by Michael Stocker | Jul 16, 2017 | Ceremony
Which came first, our Red Road, or Life? I once read a Native American Spirituality book that spoke about seven rites of passage; it spoke about Praying with a Chanupa, in a Sweat Lodge, at a Hambleche Vision Quest, or a Sundance. Why do we feel like we have been on...
by Michael Stocker | Jul 16, 2017 | Ceremony
We enter ceremony at times of transition. Our ceremonies may be simple, such as the little things we do to remind us that our daily life is governed by something larger than us, or they may be deep – such as the ceremonies we enter to bond our hearts in love or...
by Michael Stocker | Jul 16, 2017 | Ceremony
Those of us who progress from twelve step to sweat lodge find that they can be natural complements. Native-led Sweat Lodges can be appropriately awe-inspiring for those of us who need another day, another week, another moon, or another year of sobriety. About a year...
by Michael Stocker | Jul 16, 2017 | Ceremony
The first time I attended a Pipe Ceremony, I had an experience of community and spiritual connection that I knew right away felt missing in my daily, self-occupied life. It is an experience so removed from our daily life; we are given permission, even encouraged to...
by Michael Stocker | Jul 16, 2017 | Ceremony
I wrote this paper on women’s moon time & ceremonies, which apply to the sweat lodge ceremonies that I conduct. I learned from Lakota Medicine Man, Pete Catches Fire, in 1983. He said, “All Medicine Men (Lakota) have a difference in their ceremonies...
by Michael Stocker | Jul 16, 2017 | Ceremony
Moontime refers to the time a woman bleeds during her menstrual cycle. Through this cycle, women feel the effects of the moon, like we see the Earth affected by the ocean tides. There is some controversy and confusion about menstruating women and their participation...
by Michael Stocker | Jul 16, 2017 | Ceremony
For me, ceremony is all about prayer. The structure of the ceremony, and the sacrifices many ceremonies include, help me focus my prayer. They remind me why I’m here, and point me toward a good way to pray. It seems to me that the point of ceremony is to remove...
by Michael Stocker | Jul 16, 2017 | Ceremony
There is nothing better than to be in ceremony. That’s when you feel you’re doing something right, and that feels good. You are closer to the Creator and you are carried away with Spirit embracing you. Whatever the ceremony—Stomp dance of the Southeastern...
by Michael Stocker | Jul 16, 2017 | Ceremony
Our Elders and Children can teach us so much about ceremony. If we make ourselves fully available we can sit with them, listen to them, and watch them as they are—playing, learning, helping, and creating together. We can see our own life and how it relates to others...
by Michael Stocker | Jul 16, 2017 | Ceremony
All the things I’ve read about traditional wisdom never made much difference in how I lived until I began to participate in ceremony. Ceremony gives me an intensified experience of where I am in the cycle of life Creator weaves. This calls for a response from my...
