SWEAT LODGE of the GREAT MOTHER BEAR

Sunday, March 18, 12 noon - 4 pm

Please arrive by 11:30 am

190 Wildflower Circle ~ Sedona (Pine Valley)

Powerful + Transformative + Beautiful

The theme of this evening's Lodge is:

AWAKENING THE EARTH MOTHER
A Spring Equinox Rejoice!

All peoples choosing to stalk the weak members of their Herd of Consciousness (fear, guilt, addiction, hostility, pain, anxiety, etc.) and transform these into their life-positive state (courage, will, compassion, etc. are welcome to attend.

This is a Modesty Sweat. Bring appropriate attire and towel.

Attendance in all 4 rounds is required. No exiting during or between rounds.

Women in their Moontime are asked to reschedule for another Lodge.

1st round: Calling upon Eagle Brother to reveal our Spirit's purpose
2nd round: Honoring Woman thru Xochiquetzal, our Precious Lady of Flowers
3rd round: Invoking Uma'al, Red Wolf, to cull our Herd of Consciousness
4th round: Transformation and Integration through Appreciation

Please bring a home prepared Pot-Luck dish for the Feast which follows

Hwy 179 to the Village of Oak Creek.
LEFT ONTO: Jack's Cyn Rd ( at the light by the Outlet Mall ) to the end at the 'T' in Pine Valley.
LEFT ONTO: Greyfox. Go three blocks.
RIGHT ONTO: Wildflower Circle. Go to the end, look for 190, mailbox on the right, big house with an Eagle carved into the top. Sweat Lodge is to the right of the house and down the hill.

Questions? Contact Jade Wah'oo Grigori @ 520-284-0110

email me!

No monetary fee for local residents. A sack of organic groceries would be appreciated.

Out-of-town guests will be asked for a cash contribution.

STORIES OF THE SWEAT LODGE OF THE GREAT WHITE MOTHER BEAR

as told by

JADE WAH'OO GRIGORI

UMA'AL AND THE GREAT MOTHER BEAR

Uma'al was a hunter amongst the People.
So abundant was the game that the hunters need only step outside their lodges and there would be deer, fowl, boars and hares everywhere. So plentiful was the game that the hunters of the village grew lazy, killing whenever they chose, taking only the best portions of meat for their feasting, leaving the rest to rot. So lazy had they become that the hunters of the People no longer asked permission of the Earth, nor of the animals they were to hunt, for the life of their brothers.
This enraged Ots'o, Mother-of-the-Game-Animals, She who is the Great Mother Bear. Her children were being slaughtered without regard or appreciation. In her sorrowful anger Ots'o called all her children back into herself. Into her den she went, there high up on the escarpment of the mountain. Backing herself into her den, Ots'o opened her great maw and called her children, the game animals, home. From all directions of the land they came. Out of the North came geese, ducks and all manner of birds. The great stag led his noble kind from the East, while hares prolific came of their Southern lands and boars with their sows and rutlings from the West did come. From marsh and mountain, valley and plain the game animals across the land heeded the call of their Great Mother and returned to the Womb of Becoming.
Where once the hunting of game was easy, now was it difficult. No more were the deer to be found outside the lodges of the village. Nowhere did the geese flock overhead. No more did sling or arrow cause the four-footed ones to fall, for there were none to be found.
The People became hungry. The children were starving, their bellies as empty as the sky of stars after dawn. Drawn by hunger the hunters went farther and farther in search of food.
Uma'al was a hunter amongst the People. His village hungry, his children starving, Uma'al wandered in a daze looking for something, anything to feed his family.
It was in this condition that Chi', the Raven, found Uma'al, roaming the vast reaches of the mountains at the center of the world. Recognizing the hunter as the one who bore the name of his brother Uma'al, the Red Wolf, Chi' flew forthwith to Uma'al the Red Wolf and told him of the state of his brother, Uma'al the hunter from the People.
Red Wolf then directed Raven to go in search of the game and tell Uma'al the hunter in which direction the animals were to be found. Raven flew about and spotted the game animals all moving up the trail of the escarpment to the Bear's lair. Flying then back to Uma'al, Raven told the hunter the direction in which the game animals could be found. Being Raven, he told Uma'al only this, as instructed by Red Wolf, and nothing more. In that direction up the ridge Uma'al went. Dizzy with hunger he stumbled around up there.
It was then that Ots'o smelled that man. Out of her den she came. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!!" She growled at him.
"Oh, Great Mother Bear, my children are starving and I am but looking for some game with which I might feed them," Uma'al responds.
"Then follow me and I will take you to the game," that she-bear tells him. Up the trail Ots'o runs, climbs into her den, turns around and opens her mouth. Uma'al, staggering after her, finally gets to the top of the ridge and walks into the open maw of the Great Mother Bear. Once he is inside, Ots'o closes her mouth, sealing the hunter in her belly with all the game animals.
Raven, seeing what has happened, flies off to tell Red Wolf what has become of his brother, Uma'al the hunter. Red Wolf devises a plan and sets Raven forth to carry out the rescue of the hunter.
Chi', the Raven, flies back to the escarpment where the she-bear has her cave. There he calls out: "Ots'o! Great Mother Bear! I see that you have a man in your belly. I am sure that he is cold and thirsty. Might I send in to him some heated rocks to warm him and water for him to drink?"
Ots'o, seeing nothing wrong in this, agrees.
As Raven sends in the rocks and water he gives directions to Uma'al, as he has been instructed by Red Wolf. When Raven has withdrawn, Ots'o closes her mouth. Then the hunter does as he has been told and pours the water upon the hot rocks.
"AARGH!" Ots'o moans, "WHAT IS GOING ON?"
"Oh, you know how clumsy those humans are. I am sure he has spilled his water and now not only is he still cold and thirsty, but wet as well. Do you mind if I send him in some more rocks and water that he might be comforted?" Raven requests.
Seeing nothing wrong with this, Ots'o once again agrees. This time as Raven passes in the hot rocks and cold water he tells Uma'al to place sweet smelling flowers on the hot rocks before pouring the water over them. Uma'al follows these instructions, and again a billow of steam pours forth from inside the Bear's belly.
"AAWHRRG! What is happening in there?" She bellows.
"So hungry is that human, I'm sure he must be brewing some flowers to eat. You know how those humans only think of eating always," Chi' says to further belay the concerns of that Great Mother Bear. "Might I tend to his needs once more?"
Ots'o gives her permission and opens her great jaws for Raven to pass in more rocks and water. Now Raven tells Uma'al to howl like a she-wolf for her mate as the water is spilled upon the pile of rocks. The hunter follows the command given him and Ots'o roars with the abundance of hot steam and noise pouring forth from within her. Raven again convinces the Great Mother Bear that all is well and to let him again care for the human's needs. As Raven passes in the last of the heated rocks and all of the cold water, he also passes on to the hunter the final set of instructions from Red Wolf to his brother Uma'al. He tells Uma'al to pour all the remaining water upon the whole pile of fire-heated rocks and to sing forth a song of appreciation. It is done. "AAWRRGHA-HU!-HU!" Ots'o bellows a great roar forth as the dense cloud of steam bursts out from her insides. With the Bear's mouth still open in her roar, Uma'al gathers together all the game animals from inside her and rushes out into the world.
Ots'o, realizing she has been tricked by Raven, cries: "Oh, you hunter, I have been deceived and now you are free, and my children once again roam the world. But, oh! What is to become of my children? Your hunters will slaughter them as before. Oh! What will befall my children?
Man, I could catch you and eat you once again. But, go back to your People and build for me a body there amongst them, and do there as you have done here with Raven's aid. When you hunters kill one of my children, send them back to me from there, that I might renew their Spirit and send them back into the world again. Do this for me and I will let you go free."

And so I, Uma'al, of the People, have done.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This story, as told, is the Mytho�historic origin of the SWEAT LODGE OF THE GREAT MOTHER BEAR, and comes from our family's ancient past in Siberia. It has been told as I remember it occurring.

Jade Wah'oo Grigori

WOLVES OF MEMORY

Wolves of Memory stealthily seek the Herd of Consciousness within this, the Forest of my Soul. Each and every creation of my Being has its manifest expression as an Animal of the Herd. Oh! Mother, Sister, Daughter, what your dreams have wrought as Life embodied, you, Giver-of-Form. Dreams, desires, triumphs and tragedies have birthed enduring form within these bones. Invasive violences thrust their dark seed into the womb of my becoming, to wobble upon shaky knees. Love's precious splendor burgeons into bounding being. All these, Creatures of my Soul.
Red Wolf, of whom there are three, beckons the Hunt. He searches the Valleys of Plenitude and Hills of Contemplation for his quarry, his prey. Amongst the Herds proud and mighty he hunts, there to cull the weak, lame, disabled and disabling thoughts, memories, and feelings that lurk in the darkened recesses of my Life's experience. Fear, hostility, denial, pain and remorse are abundant food for this Warrior of Spirit's design. Unto Consciousness he renders service. Cleansed of the emotionally scarred members is the herd; assured now are survival, vitality, swiftness, viability and endurance of the Whole. Having but one calling, to remove that which is debilitating to the herd, he will feast upon that which is willingly relinquished. If nothing is willfully offered, then must he rip asunder from the belly of the drove that which is in fear of surrender, for Red Wolf must-and Red Wolf will-cull the herd of its weakness.
Thence to his mate does he carry his treasure. White Wolf, She-Wolf, receives her soul-bounty from the gifts her companion brings. Nurturing in compassionate embrace the life essence released, now shall she return her tender to Spirit. As Priestess gowned in frost sparkled cloak midst indigo hue, she proffers her sacred charge to our Great Mother's womb.
Relieving the she-wolf of her charge, Great Mother Bear, Keeper-of-Game Animals, envelopes her wounded child in merciful embrace. Into the Den of Her Becoming she retreats. Grandfather, Holy Fire of Creation, upon the wings of Eagle, enters the sanctum of life's renewal, therein to purify those pains and desolations of my Soul relinquished. In joyful attribute of appreciation, into the grounded presence of my Being, I call the return of my Soul-parts, revivified in their renewal, transformed. The Herd of Consciousness, having undergone the sojourn of acknowledgment, release, purification, and repair, is restored to wholeness and wellness of being.
Ah! My Herd! Through this body and mind, now, run free and strong, swift and sure, enabled of life.
Blessings to you, you Wolves of Memory!

All authentic Shamanic Ceremonials are the dramatic re-enactment of the Mythos inherent within cosmological phenomena. Herein, Giver-of-Form is the star Rigel. Red Wolf is, depending on the time of year, one of the three primary red bodies of our night sky: Aldebaran, Antares, or Mars. White Wolf is the star Sirius. The Great Mother Bear is Arcturus, her den the seven stars of the Corona Borealis. Grandfather Fire expresses the "Big Bang" of origin, and Eagle is the North Star. The Herd of Consciousness is, of course, the stage of Self within which the drama is enacted. Poetically expressed, this is the story of the Sweat Lodge of the Great Mother Bear, and what transpires within its sacred domain.

SWEAT LODGE OF THE GREAT WHITE MOTHER BEAR

Photo: Ian McAllister

LOOKING FORWARD WITH ANTICIPATION:

The intention of this Lodge is to provide an opportunity for our Spirit to come forth in free expression within a Sacred Space of clarity, support, sanctity and safety. The Bear Lodge allows one's Spirit to find comfort and enjoyment in its movement into conscious embodied experience. The inherent Spiritual Forces and structure of the Lodge create a pathway that is clear and complete.
Four rounds comprise a full journey of the Bear Sweat. A round is defined as the time when 7 rocks are brought in, the door is closed, songs of prayer sung, water poured, and the door is lifted again.
The experience of the individual within the Lodge is supported by the various integrative factors of the Ceremony. The lava rocks are heated red hot, and carried in by the fire tender. Upon these rocks water is poured. Steam billows forth, dispersing the heat into the Lodge and driving out much of the cool air. We sit in close physical proximity to others, friends, family and strangers alike, within the dark, in a state of near-undress ( this is a modesty sweat, and co-ed, so we dress in 'swim attire' ). Once we have entered the Lodge, we remain inside for all four rounds. Exiting is counter-productive and limited to when a person must answer a call of nature, and only when the door is open between rounds.
These factors contribute to the experience of intensity within the Lodge. As the Power ( Life-Force ) builds, we absorb that Power into ourselves, enhancing whatever emotional state we carry in with us. Our happiness becomes ecstatic joy, sadness a deep and abiding sorrow, etc. As our Spirit is lifted forth in the buoyancy of our personal empowerment, those life-negative states which occlude and obstruct our Spirit's free expression are pushed upward to conscious embodiment. This allows for a conscious relinquishment of these impediments to our spiritual progression. This is what we refer to as purification. To enable this process of purification we must engage our Will, requiring us to exercise self-discipline, thereby strengthening that quality of our character. It is by this development and use of our Will, self-discipline and purification that we bring about the transformation of life-negative states into life-positive virtues within the experience of the Sweat Lodge. Where we have entered with Fear, Anxiety, Addiction or Denial, we exit the Lodge having transformed these into Courage, Anticipation, Will, and Acceptance. We go forth back into the World more enabled to give expression to our own Spirit's purpose, being of greater value to our Families, and of greater capacity to be of Service to our Communities our Spirit in free expression in our lives!

I sincerely hope the sharing of this information serves to enhance your enthusiasm and allay your concerns about participating in the Sweat Lodge of the Great White Mother Bear. I encourage you to look forward to your choice to experience this Ceremony with Joy and Wonder!
Clearly, this is but a very brief overview, and not intended as a full explanation of the Lodge or its understandings. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

WELCOME!

Questions? Contact Jade Wah'oo Grigori @ 284-0110

email me!

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