission to provide guidance and support to our people through promoting the ways of vital indigenous traditions around the world, creates an opportunity for a powerful call to action and possibility. It is such a rare and precious thing in this world. In the Sacred Fire Foundation I have found an organization that truly creates the possibility for healing, education and growth during these times when our Earth and people are really suffering. It is a vision that takes action, where hope is made possible through real healing, and a doorway that, with our support, can open widely for the benefit of humanity and for our planet. I personally have also benefited through my contact with the community and my life has been greatly enriched. My connection with the natural world and with my own heart has grown stronger and more vibrant and my feeling of being able to make even a small difference has empowered me, and my commitment to this organization as well. I give thanks for all the people working to make this world a better place through the Sacred FIre Foundation and for the gifts they have given me; too many to count.
The Sacred Fire Foundation is a serious organization that is profoundly devoted with the change we want to see in the world. Their work is supporting a very crucial aspect of this: ancestral wisdom. By suporting the SFF We can contribute to the projects around the world that keep it safe and nourish it for future generations. Through its events it also exposes western people to this wisdom so they can integrate it in their own lives and communities and become change agents of this more connected way of engaging with the world.
Sacred Fire Foundation continues to grow into its mission of promoting and preserving ancient wisdom ways. Each year, an increasing number of indigenous programs are able to realize their goals because of the charitable grants awarded by SFF. The foundation continues to attract high quality volunteers who bring global perspective to the work. The organization cares deeply about our world, our common future, and the importance of remembering and respecting the wisdom that comes from humankind's innate and ancestral relationship with nature.
I believe in the spirit of this charity. I believe that people in our U.S. society are hungry for native wisdom and heart felt stories. The Sacred Fire magazine brings wonderful indigenous wisdom keeper stories from around the world to our door. The experiential teachings are offered thru the Blue Deer Center as workshops and classes. I have been a member for many years and I have watched the organization grow and blossom as the word is spreading person by person, heart by heart.
I have been a member of the Sacred Fire Community since it first began. Over the years I have watched the Sacred Fire Foundation form and grow, dedicated to supporting the living traditions of indigenous peoples. These traditions hold great wisdom for our lives today.
I am deeply grateful for being given the opportunity to be exposed to the wisdom and lessons that these traditions offer; that the land I stand on is alive and sacred, that we are here to care for it as it cares for us. So many stories I have read over the years in the Sacred Fire Magazine which taught me more then all the years of school. Just to be exposed to different cultures, has been a gift.
The work this Foundation does is vital for our lives today.
I started donating to the Sacred Fire Foundation in 2005. It is now providing grants and awards to numerous important initiatives that support the remembering and flourishing of indigenous wisdom. Inspired by the purpose of the Sacred Fire Foundation, In the last few years, I have worked on two First Nations reserves in Canada. One was with the Ditidaht people on Vancouver Island and one was with the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) people on the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario. I saw the people on the reserves endeavoring to learn their language and to participate with their culture. It was a profound privilege to support the teaching of their children the language and culture. The Kanien'kehá:ka school , Skaronhese’ko:wa Tsyohterakentko:wa Tsi Yontaweya’tahkwawas, The Everlasting Tree School, is an immersion program in a forest setting with a school curriculum focused on the oral tradition of literacy and creating cultural learning through being in nature. I will invite them to apply for a grant from The Sacred Fire Foundation. This work of the Sacred Fire Foundation for remembering indigenous wisdom is the heart of transforming our world into one that is sustainable for our environment and our community.
Judith Mann, Teacher, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
i am learning so much as a part of the Sacred Fire community: ancient wisdom from older cultures who understood our interconnectedness with each other, the earth and all its inhabitants (plants and animals)...as they put it "all our relatives". we need desperately to "see" life in this way. native peoples are trying to help the rest of us understand what a sustainable future looks like. i think they realize we are lost & confused and in spite of all the devastation we have visited upon their ancestors and cultures and this planet, they have great compassion towards us. i am so grateful to have been led to this group of people!
After participating in the Sacred Fire Foundation's community and awareness building activities, I have found a new path that is far older and wiser than many of those I have walked before. The practice of both listening and acting according to the original instructions given to humankind before we became a culture of "takers" have deepened my physical, emotional and spiritual life. Thanks to all who support and build connection through this work.
Last year I heard Onondaga Chief Oren Lyons address the United Nations stating that "indigenous peoples hold the moral reserve of the world." It is a bold claim. And I believe it is true. The work of the Sacred Fire Foundation embodies this belief. Every dollar spent is to help ensure that the ancient wisdom traditions and their perspectives are preserved and brought forth into the world at this time. The Foundation realizes that modern culture has left us searching for lives of meaning and purpose. And that our disconnection from the sacredness of nature has produced a culture that has commodified Mother Earth to the extent that humanity is now threatened in a real and imminent way. The work and the mission of the Sacred Fire Foundation produces hope. It points us to healing, balance and a way of moving in the world that is in right relationship and sustainable. It feels life-giving to me to be a volunteer and a donor and I invite everyone to experience the joy of supporting this work.
I support the Sacred Fire Foundation because of it's commitment to indigenous people. There is no greater need right now than for all people to understand the wisdom of these ancient cultures. The work of the Foundation helps to ensure that that wisdom will not be lost and creates the opportunity for others to learn. The key to restoring balance in our lives, our planet and our spirits lies in this ancient wisdom and I believe the work of the Sacred Fire Foundation is crucial to that. This is a wonderful organization with a wonderful vision and I gladly support their efforts.
The Sacred Fire Foundation has the beautiful vision of bringing forth ancient native wisdom to heal our troubled world. By honoring and supporting indigenous wisdom with biennial conferences and monetary awards, the wisdom keepers share their precious vision and ways of being in the sacred world around us. We have much to learn. I have attended the signature event it sponsors, Ancient Wisdom Rising, and was deeply moved by the presence and shared wisdom of the elders from all around the globe that were there. It was a life changing experience. It is so rare to have a strong connection between indigenous and western peoples, but so important to start bringing that wisdom back to our people.
I support the Sacred Fire Foundation because I am so deeply touched by the work they do and how they do it.
The Sacred Fire Foundation supports the wisdom held by ancient traditions. They are committed to giving voice to wisdom and the wisdom holders. Our community has weathered a number of difficulties by connecting to and relying on this wisdom. We have learned much about how to live in a good way with the earth and with each other. To me, this wisdom is our hope—for us, for our children, for the future.
I have known for years many of the people involved with the Sacred Fire Foundation. They work from a place of heart. Their work provides a real benefit for us all.
I have participated in events run by the Sacred Fire Foundation, where they honored indigenous wisdom elders and taught the attendees to appreciate the elder world view. I have also gained much information from their website about other elders and wisdom keepers. Every experience related to the Foundation has touched me deeply in many ways. The view of the world as alive and sacred profoundly changes ones view of everyday life. They are definitely worth supporting.
I have supported Sacred Fire Foundation since its inception because i believe its charter addresses the root cause of the problems we face in our world at this time. The wisdom of ancient traditions is what is most needed to restore our world to balance and a way of living in deep relationship with each other and the world around us. The wisdom of the past is truly the seed of the future.
Sherry M
Recently, I have been involved in two programs that are supported by the Sacred Fire Foundation. The first was their Ancient Wisdom Rising Conference at the Blue Deer Center this past summer. The Conference brought together elders from the Huichol (Mexico), Dagara (Burkina Faso), Onondoga (North America) and Bon Buddhist (Tibet) traditions and attracted nearly 200 participants. This was a very moving experience. At a time when the world is so far out of balance, we desperately need to hear from authentic elders who are following the path of their ancestors. To have four such elders come together, share their experiences, and dialogue with each other, was of immense value.
I have also been involved in a Mentor training program that is being partially funded by the Sacred Fire Foundation. Their support has helped us to contract an experienced mentor-trainer (Thomas Balisrieri)--a person who has extensive experience in higher education counseling and administration, but who also follows the path of the Lakota people. His practical experience and his deep awareness of the spiritual dimensions have helped us to create a mentoring program which will truly help our young people to make the critical transition from youth to adulthood.
The work of the Sacred Fire Foundation offers hope for our world and for all living beings for generations to come. It is only by honoring, reviving and sustaining indigenous wisdom that we can truly find our way to a sustainable way of life. The SFF has demonstrated a keen attunement to programs that support this kind of sustainable wisdom. I am in full support of their work.
I attended the Ancient Wisdom Rising conference several months ago. This is a conference hosted by Sacred Fire Foundation that gathers elders together from around the world so we all can share in their wisdom and guidance. This year the elders represented the Dagara (Africa), Onondaga and Tsalagi (United States), Huichol (Mexico) and Bon Buddhist(Tibet) traditions. Their presentations included story and dance, discussions of history and culture, music, drumming, ceremony and meditation. We were pulled into sorrow and floated into joy. We talked of restoration of balance, of the necessity of community, of the beauty of the natural world. We opened our hearts and explored the dream of Oneness. We met old friends and new. I'll never forget this time, nestled into the land of the Blue Deer Center with its history of peacemaking, its sacred river and the morning's soft fog blanket over summer meadow. The mission of Sacred Fire Foundation is to preserve and promote the perspectives and benefits of ancient wisdom from around the world. The educational initiatives and grant programs of the foundation endeavor to bring the gifts of ancestral Being to our modern world in an effort to hear the voice of the Heart and keep it alive for the generations to come. I endorse this foundation and their work wholeheartedly.
Review from Guidestar
One of the top reasons I support the Sacred Fire Foundation with money is because I see the SFF as holding a place, in the 21st century global community, for knowledge and support of long-time traditional cultures. Whether or not you believe in the wisdom of ancient traditions, the fact is: there are 7 billion of us working to create our futures on this planet. Will we work together, with awareness of and respect for our neighbors' perspectives?
I have been lucky to meet some of the people behind the SFF, and have been very impressed with their integrity--and their ability to make excellent use of monetary resources.
Best wishes to Sherry Morgan, Eliot Cowan, Safia Johnson, David Wiley, Wendy Core, Larry Messerman, Annie & Dan Sprinkles, Amanda Kerner, and the many other people who contribute their talents and resources toward this vital initiative.
Sacred Fire has manifested strongly in my life as a tremendous movement of Heart energy, and that manifestation takes the form of an incredible community and the organizations that makes its work possible.
The Sacred Fire Foundation is one of those organizations. I have consistently supported the Foundation since its very inception because I have been so inspired by the work that it does and by the incredible spirit and dedication of those who volunteer their time, money, blood, sweat and tears.
The mission for this organization is nothing less than the regeneration of human society, reaching back to bring forth what is sacred and supremely practical about the wisdom traditions of our ancestors, and doing so in a way that highlights the relevance of this wisdom for us as a modern people. The wisdom of the past is rooted in what is true and potent about life in this realm, and so it is every day as applicable to life today as it was thousands of years ago. Sacred Fire, through all of its offerings, gives us a way to see, learn and experience this in our own lives.
My life was touched deeply by the Foundation's event "Ancient Wisdom Rising". I was lucky enough to be a volunteer to help plan this event for a number of years. The event itself proved to be life changing - being able to be in the presence of traditional elders and to breathe in their wisdom first hand. But what was even more life transforming was my participation in the process of helping to make the event happen. I never would have imagined what came forth from that had I tried to at the outset. The people involved with the Sacred Fire Foundation are some of the most inspired, energized, energizing and well grounded people I have ever met. Their integrity in the work that they do was at once humbling and awe inspiring, I feel lucky to have just been a part of it. Through working with them, I learned new things about myself that helped me to take the next steps in my life, and it helped me to see my own strengths, weaknesses and path of growth in a very raw and powerful way that ultimately led to a great transformation in my personal life. What more could a person ask for?
I am a lifelong supporter of the Sacred Fire movement. The offerings of the Sacred Fire Foundation provide a shining example of what is good and right in the world today.
I was raised with Traditional Haida Spiritual ways: attended a gathering of Ancient Wisdom Rising and was delightfully surprised and not only the dedication but the authenticity the people and the ceremonies. Sacred Fire is more than just another in a plethora of Spirituality publications that takes a Shot-gun approach to informing the reader. I found its content to be informative, enlightening, authoritative and authentic. Thank you. Woodrow Morrison (Haida Elder), BA, JD
For me, the Sacred Fire Foundation plays a critical role in helping to restore balance between the heart and mind in our society. Through our educational efforts, we strive to provide a spark to awaken the individual to their connection to the world around them, their friends and neighbors, and even to themselves (their own heart) by exposing them to the wisdom and lifeways of ancient traditions around the world. Of equal importance, we seek to protect and promote the sources of this ancient wisdom through the support provided by our partnership and grants work. To me, what is unique about the SFF is its global perspective and its openness to any and all recognized sources of ancient wisdom traditions, providing people with exposure to the broadest possible array of elders, wisdom keepers and traditional teachings so they can find their own "way home."
Sacred Fire Foundation staff took a deep interest in our Cherokee cultural leadership program. They were hands-on, assisting me and my group through the grant process by making sure we were clear about their goals and objectives. I was very impressed with their interest in helping us further leadership development through the creation and dissemination of CDs with recording phrases in the Cherokee language. This process was a tremendous way for our alumni to put what they'd learned into action, and around a project they dearly loved. It also helped them to connect even deeper than during their time with the program. Sacred Fire is awesome!
The foundation chooses different indigenous people in the world that are sincerely working to preserve the wisdom of their traditions and who are willing to share it with all of us. The world needs these wisdom keepers to flourish and the Sacred Fire Foundation is helping them to do that.
It is my hope that eventually these wisdoms will reach all of us so we may find a healthy way for all beings to flourish on the Earth.
Review from Guidestar
Sacred Fire has changed my life to being a life rich, full, and really worth living. The Foundation has as it's mission nothing less than bringing forth and preserving the ancient wisdom by which humankind survived for hundreds of thousands of years. Only very recently in the vast time we have been here have we gown so fearful and cold because of the over reliance on the mind. The Sacred Fire Foundation highlights to the Western world the wisdom needed to survive these times. SFF reaches to the moral reserve which is held by the indigenous peoples of the world. We support these people in unique exchanges with them to help keep their wisdom alive.
The work of the Sacred Fire Foundation brings new hope and direction to us who see we must take a different path. I am very blessed to be able to serve on the board of this organization which is making a difference in the world.
I've volunteered at local festivals to distribute complimentary copies of the beautiful magazine, Sacred Fire, that is published by this organization. I subscribe to the magazine myself and always amazed at the high quality and spiritual depth of the magazine. I've also donated to the Sacred Fire Foundation through their Facebook page.
sherry-morgan 02/13/2010
Hey Linda; Thank you so much for your kind words for Sacred Fire Foundation and our publication, Sacred Fire. We appreciate you for the work you do to support your community and the Blue Deer Center. Many blessings, Sherry Morgan
The Sacred Fire Foundation is doing unique work to bring the indigenous knowledge that we ALL need in order to survive on mother earth back into greater visibility in our culture, and to preserve the original teachings so that they are not lost. An amazingly important task, done by wonderful people, for the benefit of all. My own experience is that having been opened to this perspective and these practices has profoundly transformed my life, giving me purpose, connection, greater balance and greater expression of my unique gifts. Getting the Sacred Fire Magazine is a huge treat every time. Amazing articles that are so beautiful I wind up quoting them and sharing them with friends and being inspired in my life.
sherry-morgan 02/11/2010
Dear Tim, Adrilia, Julie and Maxima; Thank you so much for your encouraging remarks! Your feedback will help bring awareness of our work into the world and your comments in "ways to make it better" will be taken into consideration by us. Best wishes to you all! Sherry Morgan
I am a subscriber to "Sacred Fire" magazine which is one of the works of the Sacred Fire Foundation. This magazine contains truly inspiring articles, interviews, and artwork that guide the reader to a clear, grounded right relationship with the earth and with the Divine. While I have and will continue to support the SFF for its work with the magazine, it is my hope that the SFF will grow and be able to expand its reach to other groups and projects.
The SFC is a vital, warm, dedicated group of people committed to making a huge difference in our world where it really counts -- in the hearts of people, the connections between people, and the relationship between people and the natural world. I have volunteered at their events and subscribe to the magazine. "Sacred Fire" Magazine is a work of art. Every issue uplifts me, inspires me, reminds me of the beauty of nature, the importance of conservation and the importance of right relationship. Right relationship among peoples of all ethnicities. Right relationship between our hearts and our purpose on Earth. Right relationship between our work in the world and our service to the world. I have learned so much and have felt always welcome, always inspired by my contact with this group.