Sweat Lodge - extra information

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to make reservations?

Yes. No one will be admitted to the Sweat Lodge Ceremony that I offer without invitation and prior orientation.

What do we wear in the sweat lodge?

Clothing is optional but often minimal and modest clothing is recommended if the Lodge is attended by both men and women. For men they may wear trunks or shorts; women may wear short cotton dresses or shorts and t-shirts. Bathing suits are often not modest so choose accordingly.

What time should I arrive?

At least 15 minutes before the agreed time.

What do I need to bring?

You need to bring clothing for the Sweat Lodge, a towel or blanket to sit on in the Lodge, a towel to clean off with afterwards, clothes to change into afterwards.

If it rains will you cancel?

Generally Sweat Lodges are not cancelled unless the weather is extreme. You can always call before the lighting of the Fire and check in with me. We have a place to take shelter for heavy rain.

Will we eat a meal?

Yes. The Sweat Lodge Ceremony which is a community event is followed by a pot luck dinner. Please bring a dish that you typically enjoy at home. It should be cooked beforehand and in a container that can be reheated and served from. Check first if your sweat lodge is scheduled in a weekend retreat, it may be that no food is allowed because of the diet restrictions.

How long are we in the sweat lodge?

As long as the ceremony lasts. Until we are done. Usually it is around 3 and a half to 4 hours, but that can vary considerably. But ... in the hut you lose all sense of time, so you do not have much information about it ... It is not always hot in the hut. We do 4 rounds and in between the door is open and cools down, and there is also a build-up during the rounds.

Can you possibly leave before it’s finished?

Yes. If it is ready for you, or enough, or when you no longer feel comfortable, then you can go out any time. The door opens so that you can go to your relatives (the trees, the fire, the wind, the fire(wo)man), we close the door again and continue with the ceremony. After this you will have to stay outside, except in the fourth round, then everyone incl. Fireman / woman in the hut. It is a conscious choice that you have to make, pay close attention when you leave the hut, what was said, what was sung, in what round was it, what was the theme, etc.

Can I bring my child(ren)?

Please do not bring your children. Taking care of them will distract you from the ceremony and no child care will be provided. Generally a child is considered old enough for the ceremony when they finish high school, although some exceptions are made for mature teens. Sometimes a Sweat Lodge Ceremony will be held as an initiation for a young person, upon reaching menarche, or graduation, or a biological time for entering adulthood, or another major milestone.

How hot does it get?

It can get as hot as any sauna I have ever been in. The rocks are glowing red and the steam can be at the boiling point of water. You may have several concerns if you are asking this question. One is that you have health concerns. If your doctor gives the go ahead for you to go to saunas then I expect the sweat lodge will be okay. Some medical conditions and medicines do have heat interactions and your concern is important. If you have concerns, please ask your doctor.

Does it matter that I take a medication?

It can be critical, depending on the type of medication you are on. Transdermal patches are affected by heat and can cause an overdose in some situations. You must get clearance from your physician if you have serious concerns. This is part of your preparation for the Lodge.

menstruating

Moon women are welcome to join. There are many different views on this, but in the Susquehannock tribe the moon women occupy a special place in the ceremony. They may, after the ceremony leader, go in first so that they can take their place on one of the four directions in the sweat lodge. Here they are the representative of the Mother Earth herself, and the lucidity where they already have an extra place can fully come into its own here and become a force for the entire lodge.

Pregnant?

If you do not have physical complaints, and as long as you feel comfortable, you can participate in the ceremony without too many problems between 12 and 30 weeks of pregnancy. The child is well protected from the heat. And follow your body, if you do not feel comfortable you should not do it.

Can I drink during the hut?

You are offered drinks at appropriate times, you do not take your own drink with you in the hut.

What if I have to pee?

There are no breaks in the hut to go pee. It is advisable to go to the toilet before. If you still have to pee during the sweat lodge, you can let go of this in the hut at the place where you are sitting, and hand it over to mother earth.

How big are the groups?

Between 10 and 20 participants. We do mixed sessions with men and women and all ages above 16.

Impressions from within the lodge

"My first sweat lodge, it was intense, overwhelming, a lot of energy and emotions that got moving and for me the challenge to stay with myself." Marijn said the right things to help me with that.
Now, afterwards, I feel very firmly in myself. I see the world in a neutral way and everything is suddenly very clear. I now know that I need this at times when I no longer see it ready. Thank you for this beautiful experience. "

"Indescribable which journey the body makes out of time, I live my body that sails, passing through distant landscapes, Childhood, mother's womb, right through witches and cricket stories to the depths and then ... silence ... I drop myself on the cadence I laugh awake from the most eccentric dreams and shudding. "

"There's nothing more precious in this world than the feeling of being wanted.
After this beautiful sweat lodge ceremony, I no longer have the question of whether I am wanted ... She, our Great beautiful always giving healing healing mother, She wanted me here, to put down what I should put down, in Her name for all who are here , and also for those who are yet to come, in love. "

"Thank you so much for the beautiful sweat lodge, we are all beautiful people, each with our own story, it is magical how these stories can move a whole process for each other: talking, singing, sweating. let go together for me this was not the first hut, but the first cabin where I felt completely welcome thanks to you.Just the way I am. We women are very vulnerable in a society like today, and I wish all of us a lot of strength to go through life in light and love, xxx "my hands, came upon a child piece when I was so beaten on my head. And I gave my hands to mother earth, the primal mother I met during the sweat lodge, and my hands began to gently caress my head, from the earth to my head, and so I gave myself something beautiful. "

"I was so scared of the darkness and went through it and got a lot of pain from my hands, came on a child piece when I was so beaten on my head and I gave my hands to mother earth, the primal mother that I used during the sweat lodge. came against it, and my hands began to caress my head gently, from the earth to my head, and so I gave myself something beautiful. "

"The fire, the hut, you, I. The warmth that leads us to the innermost of our soul, so pure, so beautiful, so sheltered in the bosom of mother earth." Stories, spirits, the sound of the instruments, the rhythm of our own music, grateful that I can always be full of love, the sweat lodges are unusually magical! "

"Earth is patient, a woman is always germinating, I felt so taken care of by mother earth ...
in soft connection .... with you surrounded in a circle of serenity surrounded by crystal sounds with what was there, carried by the great mother and fulfilled by own presence.
I am grateful to have had a first sweat lodge under the guidance of Marijn. "

"Here I am, like a sun-drenched glacier, thawed from the cold I once knew.
Surrounded by the warmth of the Golden spiral, from my True Self.
My mind is awake, risen above the pain
I feel forgiven, pure and whole
I am Free to feel Safe. "