Saturday's Sweat Lodge

One of my friends left me an e-mail on Friday, inviting me to a Sweat Lodge on Saturday. After making a couple of phone calls to cancel whatever plans i already had, i was ready to go. This was my second sweat lodge. My first lodge was an awesome spiritual experience, and i will explain this a little now.

My first sweat lodge experience included building the sweat lodge and learning the beauty and sacred way of building and becoming part of the lodge. There was so much preparation for the lodge in advance of the group coming together. The hosts of that lodge had to collect the ingredients: tender but long and resilient willow branches, special rock 'people', blankets, crystals, herbs and other materials. Holes had to be dug, willow had to be scraped clean and kept in water to keep it pliable. Medicine bundles had to be made with prayer and intention. And it all had to be put together in a certain order, with intention and prayer. This all took all day and until about 11 p.m. Usually, the tribe will hold the sweat at this time, but it was too late and everyone was exhausted. However, we were invited to enter the lodge, under the stars, and meditate. Wow.

During the meditation i was invited to see three of my "past lives" as native American. These appeared as movies to me. One "movie" was a young warrior who was coming back from a hunting or warring trip. He had been hurt, but was still alive. I believe he had bear marks on his shoulders. The next "movie", if my memory serves me, was when i was shown a warrior's death at the hands of another warring tribe. The third movie, which was the most dramatic of them and the one i remember most, is when i was a medicine woman. I was old, and wore a cape of feathers. It was my time to die, and i was alone in my hut, in the woods, away from my tribe. i was part of a wolf pack and considered them my family. At my death i called them to me - and after i passed they ate my body. It was ceremony. It was very strong medicine.
Watching it from a meditative space that was detached and unemotional was amazing. However, the images still have remained with me. Although i have studied a little about death and dying, this was the first time i remember seeing versions of myself die. The builders of this lodge held their first sweat the following weekend, and it was very powerful as well.

The sweat on Saturday was in honor of two younger woman, ages 4 and 11. We ceremoniously chose our rocks, we built the fire, and tended the fire as the rocks became hot and red all the way through. We started around 11 and entered the lodge around 3 and stayed in until about 5. This lodge is what i would term a "speaking lodge", as opposed to a "silent lodge". Also, at this lodge it was required to wear clothes, and preferably for the women to cover their legs. Some lodges are clothing optional, and others men only. Some lodges include women on their moontime (menses), and some honor those women with a special position inside the lodge. I was honored during my first lodge this way.

It is totally dark inside the lodge, which is covered with blankets. The rock pit is in the middle. We crawl around the edge of the lodge until we complete the circle. The flap opens to bring in rocks and we great each rock as it enters by way of the FireKeeper. Otherwise it stays closed. Sacred water is put on the rocks with a spray of evergreen boughs. A woven Sweetgrass rope touches the rocks ceremoniously as they are put into the pit. We had 4 rounds of rocks and prayer with a total sixteen rocks. Some lodges have more than 100 rocks. It is about 90 degrees outside. Inside, it gets hotter. The first round, only the children spoke their prayers. The intention of this sweat was to honor the children of the world. To pray for children not to be hungry. To remember that we all are children, and our inner children need to have attention, be nurtured and cared for. As the adults were reminded, the children coming into our world today want to see it changed. It is up to us, as the adults, to take charge of leading this change for future generations. We were reminded that the people make the government, not the other way around. We were reminded of the lies we are told by the government and religions in order to control and manipulate. As the circle of prayers went around, people spoke from their hearts. My prayer was that all children, past, present, and future be able to hear, know and live their Truth. Others prayed for love, peace, and non-judgment, gratitude. It was a "sweet" sweat lodge, as children were invited to attend and participate. There was ceremony, there were teachings and learning about the way of the native peoples in sacred ceremony, there was a potluck and give-away afterwards. This was the beginning of the lodge. It was a cleansing lodge, too, and we were asked to pray for all of the people and things we could think of, and then let it go. The past pain is burned with the rocks, the ceremonial detachment lets us leave without the baggage. The sweat family lives on in the prayers. For me, this is a type of intentional death. I will post a future title regarding what i consider "shamanic intentional death". The intention of the lodge is cared for by the "elder" of the lodge, and kept in his prayers long after we depart.

Today, Sunday, there was another party for one of my sons. This was a very different birthday celebration at the pool, with pizza, a pinata, water balloon fight, and cake. All very American, and a different type of personal spiritual journey for me too.

It's all good.