In the mid-1990s, while living in Mexico, Don David Wiley experienced an apparition that was later recognized by Nahua and Huichol elders as the Spirit of Fire. He was asked to become a shaman, despite not seeking that path or even knowing what it meant at the time. He accepted in response to the astonishing, undeniable miracle before him. David later understood that he had been given a rare blend of qualities and skills that Grandfather Fire needed for an important purpose: to reach people in the modern world and support them in living more in alignment with Spirit and the natural world through awareness, connection, and engagement.
This understanding was deeply rooted in the teachings of elders and in traditions passed from one generation to the next. It marked the beginning of David Wiley’s long apprenticeship and eventual initiation into two living indigenous traditions in Mexico: the Nahua and the Huichol. He went on to become a teacher of these traditions and their medicine for those who were called.
Since then, he has welcomed and baptized newborns, guided young people into adulthood, counseled and healed the living, and buried the dead while helping escort their souls to their final resting place.
He also helped establish the Sacred Fire Foundation, which provides grants to indigenous groups around the world to support the preservation of their invaluable wisdom, and Sacred Fire, an international community devoted to reconnecting people to the heart, to one another, and to the world through the Spirit of Fire and Firekeeping.