Celtic Sweat lodge in a native land

Drenagh Sweat lodge, perhaps 2000 years old

Cauldron of Transformation

The sweat lodge is as ancient as sweat itself perhaps. Aboriginal peoples all over the world have used the sweat to cleanse and purify and heal their body, soul and spirit. The Nordic tribes carried portable sweats just like the Native Americans. These can still be seen in the Nomadic tribes of Central Asia. The Celts and Druids had sweats made of stone and sod and perhaps other materials whose layering became a chamber where the creative life force was gathered. In the United States most of our awareness of the Sweat Lodge comes from Native American culture.But the sweat is older than any one culture, very old. From a practical point of view it was one of the only ways to deeply cleanse the body before hot water and bath tubs came along. But when you sit in the darkness with only the glow of firey rock as light, this quickly becomes the core of the earth releasing its ancient sunlight as a gift to your healing and purification. Whether it is a web of willow that supports the lodge or the ancient rocks and verdant sod, it resonates with the great web of life that encircles the earth and supports it; and that web connects with the sun and the stars; web into web on into infinity. So when you sit in this lodge you sit at the center of the Infinite Mystery & Absolute Beingness beyond all man's attempts of naming and defining.

If I had to place the Soul Journey fire lodge in the context of any tradition then I would put it in the Celtic tradition. The sun/fire is the central force or element even though all the elements are strongly present in the cauldron of transformation. The central experience is a group Soul Journey where the shamanic healing is done for the group soul of those in the lodge. The Shaman was known by the term Eolai (guide) or Turasaiche(One who journeys). Singing, prayers,the flute and the drum, prepare the space of the lodge and open the door for all to enter this world. The emotions and images of the journey are resonant with all the elements and is a journey through the shamanic worlds to the center of creation. The willingness of each individual to dwell in the heart of all and surrender brings tremendous healing energy into the circle of healing that the Eolai/Turasaiche alone could not invoke. So even though ,he is the guide and the "one who journeys" for the group, all are equal and one.

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