Why are we connected to the Huichols?
There is a blaze in the human heart that illumines who we are, where we came from, and why we are here. In the warmth of this blaze we feel our belonging to this world, for it burns not just in us, but also in every human, plant, animal, mineral, and situation. In the rugged Sierra Madre of Mexico, the Huichol people are living as they have for thousands of generations: in communion with this sacred fire.

Meanwhile, the lives of our people have moved in another direction – into coldness, doubt, fear and alienation. Amidst our impressive possessions, as we congratulate ourselves on our evolution, there is a disturbing emptiness, a yearning for something long forgotten. We no longer remember the fire our distant ancestors knew so well, and the Huichol people still know.

Some of the Huichol elders have recognized our plight and have opened to us their tradition of connection to Sacred Fire. From this act of generosity we now have:
• Our own shamans initiated in the Huichol tradition
• The Blue Deer Center (named for the Huichol creational deity)
• The Sacred Fire Community
• The Temple of Sacred Fire Healing
• The Blue Deer Seminary
• Direct teachings of the Sacred Fire.

As a small repayment of our debt of gratitude to the Huichol people, we founded the Huichol Art Project to create U.S. markets for their artwork. This non-profit enterprise enables many Huichol families to remain in their homeland maintaining their lifeways, rather than migrating to the lowlands to be exploited in factories and tobacco plantations.

For more information about our Huichol Art Project, please contact Annie Smith at huicholartproject@bluedeer.org.