Anishinabe Of The Water
The official website of the Sharbot Mishigama
Anishinabe Algonquin First Nation Membership.
(Soon to be Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation which is
Algonquin for “ Sharbot Narrows in the Rapids”)
Purification/Sweat Lodge Ceremony
The Healing Medicine of the Bear
Bears
are considered the Embodiment of Spiritual Power and Physical Strength. Rarely
seen, bears seemingly live as spirits, without a body, visible to the eye only
as foot prints in the sand, traces of passing left behind by great mythical
beings from the Land of Spirits. Bears constant in their conviction have walked
the same paths generation after generation, wearing deep furrows into solid
stone. Bears were thought to die each fall, to be reborn each spring, verifying
in life, their Spiritual Power over death. Proof, that Bears were given the
Power of Resurrection through Rebirth. Stories such as these are told to Native
children living in the Northern Hemisphere the world over, to teach them the
Word of the Creator God and where to find it in nature, to ensure that Native
Youth enter adulthood, as whole and mature beings.
Walking into a den in winter, Bears fall into a great sleep, entering into the
Spirit World for spiritual re-alignment. Emerging in Spring, as changed and
balanced beings, Bears awaken from their long journey in the spirit world,
having become greater in spirit and lesser in body. The shedding of fat symbolises
the shedding of worldly goods which human beings have to shed to be reborn.
Jubilant in their return, rejuvenated by their physical and spiritual rebirth,
they emerge from the womb of our Mother, the Earth, through the exits of their
dens. Leaping and bounding like children bonding with their Mother, the bears
knead the Earth to awaken, needing Her to renew all things, so Her children
might be fed. Refreshed and invigorated from a long and restful winter, they
honour Her with sounds of joy and dances of renewal. Thankful for the gift of
life, they stand erect, with outstretched arms, a sign of allegiance honouring
their Father, the Sun, thanking Him for His warmth and the gifts of love that
He provides for all living things. Thus begins, the annual rites of renewal,
that all life might be awakened and all things renewed.
The
Sacred Teaching of the Sweat Lodge.
This process of rebirth is enacted by Human Beings, who have chosen to walk a
Sacred Path on Earth, through their participation in the sacred rites of the
Ceremonial Sweat Lodge. Once a tribal person is decided in their choice to hold
the Conviction of Love in their heart, and they are comfortable with their
choice, they begin to carry out their chosen conviction in deed, by walking
upon the cedar path that leads to the ceremonial sweat lodge of forgiveness and
rebirth. Entering on hands and knees through the Entrance of Illumination, in
the East, illustrates to Human Beings they are Spirits of Light, borne through
thoughts which emanate from Our Father, the Sun, the Sol/Soul of All Creation.
When you were thought of by the Creator God, you were given consciousness as a
Spirit of Light and by choosing to enter His Heart as a Spirit of Love, you
were given Life. It is then you, as a Spirit of Love and Light, were allowed to
enter the Womb of Earth to become one of her children by being given substance
and purpose in life. By entering through the Eastern door of the Ceremonial
Sweat lodge, we as Spirits of Light choose the Conviction of Love, the Will of
God, and Everlasting Life over our own desires or free will. We re-enact this
spiritual process of rebirth, by re-entering the Womb of Earth, through our own
free will and surrender that will, choosing to be reborn as whole and balanced
beings. We, like the Bear choose through deed, to dedicated our lives to
respecting and caring for all life, and through this choice, re-affirm
ourselves as Spirits of Light to the Creator God.
Men and women physically naked and spiritually bear/bare, crawl on all fours,
into the Sweat Lodge as an act of humility before God and sign of respect, for
His Great Spirits. Leaving their world behind, shedding the excesses of their
old lives, like the fat of the Bear or the skin of the Serpent, this is
symbolic of growing greater, through the shedding of old habits for a new and
more fruitful life. Information is gained by initiates, through an honest
exchange with their mentor, prior to entering the Sweat Lodge, instructing
initiates about the directions in which they are to be seated. This will ensure
that the initiates are set before the correct door, through which the
appropriate guiding spirits flow, enabling the guiding spirits to directly
assist them in their spiritual growth and rebirth. The closing of the door flap
leaves them feeling vulnerable, in total darkness, with only the warmth of the
Grandfathers (rocks) in the Womb of Earth and the calm voice of their Mentor,
to assure them of their safety. Deprived of light, forces participants to use
their other sensibilities to assess their surroundings. Breathing in the heat
of the moistened air, hearing the sizzle of water vaporising on the heated
rocks, feeling the dampness of the Earth rising from the ground, making them
aware of the aromas of earth, willow, cedar and heated stone. Sensing the
aloneness, in the all oneness of the dark, making them aware of their
seclusion, they become aware of their need for life. Listening for the shared
breath of those in fellowship with God, voluntarily synchronizing their
breathing with the breathing of those around them, causing all participants to
join in Oneness through the Breath of Life. In the beginning there was the Deep
and there was darkness upon the Deep…..
Sharing consciousness in the Womb of Earth as they once shared life as new
spirits in the Heart of the Sun, they pray for wisdom and guidance for their
teacher and the courage of their conviction for themselves. Through spiritual
teachings and moral guidance shared by the Spiritual Mentor or Medicine Person
conducting the Sweat, the minds, hearts and spirits of initiates begin to be
corrected. All thoughts are realigned with the Natural Order of the Universe,
with the thoughts of their Father, the Creator God and their Mother, the Earth.
The Elemental Spirits of Fire, Water, Air and Earth assist in the correcting of
the hearts, minds, bodies, and souls of the participants. When the Loving
Spirit of the Creator God is allowed to enter each soul, a healing takes place
and the transformation is made complete.
With the beating of the drum and enchantment through songs and chants of joy,
All life celebrate their spiritual growth, through the spiritual acceptance of
their convictions. Hearing the heartbeat of the Universe, entranced by the
rhythmic beating of the drum, enchanted by the word and sounds being sung,
their Spirits are unified in life, joining in songs as one body and voice,
weaving with the rhythm of the Universe, becoming strands in the web of life
through love. In harmony as one voice they sing the song of the Universe,
"One heart, One mind, One soul", a song of sharing, respect and love
for the Spirit of Life, Honouring the Creator God and All of His Creation. This
reminds all Spirits of the Order of the Universe and the Oneness of All
Creation that is the Great Spirit, of the Creator God.
The raising of the ceremonial lodge is sacred, for every aspect of its
construction, holds the spiritual constructs which will make its ceremonial
purpose whole and sacred. Holes for the Sweat Lodge are aligned and dug, and
upon the placement of the pole, a principle of life is prayerfully placed into
the Spirit of Tobacco, which is then respectfully placed in each hole. The
Spirit of the prayer is the instruction for the tree limb, which can then
become one of the pillars of this sacred temple of life, the Sweat Lodge. The
poles represent the principles of life, the concepts of truth, the true
foundations that uphold every spiritual lodge. Between these poles, are the
doors, the entrance for the Elemental Beings, that hold the powers of the four cardinal directions, the
spirits of fire, earth, water and air. Fire is the faith and spiritual
conviction that brings in the light of knowledge and wisdom. Earth is the love
and caring that brings forth the promises of life. Water is the consciousness
of the soul of Mankind, and the awakening of the Sea, the ebb and flow of life.
The Air is the Breath of Life and the Spirit of the Divining Winds and Rains of
War. The Cedar that you sit upon represents the love and peace of the continual
cycle of life, on Earth. The Sacred Pipe represents the male and female spirits
of the Family of Man, and when shared and smoked, unifies us through Truth,
with All our Relations, in the womb of Earth, the Sacred Sweat Lodge.
The secondary directions, or sections between the cardinal directions of the
lodge, are the entrances of the Guiding and Protecting Spirits of the Universe.
These sections indicate the directional flow and stations of the Universal
Spirits. The stones or Grand Fathers symbolize the Head Spirits of the
Universal principles and convictions of life.
In the safe and cocooning body of the Sweat Lodge, you are given time to pray
and meditate, shedding the hardships of your past life, forgiving all beings
that caused you harm. In accepting the love and forgiveness of the Creator, you
really forgive yourself for participating in all forms of darkness(there are no
shades of darkness, if it is not light, it is dark). You put your past deeds
where they belong in the past! Then you forgive others their past deeds, never
remembering them or making them a part of you, and you never use their past
deeds against them. You forget the past, for it will only spoil the beauty of
your gift of life, the present, the new day the Creator has provided for you. Once
this is done, you bring your thoughts into alignment with the Creator and you
are able to see the purposes for your life on Earth. When this is done, you
receive true healing. For healing starts in your mind and heart, flows through
your spirit, cleanses your soul, and begins to change your body, making you
whole. You are now made new, not the same being that entered the Sweat Lodge.
Men and women emerge as spiritually greater beings from the Sweat Lodge, which
was opened to them at the setting of sun, the evening of time, the evening of
all things. Spiritually greater, through their alignment and balance with every
living thing, in accord with the order and harmony of the Spirit of the Creator
God, that flows throughout the Universe. Male and female, once again on hands
and knees, exit the lodge wet with sweat from their spiritual rebirth to emerge
as new beings. Removed were the remaining impurities from their physical body
and shedding the last of their material beliefs, that belonged to the World of
Man, beliefs cumbersome to spiritual beings. Enlightened in the Sweat Lodge
through Sacred teachings, these Spiritual Beings, reject every concept and
ideal that alienated them from the Creator God. Carrying these ideals and
concepts made them strangers to themselves and strangers to one and other.
Through the Ceremony of the Sweat Lodge, they accept to become the selfless and
loving beings, that God made Mankind, for one has to remain kind to be accepted
as kind.
Joints cramped from sitting in a foetal position, they attempt to stand erect,
wobbling and weak-kneed as a new born deer, they learn again to walk on their
new found legs, on the firmer ground of truth. Rejuvenated by the refreshing
movement of the cool drying of the air, they stand erect reaching out to the
stars, heavenly bodies of light set in the night sky, guiding us throughout the
night and throughout all of our lifetimes on earth. Regaining the use of their
legs, they run to the river to re-enter the Flow of Life remembering themselves
to the River as a Flow-er/Flower of the Tree of Life, washing away all
impurities. As new-born beings, they wash away the wickedness and
transgressions of their past lives, from their mind, heart, body and soul. They
have now been re-born into the Family of the Creator God through the Ceremony
of the Sacred Sweat Lodge.
Everything that Native people did was a ceremonial rite and everything they
built was made sacred in it's construction by principles needed to become one
with the Universe and the Creator God. All of His instructions are made visible
through signs and symbols, that the Creator God gives freely to His Children,
so they may be guided throughout all of their generations forever. Praise be
given to God that you may be reborn spiritually through this ceremony, just as
you are reborn in spirit, continually forever. Created in the image of the
Creator God, made One with His Great Spirit, you are a perfect Spirit given
everlasting life. You are born only once, made to flow through a physical body.
You are not the body, you are a Spiritual Being. You are Some One. Joined with
all your relations, you share in Oneness.
Finding their upright stance, those reborn are then, re-introduced and given to
the Moon, the Doter/Daughter of Earth, as one of her own to be taught and
guided by her through all of our life times on Earth. Accepting in humility,
she would always be a greater spirit than us throughout all of our lifetimes on
Earth. We are to accept all of her teachings without question or deviation for she
is the Mother of Respect and Harmony, and Grand Mother of all Mankind. We are
born through the Earth, then given to the Moon, our second mother, to care for
as Her own. As spirits we enter this world through her. She(the Moon) in turn,
gives us to our earthly mothers, who provide us with a body and care for us.
Our Earthly Mothers, who in turn, return us at the end of our earthly walk, to
our first Mother, the Earth, who gave birth to our Spirits. You emanate as a
feeling thought of desire, from the Sol of the Creator and are given life by
being born through his heart and love, the Earth. A child of the Creator is
born only once as a spirit and lives many lives through rebirth forever. All of
God's Creation teaches us this over and over. AHO!
This is an explanation of the reason for the Sacred Sweat Lodge Ceremony,
taught through the Spirit of the Bear. The Bear teaches many other Sacred
teachings too.
WRITTEN BY Del Ashkewe and Paula Johnstone
Immortal Thunder and Lightening Woman
For more teachings or workshop information, write: Meshu Peshu Productions, Box
#98135, 970 Queen St. East, Toronto, Ontario.
M4M 1J0
Donations are accepted, Thank You.
Permission is given to copy these writings provided they are left unchanged and
in their entirety. Copyright May 11. 1997
Spiritual Teachings Info