Spiritual Healing
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Sweat Lodges
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SWEAT LODGE CEREMONY
Carlos Sauer was first introduced to the Sweat Lodge purification ceremony in 1981 at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. He worked as a firekeeper for over 14 years for many Sweat Lodge leaders such as Hector Gomez, a roadman for peyote rituals from Argentina. Another teacher was Crowbear, a Sundancer from the Mohawk tribe. Carlos had the honor to participate in Sweat Lodges with Wesley Black Elk and his deceased father, Wallace Black Elk from the Lakota tribe.
In 1991, Carlos met his adopted father, Nelson Turtle, a roadman for peyote rituals from the Southern Cheyenne Tribe from Oklahoma. Carlos worked and traveled to his home country of Brazil, side by side with Nelson for many years and was encouraged to lead Sweat Lodges by Nelson Turtle in 1996. Carlos participated in many peyote ceremonies and he is connected to the Native American church, and by rights he received Nelson Turtle's Cheyenne fireplace in Brazil in 2005.
He does not lead peyote ceremonies as he still in training in the "peyote ways". Carlos has been conducting Sweat Lodges in the US, Europe and Brazil for over 14 years. He is very honored and deeply touched to be learning the Native American ways of the Red Road from such great teachers and elders and to have received the encouragement, support and the blessings of his primary teachers, especially his deceased Cheyenne dad, Nelson Turtle. It is a great blessing that some Native American elders are open and kind, generous and willing to share their teachings and beautiful knowledge to people of all walks of life.
SWEAT LODGE DESCRIPTION
The Sweat Lodge is an ancient purification ceremony used by different cultures, especially indigenous people around the world, to worship our God Creator (Maheo), our Mother Earth and to honor our relationship with all living things on our planet and the Universe.
This powerful ceremony is used for purification and healing and works on many different levels, especially on our physical and emotional body, mind and spirit.
We heat up lava rocks called "Stone People" or "Grandfathers" in a sacred fire, built in a respectful and traditional way and we bring the Grandfathers inside the lodge.
Then we burn herbs such as cedar, sweet grass and bear root on the Stone People for cleansing as we bless ourselves with these medicines.
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When we close the door, everything positive and negative about our lives is intensified, and memories and symptoms of uncomfortable and difficult times begin to rise up for healing, as well as beautiful thoughts and memories. We pray and sing together to the four directions, focusing our attention on the great mystery of life, as we surrender ourselves to the Great Spirit, our God Creator (Maheo). As the hearts of the participants begin to open, healing occurs as we experience the healing powers of Fire, Water, Earth and Air. The powers of the four elements keep us and all our relatives alive, and the teachings of the four directions, the East, South, West and North bring us knowledge and wisdom.
The tradition of the Sweat Lodge that I conduct is called "Little Boy/Little Girl" or "Young Men's" Lodge. It is not a Lakota traditional ceremony, in the sense that it is much more gentle then other traditional Lodges. This tradition was passed down by the elders of Cheyenne/Arapaho tribes to encourage the teenagers and younger ones to participate and begin to learn from this amazing healing ceremony.
There is no charge for attending a Sweat Lodge ceremony; however, there is an understanding among the elders and chiefs of most native tribes that monetary donations are welcome. Traditionally, a gift of tobacco is offered to the ceremony leader, and for those who would like to give more, gifts of herbs such as sage, cedar, sweet grass and bear root are also welcome, as is firewood and Grandfathers (stones). If you would like to bring Grandfathers, please be sure to talk to Carlos first so that he can instruct you on how to gather them (or anything from Mother Earth) in the correct traditional way.
NATIVE AMERICAN SPIRITUALITY
In 1982 when I participated in my first Sweat Lodge, I experienced a spontaneous and powerful healing for something that I had struggled with for most of my young life. This experience changed me and opened my heart to the Red Road forever. It was then that I decided to dedicate my life to learning how to run Sweat Lodges and to support my new relatives and teachers.
Ten years later, I was adopted by a traditional Southern Cheyenne elder from Oklahoma who was a roadman for the Native American Church by the name of Nelson Turtle (deceased) of the Beaver Clan. We had a father-son relationship for over 14 years, working together with Sweat Lodges and Peyote ceremonies in both the U.S. and Brazil.