I am living in Arizona on a Navajo Indian Reservation over the summer and a few days ago i participated in a Navajo sweat. Sweats are considered a very sacred ordeal in any indian tribe. The sweat is held in a sweat lodge thats is about 10 ft in circumference and can hold about 8 people. In the sweat, the people participating sit around a pit which (in the first round) is filled with 9 glowing red, fresh from the fire stones. 9 stones because it represents the 9 months that you are in your mothers whome. The cheif first rolls a cigarette, rolled with tobacco grown on their land and it is rolled in a corn husk. Everybody smokes it...its like the same idea as a peace pipe i guess. Then the cheaf tells differnt stories about how the land is sacred and how that water is one of the most powerful things on this earth. He then pours sage water on the rocks. This creates a temendous heat which is almost imbarable. The heat represents all that is weak inside of you. You must be strong and focus on your mind and spirit and not the heat. The cheaf tells more stories. And everybody prays, and everybody goes around the circle saying whatever is one their mind. That last for an hour or so. Then everybody is let out to get a drink of water. There are 4 rounds in a sweat, each lasting for 1 to 3 hours. Each round has a differnt topic...some deal with death, some deal with love, some deal with prayer. The heat is also increased in each round. Sweats are a great way to learn a lot about yourself and it really changes your prospective on life. I think the world could learn a lot from doing a sweat. Has anybody else had any unique religious expireinces like this.
Yes I do, My first sweat lodge was in Hawaii on the North Shore of Oahu. I had some of my closest friends there. We didnt smoke, but the shaman used incense on the rocks. I prayed for some very significant things, and for a long time my prayers have been answered. I remember getting really angry in the lodge, for no reason, just fuming I wanted to yell or scream but all I could do was Hum and sing. As he let us out this time I walked outside and laid down in the mud, covering myself with it. As it went on I began to feel like a detox was happening, like all my sins and feelings of failure were being washed away. I felt angry at the world and this seemed to drip away too. I wanted the world to be something that it wasnt and I was learning to accept the way it truly is. It was a wonderful life changing experience. I would recommend it to anyone to at least try.
was it a hot one? lol. are you familiar with the issues at black mesa trust since you are on the rez for the summer? if not, you should check it out, gathering clouds... some crazy fires, huh??? peace, anistara
to erase confusion, the smoking detail is not, i repeat, not, like smoking the peace pipe. if you are in a ceremony with elders who are smoking the peace pipe, you better wonder what you have done to earn that position, seriously. it's heavy medicine and only smoked on a very rare occasion and generally only tribal council. i've been going around this boat too many ti es this week! my work never ends! lol... peace piper, anistara
When I was about 15 I did two sweats with a Cree Medicine Man named Bearheart. I liked him alot and the process. He did light a peace pipe only once during the sweat. Most of the time was spent confessing our sins and downfalls. It was a good experience. He also was one of the most powerful people I have ever met. I always wonder where he is now?
I've never done that but it sounds so cool... if the opportunity arose, I'd love to do a sweat lodge thing...
Awesome. I would tend to agree that more folk should at least try a sweat at least once in their life.
