The Sweat Lodge Ceremony pre-dates recorded history and was practiced in some form by every culture in the world. These sweats were held for reasons ranging from relaxation and socialization to healing and purification. Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha) and facilitator Kerry Batteau offer a sweat focused on prayer, purification, recognition and healing. We invite you to join us for this sacred ceremony.
We want people to have a safe experience, so there are certain protocols that need to be followed:
Participation
-Please note that the lodge is a small enclosure that is dark and extremely hot inside. If you have claustrophobia or any medical conditions that prevent you from going into a sauna, you should not participate in this ceremony. Once you enter into the lodge you are expected to remain in there for the entire ceremony.
-Women who are pregnant should not participate in the sweat. Those who are on their moon cycle (sacred monthly time) are already in a powerful ceremony and, according to the elders, we cannot be in two ceremonies at the same time.
What to do
-Registration is required, and these ceremonies often fill up, so please register early. If you need to cancel, please do so as soon as possible so that someone else can take your spot.
-Please meet at the Sweat Lodge on the Prairiewoods grounds before the ceremony start time.
-A release form needs to be signed through Prairiewoods. A form will be emailed to you upon registration and is also available at the front desk. Please drop off your completed form at the Center before going to the lodge. We are honored to host lodge ceremonies here at Prairiewoods and appreciate your care in signing these forms so that we can continue to offer them.
-There is a suggested donation of $10, which is non-refundable. This donation goes to Prairiewoods for materials and staff time. Prairiewoods is a nonprofit organization and relies on donations for many of our services.
What to wear
-Dress for women is a dress or skirt that goes below the knees. Please do not wear sleeveless tank tops, bathing suits, metal jewelry (including glasses) or makeup.
-Dress for men is shorts or swim trunks with no metal on them and no metal jewelry (including glasses).
What to bring
-Bring at least two towels, one for inside the lodge and one for drying off afterwards.
-Bring dry clothing to wear after the sweat.
-Bring tobacco (loose smoking tobacco) as an offering. Prayer ties are welcome to be hung in the lodge or placed upon the altar. (If making prayer ties, bring cotton cloth, string, loose tobacco and scissors. Cloth colors should be black, red, yellow and white.)
-Hydrate well before the sweat. Please bring a reusable water bottle for hydration after the ceremony.
-Please feel free to bring a non-cash gift for the facilitator, such as a gas card for his journey home or produce from your garden, as a thank you for pouring water.
What to expect
-During the ceremony, we sit on the earth in the lodge, a small dome-shaped structure. Heated stones are placed in the center of the lodge and the water pourer, or leader, pours water over the stones to create steam. There are four rounds that include the singing of sacred songs, and after each round the lodge door is opened for more stones to be brought in.
-There will be a sacred fire outside the lodge that the grandfathers (stones) are heated in. Do not throw any trash into the sacred fire—it is not a bonfire.
-Outside the lodge door is an altar made of Earth. Sacred items may be placed upon the altar after speaking with the leader. Please respect the altar and do not handle others’ items.
-The sweat leader will talk more about the ceremony itself before and during the actual ceremony. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have before the ceremony.
After the ceremony
-A light meal (soup, veggies, cheese, etc.) is shared; please bring something to share. You are welcome to drop off food at the Center before going to the lodge. Prairiewoods is an ecospirituality center, so we ask that you not bring items in Styrofoam or disposable containers. Please bring items in reusable, compostable or recyclable containers. We can discard recyclable and compostable items here, but please take with you any single use or containers that must go in the trash.
For additional information, consider reading The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter (Asa Earl Carter), Fools Crow by Thomas E. Mails or Fools Crow: Wisdom & Power by Thomas E. Mails. There is a suggested donation of $10, which goes to Prairiewoods for materials and staff time.
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