I was taught early on to “just do the pictures”. I didn’t have to understand the why’s at the moment. I just had to trust the process. The picture came forth that a healing sweat lodge was the next step in our community. An opportunity for people to gather in a traditional manner to connect with their own Divine Source in order to purify their inner spirits was called for. As I began the search for the ‘perfect’ location of the lodge, it was made pretty clear that the place was to be my own property.
There is a lot of hidden meaning for me personally to have a lodge on my own property. For most who know me personally realize that my property is my sanctuary. My comfort zone so to speak. For me to open my home and property up to people is a large step out of my comfort zone. This past year has been a year of stepping out of that solitude and stepping into the flow of life completely and wholly. This process requires a lot of trust. Trust in the process.
As I began to meditate on the Healing Lodge, I realized that it was not only about the healing of the community that will participate, but also about stepping into the power of the flow. It was about completely trusting the process and letting go absolutely. It was a death of sorts and a rebirth. As this realization formed into a picture, it became vital to me to do some of my own work prior to the building process.
It was important for me to share my gratitude to the land that for the past five years has been my personal source of comfort and solace. It was important to listen to Mother Earth’s replies and the guidance she can provide. Thus began the process.
This morning was spent in the gardens listening to the flowers softly reply their words of wisdom. It was about walking the woods and communing with the tree’s thanking them for the shelter of my soul. It was about letting the tears flow of gratitude as I sat on a pile of compost smelling the richness of the dirt and releasing the past, releasing the fears, and lifting my chin the rays of the sun to feel its warmth.
Gathering up the branches that had fallen I followed this ‘death’ through. Returning to where will be the site of the Fire Keeper will stand watch I piled the old ash and burnt logs and built a new fire pile around them. Gather rose petals and other flowers from around the yard to encircle the fire in a ritual ceremony of goodbye.
As the fire grew, so did the picture. The land was healing me. The land was preparing me. I was not preparing it. Chanting out to call the Fire God to fill me, I danced and felt the Earth dance with me. It became so clear. The Lodge vivid in my mind.
A single walking stick in my hand, I walked to the center of the Sacred Lodge knowing exactly where it would be. The veil lifted. I implanted the walking stick in the center and returned to the Sacred fire gathering smaller sticks aflame and brought them to the center of the Sacred Lodge. I sat down placing the burning sticks around the base of the walking stick allowing it to be my Eternal Flame within the Lodge and within my soul. As it burned down, the ‘pictures’ became so clear. The blessings so implanted.
A crow sat in a tree just above me ensuring that all was in Divine order. So the land blessed me. The Sacred Lodge taught me. The Sacred Fire purified me. Now it is time to clear the way for the community to be blessed. The Sacred Lodge to be shared. And the Sacred Fire to provide the light for all.
