Story Provided by William Purcell www.lakotawritings.com

Naked I stand before the medicine men as they prepare me for my entry into the sweat lodge. Physically my body has been prepared. Now my mind must become as one with my surroundings. The song that I chant is for the Great Spirit. He alone must hear my words. I now wait for the lodge to receive me. On my entry it will then become like that of a womb, on the belly of the world, keeping me safe and warm for the duration of my stay. The lodge will act like the belly of a woman, connecting me to my mother, the earth, for if I am to be reborn when I exit the lodge then I must be thrust naked into the world once more.

In building the sweat lodge the holy men are careful when choosing the material for its inner structure. Young willows are chosen for they are more pliable than other trees. The willow also offers me a vision into our own lives. For in the fall it’s leaves die and descend to the earth. Then in the spring the tree will come to life again. So too will I die, and yet live again in the Hoop of the People, where I will be gathered together along with the spirits of all other things. With the help of the willow I may come to know here on earth a purity of mind and body that will aid me to become closer to the Great Spirit without having to make that final journey into the great beyond. Story Continues