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KEJIMKUJIK SPIRITUAL GATHERING
2007
"Honouring Our Spirit Guides".
September 14th,
15th and 16th
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Autumn... a time to quiet our Spirits and reflect upon the many lessons, teachings and gifts we have been honoured
with... indeed a time for reflection. |
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- Muiniskw
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Come join us at this year's Gathering at Keji. It will be a time for all to relax, and to allow the land to up-lift your being.
In all the years we have held this Gathering at this special place, people have
always gone away feeling rejuvenated. It is definitely the place to which all can come and re-connect to their spirits,
to the spirits of Keji and to the land.
This year's theme is honouring Our Spirit Guides / Helpers. The Gathering will be an opportunity for us to connect (or reconnect) with our Spirit Guides, and allow us to acknowledge them as we should, but as we sometimes forget in the everyday world. For some, this may be an opportunity for them to learn of their Spirit Guide. |
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schedule: |
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Friday, Sep 14th: |
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Friday
will be mostly a set-up day. |
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8pm |
Informal
Talking Circle, mostly introductions and so forth, and we will
go over plans for the weekend and start lining up volunteers to
tend the Sacred Fire. |
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| Saturday,
Sep 15th |
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9am |
Greeting
the Day ceremony |
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We
will have a pipe ceremony to open the Gathering, and light the
Sacred Fire immediately afterwards. |
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Two
sweats will take place during the day, with timings to be
determined. Before each sweat, the participants will have the
opportunity to go down to the petroglyph site and see the
pictures left in stone by the ancestors. Each sweat will be
followed by a Talking Circle, which will be held in a new area
we have set up in the ceremonial grounds adjacent to the
sweatlodge. |
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9pm |
General
Talking Circle |
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| Sunday,
Sep 16th |
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9am |
Greeting
the Day ceremony. |
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Sunday
will be primarily a day for participants to get ready for their
trip home. |
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2pm |
Feast,
followed by Give-Away ceremony. |
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We
know it can be hard to leave Keji after the Gathering. For those who are planning on staying over until Monday, we will have another Talking Circle on Sunday Night. |
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the Gathering, there will be opportunities to have one-on-one
sessions with Dan and Jean, as well as other people who are
available for such things. This is your opportunity to learn
more about the culture, or to seek answers for those pesky
questions in life. |
This is what the schedule looks like for the weekend. However, keep in mind that activities may change, depending on time and weather.
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| Other
good information: |
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If you are going through the trouble of coming to
the Gathering, we strongly urge you to partake in all ceremonies. Also,
everyone is encouraged to help out with the little things that need to
be done to make the Gathering a success, such as cooking and tidying the
covered shelter area. In particular, we urge you to take a turn as
keeper of the Sacred Fire. We will help to fill you in on what your
responsibilities are, and you will find that it is a wonderful
experience. Overall, the Gathering has always depended on the same
teamwork that allowed our ancestors to survive and thrive.
Part of the teamwork also consists of helping out
with kitchen chores. We have decided to move away from disposable dishes
and be more responsible by using normal plates and such. We ask everyone
to wash their own dishes and implements, rather than leave them for
someone else. Please remember, NOBODY at this Gathering is staff, and
nobody is paid for the work that they do... please pitch in and take
care of your own mess.
If you are bringing children along, please remember
that the evening Talking Circles will be for adults, as these sometimes can become intense and children should not be subjected to some
of the things being shared.
Camping is FREE for this
event. When you arrive at the Park please let attendants at Gate or at the Visitors Centre
know you are here for the Gathering.
Signs will direct you to where the Gathering events will take place. All we ask is please RESPECT our Park.
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What to bring
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How to get to
Keji
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Pictures from recent
Gatherings
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ALCOHOL AND DRUG FREE
Please refrain from use of
alcohol or recreational drugs at least 4 days before attending this Gathering! |
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Looking Forward to Seeing Friends Again! |
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| How it
went in 2007: |
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Once again, the weather tested us, and once again we
rallied together and made the weekend a success! Despite some flattened
tents and a great deal of rain on Saturday, we accomplished everything
we set out to do. Some friends learned more about themselves, and
friendships became stronger. Having the Gathering at
Merrymakedge was a bit of an experiment, and we are glad to say it went
well. Being closer to the focus of spiritual activity had a definite
positive effect on the Gathering, and we thank Parks Canada for giving
us the opportunity to try it out. We
would like to acknowledge George for conducting a sweat for the men, and
for his specific and very kind help for Jean and myself - George, you
have no idea just how much good you have done for us! It was good to
have someone with whom we could share the load. We also acknowledge Barb
and Norm for once again carrying the brunt of the cooking duties, and
Melissa and Mike for pitching in and helping during both the setup and
teardown, when the majority of the grunt-work is done.
We also thank our old friends, and our new ones, for opening up and
sharing themselves, and making the Gathering a success. Without such
sharing, we would only have been a group of wet and miserable
individuals, rather than a Gathering filled with spirit.
We hope we will see everyone next year - or maybe
sooner, at the Bear Feast?????
Nemultes! |
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