Sweat Lodges
Sweat Lodges have a long and sacred tradition as a healing ritual in many cultures. The forms we are most familiar with today are those that have been preserved by our Native American brothers and sisters. We have been blessed that some of their elders have chosen to share those rituals with us.
Those of us of European heritage, have not always been sensitive to these native traditions, partly because we have forgotten our own. Mary is fortunate to come from a culture that used its own sweat houses up until the 1940's and that has documented evidence of the use of sweat houses in healing ritual: tigh 'n allais, in manuscripts dating back over 1000 years.
Apache Two-Spirit Sweat Lodge
Mary Diggin was taught to be a Water Pourer (sweatlodge leader) in the Apache Two Spirit Tradition by Apache medicine man, Felipe Ortega.
While the tradition honors Two-Spirit people, it does not mean that all who come to lodge or all who pour water at lodge are two-spirit. Mostly it means that most of what happens in lodge is expressed as preferences rather than rules. There are only three "rules". It differs in this way from other traditions. This lodge can be particularly sweet lodge, especially if you have not attended lodge before.
Please read the lodge information available on Felipe Ortega's webpage.