Sweat Lodge
We offer family Sweat Lodge experiences by reservation only and limited seating to maximum of 25 people. (please contact Jeanne Lane, [email protected] to be added to the sweat lodge list. ) based on the Native American traditional practices. Sweat Lodge is a purification ceremony common to many Native American and other cultures and spiritual life. The Sweat Lodge is a place of prayer, spiritual, mental, and physical healing. It is also a place to seek answers and spiritual guidance for needed wisdom and power. It can also a place to re-group or connect with Mother Earth and the All that is around us.
Buckeye lodges are held on the first Saturdays of each month with Jose Gonzalez as lodge pourer, Jeanne Lane as Firekeeper. Please contact Jeanne Lane about available sweat lodge opportunity through our contact form, or by email @ [email protected].
You may join the circle around the fire anytime between 4 and 6pm. Please be mindful as you travel down our narrow road to follow the speed limit.
Please prepare yourself mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically for this ceremony. Take note as you approach the lodge; If the prayer flags are in place on the directional poles and the fire is burning, this means ceremony has begun and the circle around the fire is a sacred space. We ask that once inside the ceremony space that you participate with us in holding a sacred consciousness in preparation for the lodge. Personal prayer ties can be created during this time if desired.
The yurt area is available for community activities and socializing until you feel ready to join the circle at the fire.
The Lodge is generally open for entry around 6pm or as soon as the stones are ready. Participants who have entered the circle of ceremony will be asked to take part in covering the lodge. We will then circle up and prepare to enter. Any questions or concerns you may have can be answered in this circle.
The Elders of Buckeye consider safety for all participants as the utmost importance for every lodge. We ask that you prayerfully prepare yourself ahead of time and come to ceremony well hydrated. Water will also be made available in the community circle and throughout the lodge. Please ask if you have a personal need at any point during the ceremony.
The pot luck feast begins immediately following the lodge.
Please plan to participate in the feast as it is an essential part of completing the lodge ceremony.
What to Bring:
- Clothes such as swimming trunks or shorts for men and a skirt/top or dress for ladies....we have changing areas.
- Two towels. One to take in the lodge and one to dry off with afterward. A bandana is also a good thing to have as well.
- A dish to share for the feast after lodge.
- a GIFT for your Lodge Pourer and Fire Keeper as and exchange of energy to help set the intention of appreciation for their service. Suggested gifts are tobacco, corn meal, stones, sage, copal, sweetgrass, etc.
- A donation or love offering to ONAC Buckeye is appreciated. A suggested love offering is $10-$20 but we turn no one away for lack of funds. These donations allow us to maintain the facility, keep firewood, and continue to provide these services to the Buckeye community. The love offering basket is made available during the feast after the lodge.
- Stones from the surrounding area to be used during the lodge are always welcome.
More information:
Buckeye provides what we call a Family Sweat Lodge experience. This means we welcome people of all ages and faith traditions to participate. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. You may pray according to your own personal method and no spoken prayers are required inside the lodge, though we do encourage it. There is power in the spoken word. We also know all prayers are answered, spoken or unspoken. Our lodges are influenced by Native American traditional practices and serves as a purification ceremony similar to many indigenous cultures. The Lodge is a sacred place of prayer as well as spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional healing. We provide a safe and nurturing place for opening up to one another and to the Wisdom of Spirt. It is a place for seeking answers and spiritual guidance for needed wisdom and personal power. This is also a time and place to connect with Mother Earth and the All that is around us.
Interesting article to share about the benefits of sweat therapy :
http://spiritualityhealth.com/articles/better-group-therapy-just-add-heat
This Fire Keeper is preparing for lodge. If you have ever built a large fire you know the kind of heat that can be produced. The Fire Keeper knows intimately the intensity of the heat and yet this is only a small part of the fire tending experience. The Fire Keeper must have the greatest respect for this sacred fire and be willing to go beyond his or her own comfort level to tend the fire, prepare the stones, hold the sacred space, and serve the people. There are physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of tending the sacred fire. And in these, there are challenges and lessons available only to the one who is tending the fire. The Fire Keeper must meet those challenges with gratitude and joy while asking to be shown the lessons most needed for their path in life.
The Yurt
Our yurt is a 24 foot diameter round space that serves as a sound chamber that is complete with hardwood flooring. The yurt is the perfect space for energy work, massage, music, dance, meditation, small workshops, and small gatherings. The space is available by appointment by calling 865-679-0209.
Jeanne Lane, owner of Buckeye Farm, has been teaching yoga for over 30 years. What started as a hobby for her is now an integral part of her life. She constructed a 24 foot yurt on the property for the purpose of sharing yoga with the local community. Jeanne was originally certified through the American Aerobic Association International/International Sports Medicine Association in the early 90s. In 2000, seeing the need to improve her yoga teaching skills, better understand correct movement and proper alignment and provide instruction for the use of supportive props, she became a dedicated student of the Iyengar method of yoga. Since then she has participated
in over 18 weekend intensive workshops with noted names in the Iyengar tradition including George Purvis, Dean Lerner, Laurie Blakeney, and Jan Campbell. See the Calendar of Events for scheduled yoga classes.
Jeanne Lane, owner of Buckeye Farm, has been teaching yoga for over 30 years. What started as a hobby for her is now an integral part of her life. She constructed a 24 foot yurt on the property for the purpose of sharing yoga with the local community. Jeanne was originally certified through the American Aerobic Association International/International Sports Medicine Association in the early 90s. In 2000, seeing the need to improve her yoga teaching skills, better understand correct movement and proper alignment and provide instruction for the use of supportive props, she became a dedicated student of the Iyengar method of yoga. Since then she has participated
in over 18 weekend intensive workshops with noted names in the Iyengar tradition including George Purvis, Dean Lerner, Laurie Blakeney, and Jan Campbell. See the Calendar of Events for scheduled yoga classes.