About Me

My name is Ron Osceola and I am a 55-year-old Elder of the Seminole
nation. I have actively participated in Sweat Lodges since I turned
14 years old, approximately 41 years (which is so very hard for me to
get my mind around that length of time)

Over the years I have been trained by various Elders from the
following traditions: Seminole, Cherokee, Crow, and Lakota, which
gives me a wide range of experience with sweat lodges done in a
traditional manner.

I hope that the one thing you will notice about me is that I am a
"thinking Indian" and for that reason I have become very inclusive
person and now I find myself leading people in "rainbow" sweat lodges.
Simply put, these are sweats that require no tribal affiliation, and
are open to men and women of all races, creeds and cultures, all I ask
is an open willing heart to learn.

In June of 2005 I was ordained as an Elder (which is recognized by the
State of Virginia and gives me the privilege to marry couples, as well
as, celebrate the burying of loved one with families.

This past February (2007) I was "Sealed" as a healer. What does a
healer do? I simply help an individual raise their body's energy to
the threshold point where it can spontaneously heal itself. I truly
believe that healing is a natural part of our body and that we all
have the ability to heal whatever is wrong, although sometimes our
natural energy level may fall to a point where we need a bit of help.

I have two spectacular daughters (ages 20 and 22) and am engaged to a
completely beautiful and loving woman (life is good.) We are
currently living in Petersburg, VA. Occupation wise, I am a Juvenile
Correctional Officer, which gives me an opportunity to talk to some
very troubled youths and maybe offer them a bit of clarity about where
they are and a better path.


Thoughts about the Sweat Lodge process

Fall energy is about the harvest, I always remind people to only
expect harvest in areas where planting occurred. It is so very hard
to harvest where no seeds have been planted; however, you could always
be harvesting from seeds that were planted several years ago.

Hopefully, many of you have heard of Dr. Masura Emoto and are familiar
with his research with water. Briefly, he discovered that if you
affix a written word on a sample of water, and leave it overnight,
that the molecular structure of the water is affected. The sentence
that caught my attention was, "If words affect water, how much can
they affect your body, which is 80% water?"

Our normal sweat group has been experimenting with writing words on
our bodies with our focused intent prior to going into the sweat
lodge. Dr. Emoto uses words only, he even had a test group affix
words in another language (one they did no understand) and the results
were the same, we decided that if the words alone were that powerful,
then how much more so would they be when we add our intent. Once
inside the temperature, moisture, and sweat removes the words, which
is like sending that intent straight back to Universe. We have seen
amazing results using this process, healings (complete and quick) new
jobs, and new life directions coming directly out of the sweat.

The physical set-up of the Sweat Lodge is as follows:
To the extreme East is a small bonfire, which is specifically
designed to heat the Grandfathers (stones – larger than a grapefruit,
but smaller than a basketball)
There is a short path with a small altar leading to the West
between the fire and the Sweat Lodge structure itself.
The Sweat Lodge structure is basically a dome tent ours is
approximately 12 feet in diameter and about 4 ½ feet high at the
center.

Now, think a moment about the flow of spirit energy during this
celebration. The fire acts as a portal between Mother Earth and
Universe. This portal is activated when the Grandfathers are placed
in the fire. As the energy flows between Mother Earth and universe,
the Grandfathers store huge amounts of it to be used later. This
energy expresses several ways inside the sweat, the first obvious
expression is heat and when water is applied steam, but this
expression is superficial. The real expression is when your
consciousness is elevated by this energy to an altered state where
universe can communicate directly with you. Finally this energy also
can raise you own bodies resonate energy allowing it to spontaneously
heal itself.

As the grandfathers are brought into the sweat lodge a pathway of
energy is created between the fire and the lodge. As the sweat
participants focus their intent on the Grandfathers the energy begins
to move from person to person in a clock-wise direction.

The final pathway is created as each participant leaves the lodge to
return home. For several days the energy continues to flow from the
sweat out to each participant and beyond to intensify and establish
the intent that was expressed during the ceremony. When thinking
about spiritual energy movement, the concepts of time and distance
have little to no meaning. How does the energy "find" you? As you
focus your intent on the Grandfathers you actually entrain with that
Universal energy, and when we speak of "leaving" the sweat and going a
long way home, we are still inside the Universe.

Questions and Answers

Typically, I tell people to arrive around 6PM for several reasons.
First, with the exception of the Winter Solstice there is still enough
light available to help everyone find the location. This time also
allows everyone to begin the process of getting into the energy of the
sweat and meeting and getting to know the other people that will be
inside the lodge with you. After all this is a tribal event, not a
group of strangers doing their own thing kind of event.

Its kind of funny, the first question most people usually ask is, "how
long will it take to finish the Sweat?" Actually, I try not to
offend, but the simple answer is we go in when the energy is feels
right, we work in the energy for as long as necessary, then we come
out. After we exit the sweat lodge we share a potluck meal, then
clean up the lodge and make sure the fire is completely out, then get
ready to go home. All of these time units are in the hands of
Creator, not mine, so let's simply agree to move with the flow and
time will take care of itself.

Another question that comes up now and again is, "What do I wear in a
Sweat Lodge?" First, lets examine the process. Typically the spirit
fire is lit in the late afternoon and the Grandfathers are added as
people arrive. As the fire burns these Grandfathers just bake and
absorb energy, this time usually last until darkness arrives. When
the energy of the sweat is right that fire has basically burned itself
into a pile of red-hot embers (great for heat, not so good to see by)
The night around the sweat is dark and inside the sweat lodge is pitch
black. Personally, I step outside the glow of the fire and completely
disrobe and wrap a towel around me as a covering. Once inside, I use
this towel as a place to sit. I understand that this level of freedom
is not for everyone, so let me provide a few guidelines:
Remember, it's hot inside the sweat and the very best way to
control your bodies response to that heat is by having your body
touching Mother Earth.
Be very careful to not have any jewelry on or any kind of metal,
because metal heats up much more quickly that skin and can cause a
burn (that sizzle you hear, just might be your ear)
Be careful that the covering you choose is not an attempt to hide
from spirit.
Natural fabrics do breath and they do help the body let go of
heat. Some people have asked about bathing suits, again if they are
made from synthetic material, they are probably not a very good idea.
If you are up for it, towels work wonderfully.

Is the sweat lodge ceremony part of a religion? Honestly, I try to
stay as far away from "religion" as possibly, I guess in my mind
religion is about control. The sweat lodge ritual is a method of
ritual purification, but then I ask, what am I being purified from?
For me, the answer is that I am being allowed a special time to slow
down and re-align myself with Universal energy. It is so easy to get
caught up in "corporate energy" or "school energy" or any other energy
that pulls contrary to the natural order of the Universe.

How big is the sweat lodge and how many people will be inside? The
frame portion is approximately 12 feet in diameter and is about 4 ½
feet high at the center. First of all I understand that nobody really
cares about the size of the dang structure, what they are really
asking is," will I be comfortable inside this thing" or maybe, "I am a
tad claustrophobic and feel like it needs to be bigger" or even, "will
there be a door close to me so I can get out quickly if need be?" As
to how many people can fit into the lodge, I've had as many as 45
inside at one time and as few as 4, be aware when there are 45 inside,
everyone is kind of close together.

Will you sweat? A while ago a friend of mine attended a sweat I was
pouring water for and told me up-front that she doesn't sweat. After
the ceremony, she told me that she could even feel sweat between her
toes, not to mention the river running down her stomach. So I guess
the short answer is Yes, you will sweat. I think you will find that
this sweat is not so much about water movement as it is about toxin
movement. I have seen people bring in really white towels that were
stained badly from their sweat during the ceremony. It has always
made sense to me that as your body entrains with the Universe that
"foreign things" in your body would have to leave. To date I have not
figured a way to measure this for verification.
-- 
Love and Blessings,

Ron Osceola

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