Native American Indians have a rich culture filled with mysticism and magic along with a love of nature that they routinely become one with every day. They have beautiful rituals that are unsurpassed by anything we see in the United States, as this is a new country and the old traditions still live on as a big part of our history. Here are some ideas for using what you already have, like a shed on your property, to participate in a ritual or two at home and enjoy nature like the natives did hundreds of years ago.

An explanation of a moon lodge and a sweat lodge

Native American traditions are forged with a certain type of spirituality that is rooted in family and how they are linked with nature. Everything for them is projected onto the stars and the cycles of mood and the cycles of nature itself. They do nothing without consulting the ancestors and animal spirits. Whites settled the land and took over the traditions, but despite the turbulences and tribulations of history between settlers and natives, there is a vast cultural exchange that primarily involves both Native Americans and European Americans. and that’s where the moonlight and sweat lodges come into play.

The women and men of the Native American community were heavily segregated when it came to their rituals. At the time of their monthly female cycle, the women would go to a special structure that you can make from your shed and they would be together at that time. Their bodies were in sync as you will notice other women you may work with and they shared spiritual experiences during this time within that structure without the company of men.

The men would build a structure for which you can also use a shed on your property called a sweat lodge. This is a structure with a very high top or no top at all. A fire would be built in the middle and the men would sit around it and basically use it as a sauna to sweat out the impurities. This, along with the use of prayer and storytelling, would unite them much like the women in the moon cabin.

How to build one on your property

For the moon lodge, all you need is a clean, empty shed where you can maybe put a pool of water big enough for you to wash yourself. You can consult the corresponding ritual. Other than that some soft pillows you can sit on and a window to see the sky.

For the sweat lodge, you need a shed with a high roof, preferably metal, so you can safely build a fire in the middle using a fire pot, not wood, this is dangerous, and enough windows to ventilate the smoke. . Light the fire and put it out just before the men enter and you will have enough dry heat to continue the ritual. Rather, you can take a hot rock steam bath in the sauna-like shed and you’re good to go!