Sweat lodge ritual
Our occidental fire lodge is a sweat lodge ritual based on the occidental medicine wheel. Sweat lodges are usually associated with the traditions of the North American Indians, but there was also with the Celts such a „sweat cures“- application. With the fire huts, we connect to these again and revive them.
It goes without saying that we only use symbols, forces, energies, images and herbs from our local cultural area. Exactly that makes the special strength of these fire huts. And this brings us to the next point.
Sweat lodge ritual as a borderline experience
A sweat lodge ritual, or fire lodge, are always a borderline experience and a special strain not only for the cardiovascular system. This is the reason why experiences are possible that are closed to you in a conventional way or are very difficult to reach.
Since a sweat lodge ritual can be likened to a dying and rebirth process, at the beginning of which you disintegrate only to be reassembled at the end, you can wonderfully „leave old things“ behind and be reborn all over again. The individual ritual process begins at the latest when finding the place to sit for the hut.
And even if the ritual ends with a concluding round of talking, experience has shown that the processes begun here are still going strong. So here is what really happens.
Sweat lodge rituals are a powerful tool of the shamanic/druidic way of working and living. If you want to get a quick and highly condensed impression and insight into „New Occidental Shamanism“, a fire lodge is the place to be.
After the first „hut“ you will love it or realize that it is not yet time to work on yourself in intensity. In both cases, one has realized the power and potential „of the lodge“.
A sweat lodge ritual is not a sauna session!
A sweat lodge ritual is in no way comparable to a sauna. It is much more complex and instead of 3 times 10-15 minutes, it is more in the range of several hours.
In an occidental fire lodge, there are 6 thematically fixed rounds, which are characterized by an overarching theme and are to be „lived through with quite short breaks“.
In our sweat lodge rituals, in addition to the many years of experience of the sweat lodge leader, there is always at least one person trained in naturopathy, but usually there are several.
For the success of a sweat lodge no special previous knowledge is necessary, except perhaps an open view and the readiness to be able to experience an extended „reality“. due to the high load it is advisable to consult a doctor beforehand.
My experience is that a fire lodge always unfolds its effect, no matter whether one is already on a spiritual path, would like to approach such, or still moves as a „realist“ through the life.
No matter how such an experience goes for an individual, it will always remain a very special experience.
PS.: A sweat lodge ritual is clearly a matter of „doing“. You cannot replace it with visualization, meditation, contemplation, energy work, book reading, discussion groups or anything else. That does not go!