Summary
Teepee & Sweat Lodge Ceremony Retreat
This is an opportunity to experience traditional teachings and medicine from North- and South America with a wonderful Peruvian ceremonial leader, here in our own continent.
A Prayer for the Water Mni Wiconi – Water is Life
This is a prayer for the future generations. A prayer for our children and grandchildren. A prayer for those who are not yet born, may they know that we prayed for them.
What is a prayer? A prayer in the red road way of life, is the longings we have in our hearts. Our hopes, our worries, our dreams, our fears. All of that which we carry in our heart, is our prayer.
Why water? All life begins and ends with water: it is essential for life here on our planet. We are created by the water of our father and mother. We grow in the water of our mothers womb. And until we die, we need water to stay alive.
Features
Styles
Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, General Yoga, Kriya Yoga
Skill Level
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Food
Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-allergy-friendly, Sugar conscious, Keto-friendly, Organic
FREE Gifts
- Welcome RisingSoul Natural Handmade Soap
- Astrological Planner
Description
A Prayer for the Water Mni Wiconi – Water is Life
This is a prayer for the future generations. A prayer for our children and grandchildren. A prayer for those who are not yet born, may they know that we prayed for them.
What is a prayer? A prayer in the red road way of life, is the longings we have in our hearts. Our hopes, our worries, our dreams, our fears. All of that which we carry in our heart, is our prayer.
Why water? All life begins and ends with water: it is essential for life here on our planet. We are created by the water of our father and mother. We grow in the water of our mothers womb. And until we die, we need water to stay alive.
It seems that many of us have forgotten what water is. And that we are in fact water. Maybe we know it in theory, but what does it really mean? As a result of this forgetfulness a lot of the exterior waters -our lakes, lagunes, rivers and oceans- are contaminated. And so are our internal waters – our emotions. Our fertility as a species is dropping. The intelligence that resides in the reproductive waters in our bodies knows that our habitat is becoming inhabitable at a concerning rate.
If we acknowledge that the premise of life on earth is clean water, then ensuring that there is clean water for the generations to come, may be one of the most important things we can do.
Before we forgot, our ancestors knew the importance of water. The stories, songs and ceremonies that have been preserved, let us know that the consciousness of water has been central in the awareness of all of our ancestors. Not only for physical survival, but also for emotional and spiritual wellbeing. There are many things that we can learn from the water. And the ceremonies that elders all over the world have protected, shows us the entryway to how we can begin to listen to the messages of the water.
A Family Prayer
Our paths were weaved together almost four years ago. Coming to the path of remembrance from different directions. Since then we have been praying together.
What binds us together is our shared hopes and dreams for the future. The future of all of our children and grandchildren. A wish to do our part in this time of great change, to help by sharing what has been shared with us. A wish to honour the elders that have been giving their lives to protect the altars and medicines of our ancestors. The medicine and altars that we are referring to do not belong to one group or tribe, they belong to all of creation. We are weaved together by a wish to do what we can to help, in the best way we know how. With the ways and medicines that are helping us to remember why we are here.
Behind the altar leading the ceremony we have Gregorio Diaz. Gregorios roots are on his fathers side from the Peruvian part of the Amazon jungle and from his mothers side from Pachacamac. From a young age he has been apprenticing with Shipibo Conibo, Huni Kuin, Yanawana from the South, and later on the Red Road elders from the Lakota (Sioux) from the North.
There are many different prayers and intentions on the path of medicine. When we are happy to pray with Gregorio in Europe, it is because we know the difference he has made in our lives. We are not talking about a shaman or curandero or guru, but of a human that has found his path, and is walking it in a way that changes the lives of those that crosses his path. And by that we can assist or inspire the healing of others – by walking our own path, and share with others what we are finding out along our way.
There is more to be shared about his way and from whom and where he has received his teachings, but it is to be transmitted in person.
The ways of ceremony:
Teepee Ceremony
The teepee ceremony honours a formula from the North American natives called the four tobacco half moon altar.
It is a ceremony that is carried out from the evening, all the way through the night till after sunrise.
The structure of this way of ceremony has been shared for hundreds of years. It has a particular form that is designed to recalibrate us and awake the memory within our DNA. To be able to let this wisdom work through us, we do things in a certain/particular way – we sit up all night, we don’t eat until the last prayer, we don’t drink water at the beginning of the ceremony, we move in the direction of the sun and so on. There are reasons for all of this, but it is impossible to put it in short writing, it has to be experienced, felt from the inside, and then little by little understood. During the night medicine (huachuma/San Pedro) is offered several times.
If possible this way of ceremony always ends with a sweat lodge ceremony.
Huachuma Walk
Another way of huachuma ceremony is the andean way of huachuma walks. This ceremony takes place during the day. We walk in nature from the morning til late afternoon. During the walk we have a few stops where medicine, prayers, words, songs ect. is shared.
Sweat lodge
Many native cultures throughout the Americas and Europe have been using sweat lodges in their traditions, for praying, purification, cleansing and healing of body, mind, emotions and spirit. It’s one of the oldest ceremonies that exist.
In Mexican traditions the sweat lodge is called temazcal in nahuatl language, which means ‘the house of steam’.
Among Northern American Sioux nations it is called ‘Inipi’. The purpose of the Inipi- is for people to keep their connection with the creator.
Although there are several different designs and names for the sweat lodge, they all carry the same essence. The construction itself is connected to all the 7 directions of the universe East, South, West, North, above, below and the centre. The lodge represents the womb of our first mother: Mother Earth. The fire represents the father of all life, father sun. The rocks that have been heated in the fire are our ancestors, the natives refer to them as our grandparents. They are the ones we receive the teachings from inside the lodge. The water that is being poured over the hot rocks, represents the water of the womb. And the air represents the first breath, the breath of life.
When we are about to enter the lodge (the womb), we bow down on all fours like a baby, we bow to the ground and ask permission to re-enter the womb and to be reborn. It is a ceremony of rebirth.
The one who enters the lodge has an opportunity to start from the beginning and to release blockages that block us in our life. Every time we leave the lodge is an opportunity of re-birth.
There are many layers and levels to this ancient ceremony/medicine. On a physical plane sweat lodge stimulates the lymphatic system, and helps dispose of toxins. When the temperature rises over 40°c the skin becomes a third kidney. High temperatures inside the lodge causes the body to sweat, humidity doesn’t allow sweat to evaporate, so the body’s sympathetic and parasympathetic system responds, the circulation accelerates and we sweat even more, eliminating toxins to the maximum. And everything that takes place on a physical plane, is reflected on the mental, emotional and spiritual plane.
The Medicine – Huachuma
In the Andes of South America a long standing tradition of praying with the sacred plant called Huachuma, dates back over approximately 5000 years.
Huachuma (later known by some as San Pedro) use as a sacrament has been used by healers since the very beginning of the Andean civilization. The shamans/ healers of that time considered it “Materia prima” which is, “a formless primaeval substance regarded as the original material of the universe.”
Huachuma is known as a heart opening medicine. In its gentle yet powerful way, it reminds us who we are in our true nature by waking up the ancient memory that is always waiting for us in our DNA.
The psychoactive substance in the cactus is the alkaloid mescaline, which is inert. This means that it is not contradictory to any pharmaceutical products.
With Much Love
Eva, Gregorio, Mireille, Vlaho
What Makes This Retreat Special
The Good News:
Many of us feel a big wave of something that is hard to describe with words. But we feel it. Great change is upon us. All of us have our part to do in this. Alone we might feel overwhelmed or powerless, but together we can begin to take the steps needed.
Within the altars and ceremonies of our ancestors, they protected and passed down their instructions of what to do in these times that they knew thousands of years ago would come.
Above everything we come to the altars of our ancestors, to nourish our spirit. We come to seek clarity. We come to pray.
If you need healing. If you feel lost. If you are in pain. If you are confused. If you are worried. If you are seeking a new way. If you are longing for something. If you want to pray for your life, and/or the lives of your children and grandchildren (born or unborn).
You are welcome.
Program
SCHEDULE
First we would like to share that although there is a particular time for everything in these ways of ceremony, the idea of linear time is not so applicable. A ceremony or sweat lodge ends when we are done, not before nor after. Things come up for individuals and sometimes for the whole group throughout the days, that needs to be tended to and so on. But beneath you’ll get an idea of how we will spend our time together.
WEDNESDAY (13TH Sep)
- 14.00 – 16,00 Arrival welcome drink & tour.
- 16.30 Optional afternoon yoga class
- 18.00 Community Dinner & Karma Yoga
- 20.30 Meditation
THURSDAY
- 08.30 Kundalini Yoga & Meditation
- 09.45 Community Brunch
- 11.00 There will be some hours to get settled in, land and meet each other and for those that wish you can help set up the ceremonial areas
- 13.30 Community Lunch
- 15.00 Rest
- 16.30 Optional afternoon yoga class
- 18.00 Around 6pm we will gather in the teepee. Here we will have a thorough introduction to the Red Road way of life that comes for the North American Native Indians. We will share words about our lineage, the medicine Huachuma, the structure of the ceremony, the cosmovisions and prophecies from the northern and southern hemispheres that are the reason for the ceremonies etc. Before we begin the ceremony there will be time for questions.
- 21.00 Approx. between 9 and 10pm we will begin the ceremony which will last until sometime the following morning. We typically close this part of the ceremony by 9.00 – 10am, the teepee ceremony and sweat lodge between 11.00 and 14.00 friday.The ceremony ends with a sweat lodge Friday.
FRIDAY
- After the ceremony and sweat lodge we will share a community meal. Now at this point some people are tired since they had no sleep during the night, while others still feel energised by the medicine. Those that are tired go to rest. Some people sleep until the next day. And for those who are awake there will be good company, dinner and fire.
- 16.30 Optional yoga class.
- 20.30 Meditation
SATURDAY
- 08.30 Kundalini Yoga & Meditation
- 09.45 Light community Brunch
- 11.00 We gather for our daytime ceremony. This ceremony will be a daytime Huachuma ceremony that will last until the end of the afternoon/dinnertime. Before we start walking we will explain the Andean way of being with the medicine. We will walk all day and along the way there will be stops to have more medicine and to share songs, stories and prayers.
- 18.00 When we come back from our walk we will have a community meal.
- 20.00 Usually we light the fire in the teepee in the evening where more stories and songs and the experiences of the day are shared.
SUNDAY
- 08.30 Kundalini Yoga & Meditation
- 09.45 Community Brunch
- 11.00 After breakfast we are gathering for a sharing circle.
- 13.30 Community Lunch
- 15.00 Goodbye hugs and lift to Tryavna
QUESTIONS
Practical info about diet and what to bring will be sent out 2-3 weeks before the retreat.
For any questions or need for a personal phone call regarding the ceremony or the medicine please contact Mireille.
FB: Mireille Golle.
Or whatsapp: +45 52 79 46 53.
