On the Threshold of Winter – Sweat Lodge Ceremony

Winter Sweat Lodge – Wednesday, December 23

On Wednesday, December 23, we will hold our Winter Sweat Lodge, at the beginning of winter and just after the winter solstice.

Winter invites us to turn inward. Nature withdraws, the days are at their darkest, and deep beneath the earth new life is already waiting. It is a time of stillness, letting go, and listening. Of looking back at what the past year has brought and consciously feeling what you no longer want to carry with you.

With the power of the north, the silence and the wisdom of winter, we make space for rest and simplicity. Not to immediately have to create something new, but to sink into not-knowing. To trust what is taking shape in the silence. Around these days, the light very slowly returns: a beautiful moment to say goodbye to what has been completed and to give a first, gentle intention to the new year.

In the sweat lodge, we return to the womb of Mother Earth. The stones are heated in the fire and carried by our fire keepers. We ask you to bring a natural material as a gift for them, as a sign of gratitude.

Koos and I take care of the water pourings. By pouring water onto the hot stones, we open the different rounds, supported by songs, drums, visualizations, silence, moments of sharing, and gratitude. In the warmth and darkness of the lodge, space arises to let go, become still, and reconnect with what is essential.

We have been working together for more than ten years, possibly fifteen by now. Our first meeting was in the sweat lodge; that is where our connection was formed. We both trained with Ishi, connected to the Lakota tradition. Ishi provided, among other things, the fire for the Susquehannock tribe. Koos has carried the fire for many years and guides sweat lodges. Mona was first invited to a sweat lodge ceremony twenty years ago and afterwards continued to train in both the fire and water rituals.

This winter sweat lodge is a rite of passage.
A moment to shed what has passed. To turn deeply inward and listen to what is waiting for you there, in the silence.

Not everything has to be visible yet.
Some things may first take root in the dark.

A ceremony of letting go, stillness, and trust — while somewhere deep inside, the new light is already being born.