Category Archives: Ceremony

Ceremony, Drums, Workshops

Sweat Lodge Drum Workshop

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A few minutes before 6am the rising sunlight touches the crowns of the hemlock, cedar and fir trees that stand in the south, part of the hoop of Standing Ones on Echo Lake.  They are illuminated, golden, I hear them singing a morning praise song.  Osprey is already fishing – his cries seem in response to their song.  Within 20 minutes the sunlight kisses the earth with good morning.  My own yard is in shadow still while the trees that live here – Lewis, Carlton and Freeman to name a few, all have golden rays that dazzle in their crowns.  So slight the breeze, the lake is still, many Swallow skim the surface for their breakfast.

Sweat lodge drums will be birthed here today.  I am eager for this workshop, both buffalo and elk medicine have been called for.  The hoops are deeper than a hand drum by more than double, made of cedar wood to withstand the moisture of the lodge.  These Chen Chegas, the drum, are double sided with hide and extra energy is required to bring them into being.  It strikes me that the added physical effort to birth a lodge drum is in keeping with the depth of an inipi ceremony.  Birthing these drums is ceremony.  The keepers of these drums walk in a reverent way, deeply understanding the responsibility and meaning of carrying their drums.  With the drums come the songs – which are prayers sung for the People.

“Since the drum is often the only instrument used in our sacred rites, I should perhaps tell you here why is it especially sacred and important to us.  It is because the round form of the drum represents the whole universe, and its steady strong beat is the pulse, the heart, throbbing at the center of the universe.  It is as the voice of Wakan-Tanka, and this sound stirs us and helps us to understand the mystery and power of all things.”                        – Black Elk

The Buffalo medicine is a strong guardian, ever giving of all that is needed.  It teaches us that there is always enough and reminds us of our obligation to act –  our way in the world is supported and still it is incumbent upon us to shoulder our own load .  Elk offers steadfast stamina – we can easily get from here to there.  Elk teaches self-reliance as well as balance within a community.  This medicine will carry one far.  The Cedar tree spirit will strengthen the inner potentials of these four-legged spirits and the two-legged who will carry these drums.  Cedar offers a protective healing energy.

These drums are not yet born but already so very powerful.  I look forward to this day and to the day when I sit in a lodge and hear their voices beating with my own heart song and the heartbeat of us all – sitting in the Center of the Universe.

Two Great blue Heron are flying over, side by side above the lake – I don’t recall ever seeing two at once here before .  I feel their gift and selfishly bid them to stay, wad in the waters, fish, build your homes here – it is always a good day on Echo Lake.  Pilamaya, Pilamaya!

Ceremony, Drums, Thoughts About This and That

Inipi – Sweat Lodge

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I am going into an inipi today.  There is a need in my community.

I’ll be honest, today is my first free day in quite a few days and tomorrow begins another long string of days filled with activity. Relaxing by the lake edge in my hammock with nothing to do is so completely appealing to me.  Oh, the urge to luxuriate is strong.  But there are needs in my community – there is homelessness, illness and death amongst my people, two ceremonies are coming in a few short weeks – the energy needs to be clear to hold good space for those who will cry for their vision and for those will dance for joy.   What is more important I ask myself – resting or attending to another?

These ways I choose to live are not necessarily easy ways.  I am often asked to step up.  This got me to thinking about the value of being selfless.  Selfless service a teaching of Swami Radha and a subject I think I know well.  What can I learn about this now?

My thoughts expand to those who offer themselves in selfless ways. To those who tend to the Elders and the dying.  And those that teach others how to read, or clean the house of the disabled,  to those who add coins into a homeless person’s cup.  And those who build urban gardens so others don’t go hungry while learning to eat healthy and give back themselves.  To the countless organizations in distant lands willing to serve in danger zones.  To the minister who would offer last rites to a soldier on the battlefield, to the soldier.  I cannot even list all of the goodness done by others for the benefit of another.  I give thanks for those that have generous minds and hearts that step in to give of themselves.

Am I selfless I wonder?  I do not consider going into the sweat lodge to pray to be a wholly selfless act.  As others receive what they need, so too, do I.  As others become whole, I am made whole.  We are all related.   I am willing to forgo my plan for the day as there are needs in my community.  I do look forward to the opportunity to pray and purify, to listen to the lodge drum and the singers of sacred songs.  In the inipi I am connected to the whole of the Universe.  We are all connected in this way.  The hammock will to wait.

Aho Mitakuye Oyasin

Inipi is a Lakota word meaning sweat lodge.  It can be read about and understood as a sacred ceremony in the book The Sacred Pipe.  This book is Black Elk’s accounts of Seven Sacred Rites of the Oglala Sioux.   A medicine man who shared is vision and journey, Black Elk is oft quoted for his wisdom.