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Outreach chair Dorcas Beaton reflects on the inaugural meeting of Shining Waters Regional Council.

May the circle be unbroken.  

This year featured an intentional focus on circles and the indigenous peoples’ wisdom around them.  We started with the opening of the sacred fire.  A circle of stones around the fire with markers for the four directions, and a path to the east that was kept clear.  The fire was lit and constantly tended by indigenous fire keepers from the Toronto Urban Native Ministries.  They also taught us about the sacred fire and how to be around it.  Sunrise services of story-telling took place there where only the person with the stick or feather would speak - a very powerful exercise in listening. 

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