Sweat Lodge Building with Neal Rzepkowski

This workshop, which begins in the Octagon in the morning before moving to the beach, is for people who want to learn about lodge-building and ceremonies. Bring a sturdy knife to help strip bark from the saplings we will use, warm clothes, rain gear, and lodge clothes for the Saturday evening lodge and, if some request it, a Sunday morning lodge. Saturday will begin with smudging and prayer. We’ll take a look at some of the symbolism and ways that lodge ceremonies are conducted. We will then begin to collect and prepare saplings and stones in a sacred manner for the lodge. After lunch, we’ll meet back at the lodge site to begin construction. We’ll light the fire and begin to heat the   “stone people” by late afternoon. The lodge ceremony itself is always considered free, and therefore does not really constitute part of the workshop. Following the lodge that…