Sweat Lodges are ceremonies of Prayer and Purification. Healing is at the crux of the ceremony. It is a mending of the broken connections between us and "all my relations,' words that are used when we pray. These words create a kinship with other people, the land, and animals. It is a sacred act of renewal. Tom and Kristen (Water Pourers) have been taught in the tradition of Joseph Rael and the Tiwa people of Picuris Pueblo.
The Elders of the
chamber encourage all of you to walk the land before the lodge, and convey your
thoughts of gratitude to the land. We
have cornmeal and ceremonial tobacco which you can feed to the trees and the
land on your short meditative walk. Also,
there will be materials for the making of Prayer Ties which you may carry into
the Lodge. Someone will be on hand
to remind you how to do this. We
will start promptly at
Starting
in September, 2005, we shall be reading Joseph’s book, “The Way of
Inspiration.” Each chapter deals with one of the ten steps of inspiration and
shall serve as a theme for the monthly sweat lodge and chanting. Copies of this
book will be available at Birdsong for $15.00.