Today is a unique day in my world. I do not have any plans, at least while the kids are in school. My natural inclination is to make plans: run an errand, schedule a lunch, or clean a closet.
Why is it so hard for us to “live in the void”? I find myself wanting the space in my life, yet when it finally arrives, I fill it up almost instantly. Whether it’s a moment on Facebook while I wait at gymnastics class, or a second in my home where I pick up yet another item left astray¸ I cannot be still. This is now the nature of our crazy modern life. It hasn’t always been this way. Can we go back or at least find space for living in the void?
Not long ago and perhaps some places still, there was a void in life. The indigenous people lived in the void. They understood the void. They knew the void was sacred, something to respect and honor. This open space occurred not only in nature as in the wide open lands, but also in ceremony. The sweat lodge or inipi is such a place. The inipi is a place of prayer¸ a ‘house’ of worship. It is hot, sometimes intensely hot, depending on the energies of the stone people and the sacred fire, along with the community encircled. It is a place to be respected, with quiet voices and appropriate dress. It is a place where the void flourishes.
As part of Gathering Thunder Foundation (GTF), I attend a lodge that takes me through a path in the woods. This is appropriate as it acts as a portal from one world to the next. It prepares my mind, my heart and my soul for the experience. I leave behind not only most of my belongings, but also mental and emotional baggage from the outside world. It’s freeing to go to this ‘space’, to release and let go of my worries and troubles of the day, to be in the now. Upon entering the sacred land, a community embraces me with the warmth of a fire’s glow. To live in the void is to live in the moment, with no expectations other than being.
Drumming and silent prayer begin the inipi ceremony. With shoes removed, we enter, one by one, women first, then men. We circle around hot stones with legs crossed, quietly, patiently, in the void. Denise Iwaniw, the president of Gathering Thunder Foundations, pours the sweat and leads us in prayer; singing and drumming ensue. After three rounds, we leave feeling cleansed, refreshed and enlightened, the effects of living in the void. Whether your void includes joining us in sweat lodge, or perhaps sitting quietly in prayer and meditation, or a walk in the woods, I encourage you to find your void and live in it.
Love, “with a heart of peace,”
About the Author:
Susan J. McFarland, has a BA in Communications and in Spanish from Michigan State University. She is the author of the BLOG, “A Heart of Peace”, and a contributing author to Bellesprit Magazine, Star Nations Magazine and the Coptic Fellowship Newsletter, the Inner Connection.
She owns Of the Vine, llc, a holistic health business in Grand Rapids, MI. She is a Holistic Health Practitioner, H.H.P and offers Nutrilite vitamins and minerals to her clients. Of the Vine, llc believes you have the personal power inside of you to create a healthy and whole being through spirituality, nutrition and a positive lifestyle. Of the Vine, llc can assist you if you are looking to improve your current state of health. Of the Vine also offers various lectures and workshops on: nutrition, herbs, homeopathy, children and inspirational topics.
As part of the Gathering Thunder Foundation, Susan is the Education and Youth Advisor, where she teaches children the importance of Native Culture, whether through drumming, the naming ceremony or the sacred inipi or sweat lodge.
Learn more about Susan:
susanjmcfarland@yahoo.com
http://www.aheartofpeace.blogspot.com
http://www.ofthevineholistichealth.com
