Many of our friends in Sacred Fire Community as well as family and our local community responded to my call for prayers for the winds to calm and the fire fighters to be safe, for the land of MLP not be taken by wild fire and that the Grand Mesa be spared from losing the lives of many many many beings.

I am very grateful that people in our community sat with their fires, burning candles, holding vigil and praying around the world, for this fire on MLP land to abate. It did! Prayers work. And, more than that, I am grateful that we have an international community to call upon and that people respond. Many letters were sent with love and concern for what we’ve built here. Grandfather has ways of bringing people together that are beyond our wildest dreams!

The fire started from a lightening strike Sunday morning. People in town saw it as well as neighbors around us. We were gone from our household, here on the Mesa that weekend but we received calls to let us know. Our new grand nephew, Asher Clark, was born around the same time as the strike! His father is a fireman, so I thought I would mention his auspicious timing. Rain poured for 15 minutes and neighbors thought the fire was out.

By Tuesday afternoon the winds had kicked up and so did the latent spark in the tree that was hit. Our neighbors called in a panic. Our homes are only a mile from the blaze and a fire, with wind behind it can move at least 10 miles an hour. We had little time to pack if the winds changed course. People did pack their cars with their more precious things in case they had to evacuate. 

Instead of packing, I drove to the land and I was able to show the local fire chief how to access the blaze, by a small road that led to an old 80’s gas-well site on the southern border. The pumper trucks and crew were able to run water hoses close enough to the flames to put out fire that would have come down the hill and destroyed what has been built on MLP land. Helicopters, fire fighters, support crew, pizzas by the hundreds, bomber planes carrying slurry all showed up and the fire was contained by Friday morning. Yet, it hot coals have caused flare ups several times since. The fire fighters have been watching closely.

Each time we enter the property we offer tobacco to the land, the spirits of the place, and all the animals and plants, water and soil, sky and clouds. To all beings. This is the second fire that bordered this land but didn’t come into it. We are grateful for all beings who have left their prayers at the doorstep of this precious place. My experience over the years shows me that gratitude sends out a force-field of protection.

Fire is our friend, our common heart, our warmth in the night, our cook for our food. It brings us together. The last few days has brought many people together. Grandfather Fire has given MLP the task of building our alliances, our community, our network and while we have not been so good at achieving that, Grandfather’s mission will happen despite us as we experience this week.

Fire brings us together but without connection, it will eat and eat and eat until it has our attention. Now, the winds are calm, no loud helicopter or bomber planes are flying, it’s silent as the day reaches another 100 degrees with no clouds in the sky. We need rain to feel secure and to regain our equilibrium. Humbly, I ask for your Prayers again, that balance is restored and courage is in our hearts to bring forth this Grandfather project.

Yesterday, I visited neighbors and friends who were concerned. We hugged and became better friends, better allies. We made pacts with each other that if anything like this ever happens again we will go up to the trees and check on them, our other friends, and make sure they are alright. We vowed to watch that the strike of lightning brings rain but doesn’t destroy everything we’ve built. The spirits of the place are doing their job and we humans have a job to do, too. Together, we can live in harmony, even in a drought.

A surveillance plane is flying over the burn site as I write this morning, checking again to see that all flame is out.

Mesa Life Project needs your help to succeed. We’ve had many starts but have not been able to actualize the task of what Grandfather has given us, to bring people to the village, to live in houses there and to really be on the land, demonstrating the true nature of living in community. We continue to be dispersed with other agendas in the modern way we do. Grandfather is working hard to get our attention to get this built. Fear drives all of us, in many ways. It is clear that we are afraid to fully commit. Yet Grandfather is all about the heart so we need your help, too, to bring our full-heartedness to the project.

Our task is to show the world that living in community with all of life, plants, animals, birds, trees, waters, each other in a balanced way is the journey that is necessary for this next phase of humanity. It is the most human, natural way to be. This is not our private oasis but a shared and common vision for all of us. You are all welcome to spend time here, to visit and call this home, too.

We have many needs and really need your support. Our website is: mesalifeproject.org.  Watch our blog for new developments and come and visit.  If you feel called to help in other ways, please contact us.

It is with humility that I write and express our needs to actualize this project of Grandfather Fire.  Thank you very much,

Deanna Jenné

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