Question:
Has anyone taken part in this ceremony here in the UK? What was it like and what can I expect? I am attending one on Saturday near Farnham Surrey and would love to hear of anyone elses experiences
Hi Steve, Is the ceremony just a sweat lodge or a whole event?
I'm not too far from Farnham, and would be interested if it's a whole day.
Love and light
Rosi X
Hi Steve
Sounds like you are embarking on an adventure! I have been in many sweat lodges over the last 3 years. There is no one way to describe the experience, because even for one person each sweat lodge is different, and the same sweat lodge will provide different experiences to different people. For example, one person might experience the heat as overwhelmingly hot, whilst for another it is just right - how people deal with the heat indicates how aligned they are with the energy and my own experience shows me that if I am engaged in the sweat and not focussing on what my body is doing, then the sweat is easier than if I get stuck in telling myself: this is hot!!! This is a ceremonial space, so it's not like being in a sauna either!
And different people will run sweatlodges in different ways - so the best people to talk to about what will phyiscally happen are the people running the sweat (I would be surprised if they didn't run you through that on the day if this is your first sweat with them).
Be prepared for a new experience: be open to what may or may not happen and hold no expectations, just take the experience as it comes.
Blessings
Eagle
It's funny this thread has come up... I've just brought a book which mentions sweat lodges and it's the first time I've heard of it... so what is it?? :)
Thanks
Gail
one thing I need to do in a sweat lodge is be quite close to the door
in my very first one I innocently went inside and was opposite the door, and I could not handle that. I said so out loud and the woman leading it told me to come and sit by the door..just a little something to consider. of course, you may be totally at ease wherever you sit
enjoy this communion with the Earth
oh yes,if you are given black bags to put your clothes in beforehand, then tie a scarf around the top so you know where yours is after wards, and also it is fine to wear eg a swimsuit. I do
tigress
Hi, stevegreen.
Sweat Lodge ceremonies are good for body cleanliness as the heat and the steam can help the body to get rid of toxins. The ceremony mayalso used for 'spiritual purification', to intensify prayers, invocations and magical intention. Some people use them to prepare for difficult tasks or handle criese of sort.
Native American tribes all have diferent way as to the Sweat logde and it's meaning.
love and blessings
lightwinds x
Wendy
hi on a verry old post people were talking about having to pay to sweat .Thats odd to me.But things are different over there. I supose .All so in what form do you do lodge in the uk. is it Celtic lakota or to make things more simple isit aNative sweat or something diferent?
what i was told was if you get to hot .just put your head down and cover your self with your towel. that works the best.but in adition to that nuthing is or happens without discomfort,i was tought that we suffer so outhers may not and we struggle so we can grow like the seed when it is planted.not to mention the only thing we have is our blood are sweat and tears well thats what they say.the only thing that we have posestion of is our boddies.but for themost part relax your going home .
Heya Hokeshela, welcome to HP! Do go introduce yourself if you haven't already.
Over here a sweat isn't done so much as part of a spiritual tradition, as with the First Nations, but more likely connected to a spiritual/awareness weekend. On the other hand, if you're lucky and get invited to a friend's gathering as I was some years back, then you might get to be part of a sweat! :D
I can't really speak for what most people do over here but I think there are Native ones and more Celtic/Scandanavian ones, depending on who is running it.
The one I attended was mixed and we had to join in making the lodge (tarps over bent hazel branches) early in the day. There was a hole with heat-retaining rocks in the middle and we were smudged as we entered - naked. We also had to pass the scrutiny of a 'doorkeeper' who symbolically made sure we were doing it with the correct intent. A drummer drummed right through the night.
We had four rounds, with the heat building up each time of course and were dowsed with cold water in between. Anyone who was too hot could request to leave and we'd all shuffle round until they reached the door.
The four rounds entailed the initial detox, then prayers and personal offerings for others and the Earth, then focused intent and connection followed by release and celebration/prayers of thanks.
It was quite an experience and one I'd love to do again someday. As you say, the only thing we have possession of is our bodies and part of the discomfort is to offer that up and rise above and beyond it.
Blessings
Lorraine
Hello Hokeshela, Welcome to HP. I know when I went to see a Native American over here in Uk who teaches spirituailty called(Wa-Na-Nee-Che) lovely man. He gave some lovely talks and he call the Sweat Lodge," Earth Lodge". Never been to one myself.
love and blessings
lightwinds
Wendy x
Hm well i haven't done an intro. I was looking up sweat lodges on line ,because my brother and i talked about the fact that at one point most nations had them.So i was looking up sweat lodges in the UK. more or less and found this sight and thought this would be the best way to learn about how you do things now.in addition i can share how the lakota people do inepies or stone people lodges and or sweat lodges.I am a Lakota native (sioux) Plains indn. well to be more accurate im a mix but their are no full blooded indns left.That about it .
>Hokeshela
It's funny how we're guided, isn't it? ;)
Please share what you feel comfortable with, Hokeshela. Over here the sweat tradition is gradually being re-discovered or maybe re-invented. I think more and more Europeans are trying to move away from copying the Lakota traditions and developing our own style.
Lorraine
my brother was telling me about a person that was singing celtic songs and doing lodge that way im not sure who she is we havent met her yet but she was yousing the lakota type of lodge 4 rounds same setup for the most part but like i sed everthing she did was in Gaelic not sure what forme being that that is a family of laguages.i dont see why you cant or even if its wrong to tke the form youse the form exactly but put it in your language like this person did ,and have the same basick form. from what i know all peoples had lodges in some form and i think that it is evry ones right to fined and get that back if they want it .for some reason all people lost that knowledge to some exctent perhaps we didnt youse it in the right way ,i dont know im just glad that some of that was not lost for me and that people all over are going back home
Hokeshela
Hello Hokeshela, Quote "People are going back home", back to one's traditional roots is a good thing for all people's of the world. I come from a place in Uk called Cornwall and we have our own language and it beginning to be revived again.The cornish language died out in late 18th century and was revived in 20th century There about 3,500 who speak Cornish for basic conversation and about 300-400 fluenty.
And soon it will be taught again in cornish schools. [sm=offtopic.gif] sorry was going off topic.
In Ireland I think it was 1970's they found little mounds that look like small sweat lodges.
Speak again soon I hope
love and blessings
lightwinds x
Wendy
Hi Hokeshela
I've been reading this thread with interest, and would love to hear more about the Lakota tradition of inepies or stone people lodges and sweat lodges. I have been going to regular sweat lodges in the UK for the last 3 years. These are based on Cherokee sweats and again consist of 4 rounds (welcoming in the powers and prayers for self, prayers for others, give away round and thanking the powers). Earlier you mentioned about charging for sweats. A charge is made at the sweats which are open to the general public, but this is not for the ceremony itself, this is to cover the costs of renting the place where the sweat takes place, the wood and refreshments. Noone is paid for organising or running the ceremony.
Blessings
Eagle
Answers:
Hi Steve, Is the ceremony just a sweat lodge or a whole event?
I'm not too far from Farnham, and would be interested if it's a whole day.
Love and light
Rosi X
Answers:
Hi Steve
Sounds like you are embarking on an adventure! I have been in many sweat lodges over the last 3 years. There is no one way to describe the experience, because even for one person each sweat lodge is different, and the same sweat lodge will provide different experiences to different people. For example, one person might experience the heat as overwhelmingly hot, whilst for another it is just right - how people deal with the heat indicates how aligned they are with the energy and my own experience shows me that if I am engaged in the sweat and not focussing on what my body is doing, then the sweat is easier than if I get stuck in telling myself: this is hot!!! This is a ceremonial space, so it's not like being in a sauna either!
And different people will run sweatlodges in different ways - so the best people to talk to about what will phyiscally happen are the people running the sweat (I would be surprised if they didn't run you through that on the day if this is your first sweat with them).
Be prepared for a new experience: be open to what may or may not happen and hold no expectations, just take the experience as it comes.
Blessings
Eagle
Answers:
It's funny this thread has come up... I've just brought a book which mentions sweat lodges and it's the first time I've heard of it... so what is it?? :)
Thanks
Gail
Answers:
one thing I need to do in a sweat lodge is be quite close to the door
in my very first one I innocently went inside and was opposite the door, and I could not handle that. I said so out loud and the woman leading it told me to come and sit by the door..just a little something to consider. of course, you may be totally at ease wherever you sit
enjoy this communion with the Earth
oh yes,if you are given black bags to put your clothes in beforehand, then tie a scarf around the top so you know where yours is after wards, and also it is fine to wear eg a swimsuit. I do
tigress
Answers:
Hi, stevegreen.
Sweat Lodge ceremonies are good for body cleanliness as the heat and the steam can help the body to get rid of toxins. The ceremony mayalso used for 'spiritual purification', to intensify prayers, invocations and magical intention. Some people use them to prepare for difficult tasks or handle criese of sort.
Native American tribes all have diferent way as to the Sweat logde and it's meaning.
love and blessings
lightwinds x
Wendy
Answers:
hi on a verry old post people were talking about having to pay to sweat .Thats odd to me.But things are different over there. I supose .All so in what form do you do lodge in the uk. is it Celtic lakota or to make things more simple isit aNative sweat or something diferent?
Answers:
what i was told was if you get to hot .just put your head down and cover your self with your towel. that works the best.but in adition to that nuthing is or happens without discomfort,i was tought that we suffer so outhers may not and we struggle so we can grow like the seed when it is planted.not to mention the only thing we have is our blood are sweat and tears well thats what they say.the only thing that we have posestion of is our boddies.but for themost part relax your going home .
Answers:
Heya Hokeshela, welcome to HP! Do go introduce yourself if you haven't already.
Over here a sweat isn't done so much as part of a spiritual tradition, as with the First Nations, but more likely connected to a spiritual/awareness weekend. On the other hand, if you're lucky and get invited to a friend's gathering as I was some years back, then you might get to be part of a sweat! :D
I can't really speak for what most people do over here but I think there are Native ones and more Celtic/Scandanavian ones, depending on who is running it.
The one I attended was mixed and we had to join in making the lodge (tarps over bent hazel branches) early in the day. There was a hole with heat-retaining rocks in the middle and we were smudged as we entered - naked. We also had to pass the scrutiny of a 'doorkeeper' who symbolically made sure we were doing it with the correct intent. A drummer drummed right through the night.
We had four rounds, with the heat building up each time of course and were dowsed with cold water in between. Anyone who was too hot could request to leave and we'd all shuffle round until they reached the door.
The four rounds entailed the initial detox, then prayers and personal offerings for others and the Earth, then focused intent and connection followed by release and celebration/prayers of thanks.
It was quite an experience and one I'd love to do again someday. As you say, the only thing we have possession of is our bodies and part of the discomfort is to offer that up and rise above and beyond it.
Blessings
Lorraine
Answers:
Hello Hokeshela, Welcome to HP. I know when I went to see a Native American over here in Uk who teaches spirituailty called(Wa-Na-Nee-Che) lovely man. He gave some lovely talks and he call the Sweat Lodge," Earth Lodge". Never been to one myself.
love and blessings
lightwinds
Wendy x
Answers:
Hm well i haven't done an intro. I was looking up sweat lodges on line ,because my brother and i talked about the fact that at one point most nations had them.So i was looking up sweat lodges in the UK. more or less and found this sight and thought this would be the best way to learn about how you do things now.in addition i can share how the lakota people do inepies or stone people lodges and or sweat lodges.I am a Lakota native (sioux) Plains indn. well to be more accurate im a mix but their are no full blooded indns left.That about it .
>Hokeshela
Answers:
It's funny how we're guided, isn't it? ;)
Please share what you feel comfortable with, Hokeshela. Over here the sweat tradition is gradually being re-discovered or maybe re-invented. I think more and more Europeans are trying to move away from copying the Lakota traditions and developing our own style.
Lorraine
Answers:
my brother was telling me about a person that was singing celtic songs and doing lodge that way im not sure who she is we havent met her yet but she was yousing the lakota type of lodge 4 rounds same setup for the most part but like i sed everthing she did was in Gaelic not sure what forme being that that is a family of laguages.i dont see why you cant or even if its wrong to tke the form youse the form exactly but put it in your language like this person did ,and have the same basick form. from what i know all peoples had lodges in some form and i think that it is evry ones right to fined and get that back if they want it .for some reason all people lost that knowledge to some exctent perhaps we didnt youse it in the right way ,i dont know im just glad that some of that was not lost for me and that people all over are going back home
Hokeshela
Answers:
Hello Hokeshela, Quote "People are going back home", back to one's traditional roots is a good thing for all people's of the world. I come from a place in Uk called Cornwall and we have our own language and it beginning to be revived again.The cornish language died out in late 18th century and was revived in 20th century There about 3,500 who speak Cornish for basic conversation and about 300-400 fluenty.
And soon it will be taught again in cornish schools. [sm=offtopic.gif] sorry was going off topic.
In Ireland I think it was 1970's they found little mounds that look like small sweat lodges.
Speak again soon I hope
love and blessings
lightwinds x
Wendy
Answers:
Hi Hokeshela
I've been reading this thread with interest, and would love to hear more about the Lakota tradition of inepies or stone people lodges and sweat lodges. I have been going to regular sweat lodges in the UK for the last 3 years. These are based on Cherokee sweats and again consist of 4 rounds (welcoming in the powers and prayers for self, prayers for others, give away round and thanking the powers). Earlier you mentioned about charging for sweats. A charge is made at the sweats which are open to the general public, but this is not for the ceremony itself, this is to cover the costs of renting the place where the sweat takes place, the wood and refreshments. Noone is paid for organising or running the ceremony.
Blessings
Eagle
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