Gathering Of Circles 2008 Updated 08/02/2008 home

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2008 Vision Quest info September 3 thru 7, 2008 
*** Special: Order your Bear Heart Vision Quest T-shirt now 

Links:
The Bear Tribe Medicine Society 
Current Weather in Cloudcroft 
Lincoln National Forest Fire Conditions 
Bear Heart web site 
Trans-Pecos American Indian Association 
PRISM OF LIGHT AND SOLSTICE EVENING CEREMONY -- Sarasota, FL June 20 

Speaker for 2008

Virgie Raven Hawk is of Wichita and Aztec descent, born in San Antonio, Texas in October of 1946. Joining the United States Army for an illustrious career of 23 years and retiring only because of disability. She was inducted into the Alamo Kiowa Gourd Society as a warrior for her military accomplishments. She has been recognized by the local military bases for her accomplishments as a woman of Native American decent.

She managed to return to a peaceful life of her art work, where she is now known for her Native American tribal Arts and Ceremonial crafts. She was gifted the ability to play the Native American flute in 1995 and with the release of five CD’s she is now known around the world for her music.

As a spiritual mentor she walks as a teacher of her fathers and mothers ways and is respected by her peers, family, friends, and students. Virgie’s healing drumming circles have been bringing people from all walks of life together once a month for almost eight years for healings and awakenings.

As a sweat lodge leader and teacher of ceremonies, her statement still stands in concrete, “Those of us who have chosen this way of life and walk in the Medicine way should never take their gifts for granted”. Many medicine people live in poverty and alone or from ceremony to ceremony, so as to give the gift of healing and teaching, and asking nothing in return.

All is given back to the SACRED PRESENCE so that it brings life to all who need to be healed. The very air we breathe in and out is only one example of our greatest teachings of the SACRED PRESENCE. Now, more than ever, one is required to choose (or not) A SACRED PATH as they walk their "earth walk" in the final days before transformation.

Virgie Raven Hawk, 2414 Greencrest Drive, San Antonio, TX 78213, (210) 341-5823, vravenhawk@yahoo.com 

Bobby and Dan are back !!

Morning Fun With Bob and Dan -- In this workshop, participants will experience a variety of acquaintancing and disinhibiting activities, all Challenge By Choice, to introduce themselves, acquaintance themselves with other attendees, and break down personal "barriers" they may have brought to this event.

Our focus will be on having some fun and creating a "safe" environment, especially for newcomers, to begin this wonderful event -- The Gathering of Circles.  Participants should expect moderate physical activity and should dress accordingly.

Dan Leonard, Retired U.S. Army First Sergeant, is the Program Director of the Addictive Diseases Unit at Alliance Hospital of Santa Teresa, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. He is also the Director of the Ropes Course at Alliance Hospital, has designed and built Ropes Courses in multiple locations in the United States (and possibly one soon in Mexico), and is recognized as a Ropes Course facilitator and trainer at local, state, and national levels. He is co-founder of Southwest Adventures and facilitates a variety of activities ranging from peaceful parasailing, to wild whitewater rafting, to sensory overload skydiving. He also facilitates wilderness training in the form of rock climbing, rappeling, orienteering, and wilderness survival skills.

Bobby Ashworth, LCDC, LADAC, AAC, NCAC II, ADS, works for Peak Behavioral Health Services in Santa Teresa, New Mexico and is co-founder of Southwest Adventures and Radical Departures, of El Paso, TX. He is licensed in Texas, New Mexico, and Nationally as an Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor. He is also licensed as a detox acupuncturist in New Mexico. He taught at El Paso Community College from 1989 to 1997 in the substance abuse counseling tract and was selected Outstanding Part Time Faculty in 1991. He has received advanced training as a Ropes Therapist and has developed Adventure Based Counseling curriculum for Charter Hospital, Alliance Hospital, and Peak Behavioral Health Services. He is Past President of the El Paso Chapter of the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals and continues to serve that organization in the capacity of Continuing Education Coordinator. He was selected, in 1994, as a nominee for the Texas Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors Hall of Fame. 

Coordinators for 2008:

download brochure

Right click and choose "Save target as" on Brochure or just left click and it will open in Adobe Reader. When printing be sure to turn off "print scaling".

 GOC Brochure  

 Introductions and Pipe ceremony start at 6:00 pm on Wednesday evening.

Directions: Go to Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Take Hwy 130 South out of Cloudcroft for 1.2 miles. Turn left at Sleepy Grass Campground or 0.7 miles. Turn right on 5661 for 3.9 miles. Turn left at 5661 marker, look for forked tree on left before turn. Then turn left again immediately (about 40 feet) and follow road. Signs will be posted.

Registration: Please RSVP with Cliff Buchanan, 1404 Castle Road, Odessa TX 79762, 432-550-3302, WinterFox@GatheringOfCircles.com  . We need to know if you are planning to come so we can order the proper number of Port-a-potties! Cliff will be happy to answer any questions you might have about the GOC. RSVP here: RSVP  If you have not registered on our mailing list, or if your info has changed, do it here: Register 

Cost: We depend on donations solicited from T-shirts, raffles, pancake breakfast, CD's and other donation producing activities to pay our out of pocket costs like postage and flyer costs, speaker stipends, port-o-potties, workshop materials and other costs approved by the planning committee. No monies go to any individual in the form of payment for any activity.  We want to have anyone to be able to attend regardless of financial ability, therefore, there is no fee for attending the GOC. However, we encourage you to participate fully in our donations producing activities mentioned above and also invite you to make a donation according to you level of financial ability.

Honor and respect the land and natural life on it as part of our family. Treat it as you would like to be treated. Do not bring any alcohol or drugs.  You are responsible for your own meals and camping gear (this is a wilderness area, so bring tent, sleeping bag, etc.). You will need rain gear and rain fly. Port-a-potties are available. Bring a potluck dish to contribute to the Feast on Saturday. Bring noisemakers (drums, rattles, etc.). Rules: Radios will not be allowed except with earphones. Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a leash.

Welcome to the Gathering of Circles. This annual event is sponsored and supported by various individuals and circles of people in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, California, Colorado, Virginia, and other states who wish to get together and share ideas, ceremonies, spirituality, talents, and friendship. These events include, but are not limited to, various workshops, face painting, world-class pancake breakfast, children's activities, sweat lodges, "Sweet Medicine Dance", Give-A-Way, and feast. We gather on Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM for the opening pipe ceremony and introductions. Thursday morning is usually dedicated to introductions and our featured speaker. Afterwards, we provide an itinerary of the various activities for the weekend. Thursday afternoon and Friday morning are scheduled workshops. Separate Men and Women's sweat lodges will be held Thursday night, and a co-ed sweat will be available on Friday night after the "Sweet Medicine Dance". Saturday morning we will all gather again for the Give-A-Way ceremony and feast. Saturday night we will have a drum/song event and sweat lodge. Sunday morning we will have a short pipe closing ceremony and time to clean up, packup and head home, We should be ready to leave the area by 10:00 a.m.

Give-a-way   Bring a gift wrapped in a paper bag for the *give-a-way.* This should be something of significance (meaningful) to you, which you now want to relinquish your attachment to, and let pass on to a new keeper. The size or monetary value of this item is irrelevant but the more significant to you the better. It may be symbolic of something of yourself, which you have or wish to turn loose of so that your *hands* are freed up for your present pursuits. Listen to your heart in deciding what to *give-a-way* at this time. 

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