The old man reached into the fire and took out a glowing coal. He held it in his fingers in front of Richard’s face. “You white men lost touch with how things really are. You think the whole world belongs to you.”
He tossed the coal away and walked back to the cabin.
“Don’t let him bother you,” said Tree Owl. “He won’t bring any of that into the lodge.”
“Why am I doing this again?”
“The sweat lodge is a ritual of purification. It’s like being reborn.”
“I guess I have to die first, then?”
“That’s the idea, Rich.”
Dear Josh,
You and your imaginary friend have taken my breath away this morning. Due to the nature of one of my main characters in my current WIP I’ve been doing lots of research. Some days, I have to stop because it’s too devastating to continue. Good on the two of yous.
Shalom from the Polar Vortex,
Rochelle
Aw, thanks. Yeah, I grew up in Arizona and had the great good fortune to study with Comanche, Mojave, and Blackfoot medicine men. Part of this was understanding the role of American genocide. When I see how prevalent this murderous mindset still is, it really breaks my heart.
Well written – deep and heavy but light and flowing 100 word
Miigwetche! The story brings fond memories of times learning from my Gr. Grandma, Granny, and Grandfathers about the ways of medicine, of deep water prayers. Thank you for this story this morning when my soul is so weary… :) <3
:-)
Great encounter. I spent some time with indigenous people in the Amazon, where experiencing your own death was a highly prized thing.
Now I remember why I always ended up backing away from the sweat lodges.
I’ve done quite a few. They can sure take a lot out of you!
I found this story fascinating. You cleverly juxtapose the ‘miraculous’ handling of a glowing coal with the ‘miracle’ of rebirth in the sweat lodge. To me, this made the need to experience your own death something more than a figurative expression, making it to some extent an objective reality.
Thanks!
Thought provoking – nice one!
Hope he gets all he wants from the ritual – it could be quite a price to pay if it doesn’t live up to expectations.
Sweat lodges can be grueling affairs, but they’re not usually dangerous. Mostly just uncomfortable. Thanks for stopping by!
I have lived in Arizona too, and though I never spent a lot of time outside the cities I god some infusion of the rituals by reading Tony Hillerman… rebirth by sweating… we have a little of this with real sauna (not the one you get in a spa, but a real wood fired one)
Well now I am totally eating my words Bjorn, when i said on dales blog that you, being from a cold climate, might not know much about scorpions. I stand corrected!
First off, love the new look of your blog…
And you’ve capture this so very well… as did your alter ego.
Makes me wonder how literally Tree Owl means it when he speaks of dying…
Fascinating and thought-provoking.
It is only death of an identity and a way of life. To move into another culture one may have to give up old ways.
Fascinating.
This is so interesting and fascinating. A lot of layers here.
Very interesting and thought provoking piece. Well done.
Every culture has its own customs and traditions. The key is for us all to understand that “different” doesn’t have to mean “wrong.”
I really like the way you tell this story – the strength of feeling comes over so clearly.
Sad and angry and inclusive too. Hopefully, there will be some learning and healing too. Wonderfully written Josh
A sweat lodge is an undeniable experience because of the discomfort, so certainly SOMETHING will happen. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
My pleasure Josh
He will either be steamed or fried. I can’t imagine what a sweat lodge is like. I guess you get a bit of hell that makes you begging for heaven.