Presenting at SpiritFire

We invite those who teach practices related to our fire circle arts (Music, Motion, Voice, Seva [or Service], and Works of Spirit and Mystery) to submit proposals by April 1st. Later proposals will be considered but there is rarely space left by that point. The sooner you submit an idea/proposal, the better! Consideration is first given to those with prior experience with the all-night fire circle ritual, but each year we do invite presenters with related skills who are newer to the community as well. If you have never attended an all-night fire circle, we recommend that you try to attend as a participant for one year to get a sense of who we are and how your particular skills might contribute to the flow. But of course you are welcome to send a proposal in anytime regardless.

Please know that each year, we consider the workshop structure anew, and returning as a presenter is not assumed. We do sometimes repeat workshops that were particularly popular or helpful (based on feedback by participants), but we believe strongly in holding space for new people and new ideas, as long as the content is relevant. If you have presented before and would like to again, please send in a proposal.  Returning presenters need only to send in their idea/description, reasoning for how it fits into the gathering’s flow, and any bio/photo information they wish to have used.

We want to provide participants with ways to deepen their own abilities and also develop skills for contributing to a deeper community experience at the fire … and beyond. Out of consideration for a quality experience for both presenters and attendees, workshop space is limited; we invite certain presenters early in the year to set the initial framework of our festival, but we also warmly welcome new voices to share their knowledge and make an effort to introduce at least a few new faces each year.

Each of the fire circle arts is related to a pathway, corresponding with an action, direction, and element. Workshops are 1.5 hours long on Thursday and Friday of the gathering.  As a brief example, some ideas of what could be great potential workshop topics include (but by no means exhaust the list):

MUSIC (fire/south): hand drumming, how to improvise, frame drum, Middle Eastern rhythms, singing bowls, hand percussion, conscious soloing/sharing sonic space, sacred drumming, drum making, shekere technique …

MOTION (water/west): Yoga for fire circlers, African/Middle Eastern dance, mudras, archetypal dances, trance dancing …

VOICE (air/east): poetry of Rumi, speaking your truth, mantra singing, kirtan, sacred chanting, ZoneChant, how to harmonize, how to take care of your voice, community council or heartshare …

SEVA (earth/north): ritual guardianship, healing work, fire tending, community rituals …

MYSTERY/Works of Spirit (The Center): mask making, mandala creation, ritual body art, landweaving, stewardship, breathwork, connecting our inner work to the outside, Spirit Into Action …

Our presenters are engaged and active participants within the festival community. There are opportunities to participate in the nightly fire lighting rituals, lead special events (like chant shares, drum jams, etc.), run affinity groups, or vend. We would like to assume that those wanting to present at SpiritFire are doing so because they are also nourished by the experience, and feel a connection to the medium of the fire circle. We tend to avoid scheduling workshop presenters who emit the “I’m on the circuit” message — what we really want is community connection.

The main intention we aim to fulfill is for workshops to be directly related to skills, knowledge, and techniques that help people to create music, motion, voice, and works of Spirit, and to act in service at the fire. Hopefully, those experiences will translate to a fuller and energized experience outside of festival space, and help people to transform themselves and their world in a positive way no matter where they are.

1. Arrival as early as possible on Wednesday (1st day of festival)
2. Attendance to the entire festival, Wednesday through Sunday
3. Presence or participation at opening and closing circles
4. Presence or participation at all fire lighting rituals, and participation during the night as feels comfortable
5. Actively helping those who are in your workshops to connect to fire/gathering via the tools and knowledge you are providing; model your mode!

We offer a full comp and meals in return for presenting one or more workshops at SpiritFire Festival. Presenters are welcome to vend their professional wares – CDs, books, etc. – at the Community Booth. Lastly, you have an opportunity to publicize your work via the community info booth, network with others of your field, and continue to develop relationships in a wonderful community of open-hearted, creative souls.

We are not able to offer additional stipends to what is listed above, but our presenter coordinator will help you to plan your arrival and departure, and arrange rides to/from the airport/train/bus station.

We cannot offer comps to family members, and please do make sure to see our Parent FAQ regarding children at SpiritFire.  If a presenter is traveling a long distance (flying, for instance) and bringing a partner or adult family members, sometimes a discounted rate can be arranged – contact the registrar with questions.

We are only able to offer a comp to a single/main presenter of each workshop, but we can also divide the funds from that comp equally so that each teacher receives a portion of it as a discounted registration. For instance, if 2 people wish to present a workshop, we can either offer a comp to one, or half-price registration to both.

Proposals will only be accepted from those who can stay for the duration of the festival (Wednesday – Sunday). We value the creation of sacred and safe community, and part of how we do this is by restricting new arrivals after the start of the festival. Teachers, in particular, help to set the vision and flow of the community, so we ask that they arrive at the beginning and stay through to the end.

The tenting is just as comfy and wonderful as the cabins – but if you request one early (by April 1st), we will do our best to put you in a cabin space, if you prefer. The cabins are rustic, meaning they are without electricity or private facilities, but if you are traveling far to attend, it can be really helpful not to need to lug a tent with you! We prefer to give priority for cabins to those who are traveling from a distance, coming with partners/families, but every year we’ve had space for all the presenters that requested cabins. Cabins are first-come, first-offered, and only guaranteed once you’ve registered and confirmed your attendance.

We have 3 main areas for workshops, and some secondary ones. There is a large covered pavilion with a wooden floor (not specifically a dance floor, but it serves that purpose well); a large covered tent with chairs, and the fire circle space with benches and the dance track area. In case of rain, outdoor workshops can use the Ops building or a second large tent. We also welcome workshops that take advantage of the amazing land surrounding the camp area.

Electricity is provided during the day by a generator, and is extremely limited. No stereo or large electrical equipment is on the mountain, but with notice we can arrange to have a portable stereo/boom box on hand for you. We do not offer video equipment nor do we have adequate space to show video, due to the rustic nature of the camp.  You should not plan on using extensive electricity-based equipment for your workshop, as sometimes the generators are turned off for refueling or other reasons.

While we discourage asking for material fees, you can submit a proposal that includes a fee to cover something that people would not be able to bring themselves if you would like. Please let us know this on your proposal so we can let attendees know what to expect ahead of time.  Please do NOT request a fee that is unrelated to materials directly used for the workshop.