Sweat Lodge (Stone People Lodge) - Inip Ceremony

[Admin]

Colin's Experience of his first Sweat Lodge Ceremony
As shared in 'Earth People' Magazine. 'Colin's Cooking Column'
Link: http://www.sittingowl.com.au/colscooking.htm

Before The Lodge
It just so happens that the place where the Lodge is is the exact spot where friends and I came to do meditation and relaxing with nature and Mother Earth in about 1968-1969. Sitting Owl directed while I helped to set up and prepare the lodge and Grandfather Fire. While the Grandfather Stone people where being reheated, Sitting Owl?s prayers of Gratitude to Great Spirit inspired me to do the same. Then I sat down to bring myself into a relaxed meditative state of consciousness. I began talking about the auras of trees and how they seem to pulsate with white light and a golden outline as if they?re breathing. This was to assist Sitting Owl in opening his third eye, inner eye, mind?s eye or mind screen, and to enhance my own experience in the lodge. The Stone People were red hot now, so we smudged ourselves and went on in to commune with Wakan Tanka and his helpers.

The First Round
Before Sitting Owl closed the lodge door I was already sweating my guts out [For overseas readers that means sweating profusely. Ed.] And then he put some water on the stones. When Sitting Owl sang the welcoming song my third eye opened and I saw specks of rainbow coloured tiny stars of energy. When Sitting Owl had finished singing I saw a whirling golden orange coloured vortex of energy, like a funnel, coming from outside the lodge, through the roof and into the Stone People pit. Circular waves then pulsated from the pit and lit up the whole lodge. When I described that to Sitting Owl, he said that it was probably the Great Spirit entering the lodge. Then I saw a huge silhouetted bear with a golden coloured outline, and then I saw an eagle circling the roof of the lodge from where Spirit came in. While Sitting Owl was explaining the significance of these visions, the lodge was so hot that I almost blacked out. Thank Great Spirit; Sitting Owl then opened the door to end the first round.

The Second Round
As Sitting Owl was introducing the subject for this round?s prayers, being the four directions and there associated elements, I had to concentrate on doing yogi breathing to keep myself from blacking out. At one stage I had a vision of a deer?s head with antlers, later Sitting Owl explained deer as the medicine of gentleness. While Sitting Owl was finishing his prayers I felt heaviness on the top of my head like wearing a crown. I realised that this was Great Spirit helping to heal my chronic inner ear infection that I have had for ten years. With my clairaudience I heard Great Spirit say, ?Help me heal you?, so I immediately put my Rieki hands over my left ear and left throat, meanwhile I was still almost blacking out. With my inner vision I then saw Great Spirit, in the form of golden light, swirling around my inner ear.
I then just managed to say some prayers before finishing the round. We were both so in need of fresh air that once the door was open we both collapsed with our heads hanging out gasping for air. This was not a painful experience, because it was actually quite blissful and wonderful.

The Third Round
I was so blissed out during this round that I just laid down while Sitting Owl said prayers for the two-leggeds. Then, I just managed to sit up to say my own prayers for the two-leggeds. While David waited for the steam to take my prayers up to the Great Spirit I had visions of a green and brown coloured turtle and an ambrosia coloured butterfly with a golden outline. Sitting Owl explained that turtle is Mother Earth and butterfly is transformation. Again we both collapsed with our heads hanging out gasping for air.

The Forth and last Round
In this round we sang some songs. And when Sitting Owl sang the departing song in the Lakota language I could see the song coming from him like bubbles of silvery white clouds. After that I had a vision of a spider and then a purple spotted beetle. It was as if after the Great Spirit had left the lodge I saw white and golden doves circling out through the roof. While I was waiting for Sitting Owl to leave the lodge and thank Maka (Mother Earth), and as I did some deep breathing, I experienced ecstatic physical tingling over my entire body, right down to my bones. As I was departing, and just after I had given thanks to Mother Earth, I again saw the purple spotted beetle. While I waited for Sitting Owl to cut the cord of his rebirth (Splash water over his body to ground himself) I was on my hands and knees gasping for air, still half in the lodge.
However, even the cutting of my own cord was a groovy and blissful experience. By the way, cold water on a hot body and chest boosts the immune system by increasing the ?T? cell (white cell) production, thus healing any infection of body.

After the Lodge
This is when we sat around the Sacred Fire feasting on the offering fruits from the altar, and we quickly recovered as we debriefed, giving thanks to the Great Spirit for the awesome and FANTASTIC!! Experience of my first sweat.

Epilogue
As I entered my tent to sleep I was still seeing visions of speckles of light and a spider and its web. As I collapsed on my bed in a state of ecstatic bliss saying thank you to mama and papa, I realised that Great Spirit was still with me, always has been, and always will be. And I?ll be back for many more sweats, as I am still in awe over this technique of communing with the Great Spirit. So Sitting Owl is also a pretty good cook, through him the Great Spirit cooked me up pretty good! I feel more balanced, grounded, focused and whole; and I?m looking forward to the next journey. I recommend this same experience for everyone in the world.

Yours Wholeheartedly
Colin Hill (Smiling Snake)

[Admin]

Cheryl's Impression of a Sweat Lodge Ceremony
As Shared on Sitting Owl's web site in 'Rites of Passage Blog'


I am writing in response to your query about Sweat Lodges.

Of course, every individual has their own unique experience of Sweat Lodges but they all lead to the same place - a greater and deeper connection to Great Spirit.

When we reach an awareness of our deviation from spirit and the separation and pain it has caused us individually and universally; when we realise the beliefs and limitations that we have allowed to become our truths are holding us back. When this awareness is accompanied by a willing heart, we enter a place of surrender and this is when a Sweat Lodge becomes a powerful tool. It is however not to be used as entertainment, but with good intentions magic can happen.

Before my first sweat I was filled with many fears as I have always been claustrophobic. Would I be able to cope with the heat? What if I wanted to run out screaming? Would I cope with the blackness? I know I wanted to do it but my fears rose up. Upon experiencing these fears I did it anyway, only to discover that that was all they were, just fears.

I was in a sacred space, a place of unconditional love and the experience smoothed my ruffled feathers. I felt a real connection to all those that were in the Sweat Lodge with me. I felt that they were my brothers and sisters and I felt pleased that I had faced my fears and done it anyway.

Whist in the sweat I had the feeling that I had done this many times before in another time and there was a familiarity to it, it felt right, I recall coming out feeling purified and colours looked different. The world looked more beautiful.

Each time a sweat is experienced it takes us to deeper levels of forgiveness of ourselves and all others. Our hearts are filled with deep gratitude and oneness as our reconnection to Great Spirit intensifies. Consciousness is altered profoundly and it stays with us and we can bring it into our daily lives. We revisit our deepest essence, which is love and we see and feel it in every living thing with much more intensity.

Each time we enter the sacred space of the Sweat Lodge we enter the womb of Mother Earth and each time we leave we are reborn, our illusion of reality has altered and consciousness has shifted.

For four days after the sweat we are still adjusting to the new way of being. Great spirit becomes our greatest love, we see the oneness in everybody and the perfection in everything. We trust in the Great Mystery of life and feel grateful and excited for our part in it.

I hope this has answered your question about Sweat Lodges.
Perhaps one day we can experience one together with Sitting Owl. He runs beautiful sweats.

Yours In Spirit
Cheryl

[Sitting Owl]

Posted 26th April 2009

Namaste' Colin and Cheryl

What can I say other than it has been an absolute honour and a privilege to not only spend some of my life with you, but an awesome experience to do some ceremony with you both. I thank you so much for your support of my magazine and web site by allowing me to share your experiences and thoughts with the world.

If we together can help just one or two other people to understand their connection with Spirit and to live in a more sacred manner, our earth walk becomes more harmonies with 'All Our Relations' and when our time comes to return to the spirit world we can do so knowing we helped to the world a little bit better than when we came into our earth walk.

To anyone reading this topic remember that every Sweat Lodge Ceremony is a once off and is unique and individual for everyone participating; Great Spirit gives everyone the experience they need. Also everyone who leads a Sweat Lodge has their own unique style and way of leading it. Also I ask you to be aware that their are many people running Sweat Lodges as a New Age thing to do, and not all Lodge Leaders these days are fully respectful of the awesome ceremony that it can be. The first question and most important to many people that you need to ask is: "Is the Leader charging money for their services?" The reason for this question can be found in the 6th paragragh of the article 'Psychology and Shamanism'.

I look forward to doing some ceremony with YOU some day.

Colin and Cheryl I thank you again for everything and the times we spent together and I hope we can spend some more time together and do some more ceremony in the future.