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5 Comments

  • Reply Toni February 25, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    I found your blog by googling ‘sweat lodge’ & really identified with your story. I will certainly look forward to my updates.
    I’d be v grateful if you could offer some advice please? We’re thinking of participating in a Sweat Lodge Ceremony for my 4yr old with autism, with an Elder in NM. By email his apprentice said these things are relatively expensive as they require a lot of work and while Medicine Men do not work for pay, they do expect a good sized donation particularly from white people who they perceive as being far better off than Indians. This is not always true, of course, but that is how it is seen. I do not personally get involved in arrangements to get people to the Navajo reservation, or in arranging donations, but if you wish I can put you in touch with the Medicine Man”. What do you feel about this please? Any advice would be really appreciated as this would be the trip-of-a-lifetime for us as we are based in Europe.
    Thank you for what you have shared. Good luck on your journey.

    • Reply Doug February 25, 2013 at 2:01 pm

      Sweat lodge ceremonies are not ‘expensive.’ They do, however, require a great deal of time and effort so perhaps that is what the apprentice was referring to. A couple of responses:

      First, regarding donations, yes, a donation is always a good idea, but not if is demanded. That is not a donation, it is a fee and they should be up front with you about it. I also would frown on using anyone who suggested the size of the donation or referred to the race of the donor. This sounds like a tacky outfit from which you should steer clear. A lot of these ‘spiritual’ types ask for ‘donations’ so that they can seem squeaky clean to would-be aspirants (“See, they don’t ask anything of you but a donation – they’re so spiritual!”). My suggestion is to look for someone else who is up front about their fees. There is nothing wrong with fees, everyone needs to make a living in the world, right?

      Second and perhaps more important, I’m not sure how well a 4-year-old – particularly with autism – would handle a sweat lodge. They are extremely hot – much hotter than most people expect – and can last for hours. Additionally, they are usually conducted in pitch-black or near-dark circumstances and can leave participants feeling claustrophobic. I don’t say these things to deter you so much as to suggest you think long and hard before subjecting a 4-year-old to such conditions. Of course only you know the particular temperament of your child, I’m simply urging caution.

      Good luck with your activities – I’d be curious to hear how things go for you.

      Doug

  • Reply Calvin Blodgett August 13, 2013 at 1:04 pm

    Doug,
    How are you,my friend?
    I am so sorry to not be in commiction,
    for so long.
    Would enjoy a conversation .
    All the Best
    Calvin

  • Reply Calvin Blodgett August 13, 2013 at 1:06 pm

    Communication…

  • Reply JOAN OLIVER May 22, 2015 at 2:23 pm

    I enjoy your website and find it to relate to my own inner experiences.
    I am sure we share similar experiences in the area of thinking even as
    we can all feel the pain of fire, or any physical injury. There is an ultimate
    reality where we are all one…One breath, One spirit, One Self. In this
    realm where Christian mystics claim is a sacred place sometimes called heaven,
    the Kingdom, the Secret Place of the Most High, etc. It is the ultimate experience
    to begin to suspect that this is an actual haven, a fortress. a reality to be lived
    here and now. My goal is find my way to this place.

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