A sweat lodge is a Native American tradition where individuals enter a dome-shaped dwelling to experience a sauna-like environment. The lodge itself is typically a wooden-framed structure made from tree branches. Hot rocks are placed inside an earthen-dug pit located in the center of this man-made enclosure. Water is periodically poured over the heated rocks to create a hot and steamy room. The sweat ceremony is intended as a spiritual reunion with the creator and a respectful connection to the earth itself as much as it is meant for purging toxins out of the physical body.
What went wrong? - We will have to wait until the official report comes back. But, what has happened is truly a sad affair whatever the cause. The purpose of a sweat is purification and yes, it can be physically uncomfortable. I've not participated in a large sweat such as the one at Angel Valley that houses so many people under one roof. My experience with sweats has been inside smaller privately owned lodges with room for fewer than a dozen individuals. It is important to know your limits and get out of the lodge if you are feeling ill. I remember a friend of mine feeling overwhelmed during one of the sweats I participated in. Because the lodge was so small three of us had to crawl out of the lodge ahead of her so she could make her exit. Then we crawled back inside. We knew this could happen before the sweat began. Our leader told us beforehand not to feel obligated to stay in the lodge merely out of convenience for the others... self-care was stressed. He also would not allow anyone to participate who had any type of heart condition. In the larger commercial lodges, my assumption is that people can make their way out of the lodge without disrupting other participants if they feel the need to leave, but I cannot say for sure. Either way, I would hope that instruction or warning was given to the participants beforehand about tending their personal needs and well-being. I'm so saddened.
When I read this article I thought the term ‘commercial sweatlodge’ seemed very strange but when I visited the website this seemed a good description of what went on.
The Sweat here on this continent belongs to the Native Americans. Anyone who leads a Sweat ceremony should be a bona fide Native American religious leader. Generally the participants are Native also, although close friends may be welcome.
The Scandanavians also practice a form of the Sweat in their land, and newage pagans sometimes practice a hybrid form of this ceremony. The spirits are generally very helpful and forgiving as long as the people involved are respectful and knowledgable. Certain commonsense and ritual precautions are always observed. Purity of intent is important; one does not sweat for personal gain. This is one of the alarm bells that went off for me when I read the “spiritual warrior” website.
Until the news reports are released it is impossible to say what went wrong. I’ve been in a few sweats and although it does get uncomfortable in there I”ve never felt that there was any physical danger. I can stretch my imagination and think of a few crazy / foolhardy things that people might do in sweats to prove what “spiritual warriors” they are, and if people do things like this then there might be physical danger. 60 people in there is way too many, maybe they got aphyxiated? Who knows?
May the guardians of the afterlife be merciful with those who died, help them to make amends for whatever they may have done wrong in there, and help them to find whatever it is that they need. And may this be a warning to all plastic medicine men out there, to leave this stuff alone.
There is NOTHING Commercial about a sweat lodge! There is a process which must be followed. Once money comes into the sweat lodge the sacredness of the sweat is lost!
Words from Chief Arvol Lookinghorses:
As Keeper of our Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle, I am concerned for the 2 deaths and illnesses of the many people that participated in a sweat lodge in Sedona, Arizona that brought our sacred rite under fire in the
news. I would like to clarify that this lodge and many others, are not our ceremonial way of life, because of the way they are being conducted. My prayers go out for their families and loved ones for their loss.
Our ceremonies are about life and healing, from the time this ancient ceremonial rite was given to our people, never has death been a part of our inikagıa (life within) when conducted properly. Today the rite is interpreted as a sweat lodge, it is much more then that. So the term does not fit our real meaning of purification.
Inikagıa is the oldest ceremony brought to us by Wakan Tanka (Great Spirit). 19 generations ago, the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Oyate (people), were given seven sacred rites of healing by a Spirit Woman Pte San Win (White Buffalo
Calf Woman). She brought these rites along with our sacred Cıanupa (pipe) to our People, when our ancestors were suffering from a difficult time. It was also brought for the future to help us for much more difficult times to come. They were brought to help us stay connected to who we are as a traditional cultural People. The values of conduct are very strict in any of these ceremonies, because we work with spirit. The way the Creator, Wakan Tanka told us; that if we stay humble and sincere, we will keep that connection with the inyan oyate (the stone people), who we call the Grandfathers, to be able to heal our selves and loved ones. We have a ³gift² of prayer and healing and have to stay humble with our Uncıi Maka (Grandmother Earth) and with one another. The inikagıa is used in all of the seven sacred rites to prepare and finish the ceremonies, along with the
sacred eagle feather. The feather represents the sacred knowledge of our ancestors.
Our First Nations People have to earn the right to pour the mini wicıoni (water of life) upon the inyan oyate (the stone people) in creating Inikagıa – by going on the vision quest for four years and four years Sundance. Then you are put through a ceremony to be painted – to recognize that you have now earned that right to take care of someoneıs life through purification. They should also be able to understand our sacred language, to be able to understand the messages from the Grandfathers, because they are ancient, they are our spirit ancestors. They walk and teach the values of our culture; in being humble, wise, caring and compassionate.
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What has happened in the news with the make shift sauna called the sweat lodge is not our ceremonial way of life!
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When you do ceremony – you can not have money on your mind. We deal with the pure sincere energy to create healing that comes from everyone in that circle of ceremony. The heart and mind must be connected. When you involve money, it changes the energy of healing. The person wants to get what they paid for; the Spirit Grandfathers will not be there, our way of life is now being exploited! You do more damage then good. No² mention² of monetary energy should exist in healing, not even with a can of love donations. When that energy exists, they will not even come. Only afterı the ceremony, between the person that is being healed and the Intercessor who has helped connect with the Great Spirit, the energy of money can be given out of appreciation. That exchange of energy is from the heart; it is private and does not involve the Grandfathers! Whatever gift of appreciation the person who received the help, can now give the Intercessor what ever they feel their healing is worth.
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In our Prophesy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, she told us that she would return and stand upon the earth when we are having a hard time. In 1994 this began to happen with the birth of the white buffalo, not only their nation, but many animal nations began to show their sacred color, which is white. She predicted that at this time there would be many changes upon Grandmother Earth. There would be things that we never experienced or heard of before; climate changes, earth changes, diseases, disrespect for life and one another would be shocking and there would be also many false prophets!
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My Grandmother that passed the bundle to me said I would be the last Keeper if the Oyate (people) do not straighten up. The assaults upon Grandmother Earth are horrendous, the assaults toward one another was not in our culture, the assaults against our People (Oyate) have been termed as genocide, and now we are experiencing spiritual genocide!
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> Because of the problems that began to arise with our rebirth of being able to do our ceremonies in the open since the Freedom of Religion Act of 1978, our Elders began talking to me about the abuses they seen in our ceremonial
way of life, which was once very strict. After many years of witnessing their warnings, we held a meeting to address this very issue of lack of protocol in our ceremonies. After reaching an agreement of addressing the misconduct of our ceremonies and reminding of the proper protocols, a statement was made in March 2003. Every effort was made to insure our way of life of who we are as traditional cultural People was made, because these ways are for our future and all life upon the Grandmother Earth (Mitakuye Oyasin All my relations), so that they may have good health. Because these atrocities are being mocked and practiced all over the world, there was even a film we made called ³Spirits for Sale².
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> The non-native people have a right to seek help from our ³First Nation Intercessors² for good health and well-being, it is up to that Intercessor. That is a privilege for all People that we gift for being able to have good health and understand that their protocol is to have respect and appreciate what we have to share. The First Nations Intercessor has to earn that right to our ceremonial way of life in the ways I have explained.
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At this time, I would like to ask all Nations upon Grandmother Earth to please respect our sacred ceremonial way of life and stop the exploitation of our Tunka Oyate (Spiritual Grandfathers).
In a Sacred Hoop of Life, where there is no ending and no beginning!
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Namahıu yo (hear my words),
Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle.
Chief Arvol Looking Horse: Although my understanding of your culture is very limited, I have much respect for the things you have written. It does not take a genius to see that we live in a period of time where many are captivated and engulped by the horrible clutches of greed, dishonor, and thievery. Greed, in that gods have been made out of money, dishonor in that respect for others and even god-given natural things seem to have taken a back seat for the sakes of personal pleasures , thievery in that originality seems to have taken a back seat in many instances. There are those who will no dolubt not only steal other’s identity, but cultural practices as well. The end result is always perversion. Perversion leads to destruction. There are so many cultures in the world, and yet we can constructively learn from each other. However, this type learning is contengent, and that contengency depends upon keeping things in the right perspective without deviation. How I long for the time when we can come together and share our God-given talents with the right motives. I shall always remember your comments concerning how energy connected with money will weaken the energy connected with healing during the healing ceremony. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to respond to your comments.
When I saw footage of this on the news, the first thing I noticed was that the lodge was covered with plastic tarps. Plastic does not breathe! In the old days the lodges would have been covered with hides or some other natural material, nowadays old blankets or tent canvas will do. Think about it, a bunch of people in a small space with no air circulation, what do you think is going to happen?! The person running this obviously did not have the knowledge or even the common sense to attempt this ceremony. The “Bundle” that Grandfather Lookinghorses speaks of is the equivalent of a PhD. It shows the recipient has gone through the necessary training and education to conduct the ceremony. Just as you wouldn’t go to a modern doctor who doesn’t have a medical degree, don’t go to a Lodge run by a wannabe!
Thanks for those words from your spiritual leader, Arvol Lookinghorse.
Please allow me to clarify what I meant when I said, a “commercial sweatlodge” seemed like a good description of what went on. I didn’t mean that there was anything good about it. I only meant that the word “commercial” was accurate. I visited their website and was disgusted to see that it was all about what people could expect to gain from the ceremonies. I was particularly offended by the picture of their leader, surrounded by luxury that he had most likely gotten by selling the sacred, and the implied promise that his followers would enjoy similar material gain. With such hype, there were people willing to fork over $9000 or more for the experience!
Anyone with any sense at all knows that this is wrong, even if they cannot explain why as well as your leader did! So I should have noted that “commercial sweatlodge” is indeed a contradiction in terms.
Personally; I think Arvol Looking Horse should spend time in introspection and in finding the will of the Great Creator.
The medicine men and holy men have been putting a lot of pressure on him to refute earlier statements.
13 years ago I was in the audience when he said “no one should be denied a pipe”.
Now he is saying the exact opposite. Now he is saying that ONLY indians should use a pipe, and ONLY if they speak lakota.
THE SPIRITS DON’T CARE WHAT LANGUAGE YOU SPEAK OR WHAT COLOR YOUR SKIN IS.
If you are humble and respectful; the spirits WILL work with you.
I am of Cherokee, German, Irish, and Scottish heritage, and I used a Catlinite (pipestone) pipe for several years, and the years I used a pipe was the most spiritually fulling part of my life. NO ONE SHOULD BE DENIED THE PRACTICE OF ANY SPIRITUAL PATH THEY SEE FIT TO FOLLOW.
I no longer use the pipe but it is NOT because Arvol Looking Horse, and the medicine and holy people putting the pressure on him. said I shound not yse the pipe
I stopped using the pipe because the spirits clearly showed me that they would work with me whether I used the pipe or not.
What was in my mind and heart trumped whether I used the pipe or not and spoke lakota or not.
If a person thinks they need the pipe; they need the pipe, and they should be allowed to use the pipe in a sacred manner.
Arvol Looking Horse has allowed the pendulum to be pushed to the extreme, and it it long overdue they he grow a spine and goes back to letting the spirits determine whether a person should use the pipe or not.
If he person is coming from the wrong place the spirits will not work with them whether they use a pipe or now, and whether they speak Lakota or not.
With all due respect to Chief Lookinghorse, it is important to remember that everyone is human and anyone can make mistakes.
I remember shortly after Miracle was born, Chief Lookinghorse went on the road, accepting all sorts of invitations. Some of these invitations may not have been good to accept, and some people questioned some of the places he was going and people he was going with. Inevitably, there were some abuses and some crazy things happened, and some people I hear even tried to take the Pipe away, or question whether he had the right to carry it, etc. (I saw some of this with my own eyes.) So I guess the elders decided to close the door on it all, throwing the baby out with the bath water as the saying goes.
If only it were as simple as saying, that if a person knows the language and has been through the training then they are doing right, otherwise they are doing wrong! If it were that simple, no one would have to make tough decisions or go through painful experiences.
But it’s not that simple. I know of a man (God rest his soul) who did only one bad thing in his life: he slandered and gossiped against an innocent person whom he had helped in the sweat, nearly driving that person to suicide. That man was an established Tribal elder who knew the language and had been through all of the ceremonies. But politics and illness got the better of him and he did that one bad thing.
On the other hand, I know of a man who says he is Cherokee although his family says he is a crazy hippie wannabe. However, he has done some very powerful sweats where people have received genuine healings. (Unfortunately things get screwed up later but that’s another story. )
And I know still another man who does not do sweats; however, he also has a powerful gift of healing and working with the spirits, that he practices through several eclectic traditions.
As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
All I’m saying is, if only it were that simple to tell who is real and who is not based on whether or not they know a Native language and whether or not they have been brought up through an established tradition, it would be too easy. Nobody said this learning experience that we call Life on Earth is supposed to be easy.
I am very sorry that two dealths resulted from this happening and that others were sickened. We all know the pain and grieving that accompanies the loss of loved ones.
I think many of you will be able to understand what I am saying: no man dies unless his soul is in agreement. Regardless of what the surrounding circumstances are — we may never understand the reasons on an earthly 3D plane…but I do believe most of that adhere to the non-mainstream types of religions are in agreement that we all choose/agree upon our deaths…regardless of what manifests. I know we must strive to be responsible in all we do… I so hope that this does not in any way blight the experience of sweat lodges that have been traditional for so many years. I hope that whatever transpires is done for the highest good…and the highest good of all concerned.
Hi….everyone, this timeline is a bit behind as there has been tons of events since the last one reported here.
Everyone interested should read this document….it is entered into evidence and will be used at the Trial—it is the best accounting of what’s happened in this case, and I judge that as someone who is intimately involved in this Trial.
http://bogus-sweatlodge.com/tuesday.html
i thought this whole thing was in fact a “bikram” yoga event. i was living just south of sedona when this happened and though i did not read the newspaper articles, word around town had spread about bikram. all kinds of people who ordinarily would never had heard of it before, now only “knew” that “bikram killed.” never heard a sweatlodge reference from anyone. did bikram file a lawsuit (which he is becoming known for now)???