Hauptinhalt
Forgotten and rediscovered
Holistic healing approaches of our indigenous ancestors were dismissed as superstition by science or Christian clerics. These heathens, primitive savages, were to be converted and put on the right path. The sweat lodge was also torn out of its context and ultimately reduced to a sauna and steam bath in the form we know today.
Although pleasant effects for our body are achieved there, we do not reach deeper levels of our being or wholeness through spiritual experience, which is important for healing.
This ancient knowledge has almost been eradicated in our part of the world. However, more and more people are taking an interest in it, rediscovering it and passing it on. During an intensive time-out (vision quest), I also received this sacred ceremony from my ancestors and was given the task of working with it.
White Bird says: "Once the sweat lodge is finished, it resembles the belly of a pregnant woman lying on her back. Thus we return here at the same time into the belly of our mother or that of our mother earth. [...] By returning to the womb of our mother earth, we cleanse ourselves of all our excesses and experience new levels of consciousness that bring us inner clarity."
(Pazzogna, "Inipi - The Song of the Earth", 1998, p. 164)
How does this ritual work for me?
We fast on the day of the ceremony. We prepare a vegetable soup together during the day, which we eat after the sweat lodge.
The group is introduced to the actual ceremony with various rituals. The focus, the attention is completely directed towards the matter at hand. The group builds the sweat lodge together under my guidance.
Willow or hazel sticks are used for this, which are erected in a round igloo-like shape. This structure is then covered with blankets or furs. A pit for stones is dug in the center of the hut circle.
The earth is used to build a mound, an altar representing the heart chakra, 3 meters away from the hut.
A world tree is planted on it as a symbol of the connection to the universe. Power objects brought along can also be placed here. The fireman or firewoman also digs a pit to light the flints. The stones are made to glow in a fire.