Journey of a Sacred Fire at NEIU

From Sept. 9-11, the campus north of Northeastern's Physical Complex resembled that of a Native American ground: a fire was lit and surrounded by a large circle of chairs, with brightly colored flags hanging high around a welcoming atmosphere. NEIU's Peace Connection, whose committee members include dedicated staff and community members, was the host of the peace conference for students, their families, and spiritual leaders from other countries.

"Throughout the world, there are many people who are joining us by lighting the peace fire," said Yasmin Ranney, Assistant Dean of Academic Development and founding member of The Peace Connection. "It's global and helps us connect to each other through the energy we are harnessing."

Fire ceremonies have been used to "bring back feelings of connectedness that have been lost" since 10,000 B.C. Different cultures such as the Egyptians, Irish, Eskimos, Cherokee and Potawatomi believe in the fire's special powers to spread energy around the world in hopes to create peace.

Northeastern's sacred peace fire first began in 1996 when Dan Creely Jr., a recently retired professor of the Physical Education department, members of Teachers of Experiential and Adventure Methodology (T.E.A.M.), and Native American fire keepers held a conference on NEIU's campus, where it has been held ever since. "The committee members from around the Northeastern community don't get any reward other than the satisfaction that they're dedicating their time [and] volunteering their commitment to build a more sensible community for students and staff," said Ranney.

Guests were given small bottles of Sacred Water, which contained water collected from special areas in countries such as Scotland, France and Colombia. Coal bundles were also given, which had carefully collected pieces of white cedar, birch bark, a seed from a paper birch tree, bark from a tree struck by lightning where the fires are held, and coal from The Sacred Fire.

According to The Peace Connection's website, www.neiupeaceconnection.com, these fire coals have been shared by Creely, brought to different countries, given to world leaders like the Dalai Lama, and used in other ceremonies. Notable participants that visited the school's campus for these ceremonies include Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Jane Goodall, spiritual leaders from Ireland and India, and Tibetan monks from the Drepung Monastery.

Students were able to get a better understanding of peace by the fire circle hosted on Sept. 9, a date that numerologists believe marked the end of one era and the beginning of a new chapter in the world.

"We decided 9-9-09 was a very significant date, so we wanted to commemorate that by having this conference and opportunity to meet," said Ranney. "We had probably a couple hundred students that came and shared discussions of what peace means to them and how to live peacefully when there's conflict all around you."

Like Creely, Ranney believes that Northeastern's diverse location adds a more special aura to the peace conferences because of historical legends.

"People believe that this was once an ancient Native American peace center many centuries ago," said Ranney. "There's a certain feeling of peacefulness here, yet we're in a very urban environment."

A peace tree planting ceremony was held the next day around 9 a.m. and students from the Adventure Gym class were invited to attend.

"We each picked up a small piece of charcoal and some dirt, then buried the charcoal where the new tree was going to be planted," said Sam Jensen, a freshman in the Adventure Gym Class. "They told us about how the tree was being planted as a sign of peace and explained that it was important for us to be there as the next generation."

Jensen's class participated in different activities for about an hour in order to plant the tree.

"We sang spiritual songs and prayers; there were three circles of people holding hands that went around the tree circle," said Brian McGuire. "It was really cool and way bigger than I expected."

The different spiritual leaders played important roles in the ceremony.

"The people from Ireland brought their coal and the Native American people did too, and we buried them all together, representing us laying down our peace," said McGuire.

Ranney hopes that participants will realize the impact they make not only in their communities, but also in the world.

"The message we want to bring to anyone who will listen is that peace begins with you, with one person at a time," she said. For the most part, these peace conferences do appear to be positively influencing NEIU students.

"I have always been one to neglect the thought of war, but this actually opened my eyes to how much it affects those all around the world," said Amanda Aponte. "War and the [search] for peace go way beyond the U.S. and our involvement in Iraq."

"I'm definitely going to find out more about [the next fire circle] and I'll tell my local friends," said McGuire. "I think it's something everyone should see a little of."