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As Tom Blue
Wolf, prepared the Sacred Fire in a traditional indigenous manner
we, the Elders entered the Sacred Fire Circle from left to right
and the youth entered afterwards. As we walked up to the fire and
took tinder, we blessed it with our prayerful intentions and put
them into the fire. It was at this Sacred Ceremony that Blue Wolf
and Mother Virginia presented Audri with a ceremonial peace pipe
that Blue Wolf carved himself. It held the Spirit of the Bear.
The elders embraced the youth, one by one and shared words of wisdom
with them. For some, it was a very emotional time but yet extremely
beautiful. As we connected with the youth, I was again reminded
of my mission and was re-energized with the spirit of the youth
and their enthusiasm.
Even though my intentions before going to the summit were to fire
walk and sweat, when I arrived on the land, my Ancestral Mothers
said no. I was there for the energy of the earth and the water,
the feminine energy. I listened and obeyed. After all, the wisdom
that I was to share with the youth was Ancient Feminine Mysteries.
When it was my turn to speak, Sacred Sexuality and the Ancient
Feminine Mysteries were truly enchanting to the youth. I have since
been approached by a few of them for advice and leadership direction
regarding living in the spirit of the wisdom teachings. Again,
I feel so honored to be of service to help make the world a better
place.
On the Full Moon Sunday night, Reed Evans-Wright led the fire walk.
He and some of the youth walked the fire up to seven times! Reed,
a man of 74 years, has more energy than most people. He even did
a head stand as a thank you to one of the youth who had honored
him with a head stand and foot clapping. It was a sight to behold.
There was drumming and dancing, walks and rides to the waterfall.
There was eating and basking in the energy of love. I reveled in
every moment of the five days that I was up in those mountains
and I look forward to the next summit in two years. I’ve
only tapped the surface of the events but I pray that you have
felt the Spirit of Love through my sharing with you.
Our coming together in this manner is a great way for youth and
elders alike to gain understanding of various cultures and wisdom
teachings. Continuing dialogue and a sincere effort in working
towards peace is in the hands of our youth and they are to be commended
for participating in such a summit and continuing the work in the
world on a daily basis.
My life was changed forever by this conference. In the words of
Barbara O, of Daughters of the Dust, “Love is the Light.
Forward is the motion.” Her warm, loving peaceful energy
joined the spirits of the Elders with the spirits of the youth
in meditation. It had such a profound effect on the young participants
and, I just sat back and watched as the youthful spirits soared.
It touched a place in me that I have always known was there, a
place of peace and love, a place that bridges generations. My mission
is clear. May the spirit of this International Youth Peace Summit
continue to flourish.
Dr. Tonya can be reached at Synchronicty A Metaphysical Dynasty located in Roswell,
Georgia. 770-640-8184 Wed – Sunday.
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by Dr. Tonya K. Freeman
I was invited to sit on the Council of Elders for “Beyond
the Global Divide: An International Youth Peace Summit”,
which was held at the Four Winds Peace Village, located in Tiger,
Georgia. It was such an incredible experience, I feel compelled
to share how it touched my life.
Audri Scott-Williams, an incredible woman, who resides here in
Stone Mountain, Georgia was inspired by her son Michael Ware,
to spearhead the summit back in 2002 for the first time. Her
goal is to have a summit every two years for ten years. She brings
together elders and youth from all over the world.
The Elders from New Zealand, Te Aroha Pet Teriaki and Paraone
Tai Tui, performed the spiritual cleansing ritual at the creek
in which we all participated by going into the running water
and either submerging our bodies or just standing in up to our
knees. This was how the proceeding actually began for the summit.
Paraone, spoke words in his native language and sprinkled water
on each of us. These elders reminded us to learn the language
of our Ancestors along with the more common languages, for it
will give us a deeper connection as well as a powerful healing
agent. He performed a powerful dance that the natives did to
welcome the King to New Zealand. Pet performed a dance to show
how the women created the Queen. It was much more subtle but
still held its own source of power. She and I danced together
at the Sacred Fire Ceremony. I was honored.
At times I felt that I was in some ancient wisdom circle, removed
from the realities of day to day life, but the reminder of our
youth, some who are at risk, pulled me back to the real world
of today. When Dr. Charles Finch of Morehouse College spoke of
the Dogon Cosmology and the Age of Aquarius, I was amazed that
modern science has fallen so far behind ancient wisdom. This
is the kind of wisdom that was imparted on youth in ritual and
ceremony by the elders of the past, now we are faced with rebellion,
crime and punishment in its place.
It is heartening to hear that work is being done to bring balance
in the area of crime and punishment. Fania Davis, an attorney fromCalifornia
spoke about Restorative Justice. It was good to hear how there are
alternatives to incarceration that are working for both victim and
perpetrator. She involved the entire audience in song, a truly shamanic
approach that was both uplifting and inclusive for both the youth
and the elders joining together to bring about change for the world.
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