December 30, 2008 - January 1, 2009

Ceremony for the New Year

This 3 day, 2 night ceremony is for the entire family. Don Rutury and Doña Jaichima teach the young ones that there is another way of celebrating and receiving the New Year in a ceremonial way. All participants are encourage to take part of the ceremony.

Participants create luminarias for people or events they wish to honor. Each bag has drawings, symbols, or names of those being honored or remembered. All participants also create prayer sticks and hang small prayer flags of different colors with wishes for the universe and our planet Mother Earth.

Before dark falls on New Year's Eve, the many luminarias are lit in patterns and paths all over the property. A few minutes before midnight, all participants walk in line into the lighted spiral with drums, rattles and prayer flags. As midnight nears, each prayer flag is thoughtfully placed in the fire. When all the prayer flags have been placed in the fire, a gong is struck, and the group makes a loud and joyful noise for the birth of the new year.

It must be stressed that Doña Jaichima and Don Rutury neither use nor need any mind-altering substances in their healing work with you, and that the use of these are strictly prohibited.