Among the new additions to the Twin Cities community is a sweat lodge. Last week, call went out for supplies to help complete the sweat lodge, which will be housed in the north suburbs.  Coyote Hawk is organizing the effort. He took time to discuss what this sweat lodge means for the Twin Cities community.
Is this the first sweat lodge in the Twin Cities area?

Actually, this is not new. There have been other sweat lodges. One of the first was built in 1994 in the Corcoran neighborhood in Minneapolis.  We had the [Corcoran area sweat] lodge for 8 years.

Coyote Hawk noted that as a result of the sweat lodge success, he knew of at least two sweat lodges that were formed: one at  31st and Bloomington, in a church and another set up by a native-based family.  So we did see an increase in activity for a period of time.

What do you want people to know about exactly why you are doing this again, at this time?

We’re experiencing fairly intense changes at all levels: the earth, levels of consciousness. The web of life is changing.  To prepare ourselves for this next age, we need to gather and do ritual.  This is a larger response from the society and earth.  We are honoring the greater need and call for ritual in community.

People are going back and understanding that we need ritual. They were squatting on sacred ground. Some of the sacred ground is ritual. The ground is not just the building on the hill; the function of the community is  to gather, to heal, and to connect through ritual.  We are giving space for other viewpoints to be expressed (e.g. alternative medicine, yoga, anyone who is working outside the dominant paradigm).

It is important to remember that we are all indigenous people struggling to remember a life that works in relationship to earth and to other beings. This is something that works at a deep level and fulfills us physically and spiritually.

This sweat lodge will help to import consciousness to the sacred masculine and feminine,and harmonizing the two. This is not just about couples, but the individual. Teachings on masculine and feminine polarity are a part of it. Continue reading →

One of the jewels of the Twin Cities Pagan scene is the organization, Harmony Tribe. Their annual meeting, open to the public, was held on Saturday, October 13, 2012 from 1-4pm at Black Bear Crossings in Como Park.

Meeting highlights included a recap of the past year, including approval of minutes, listing the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report, certifying current memberships and renewing memberships for 2013, nominating and electing officers, committee sign-ups and finding a theme for the Sacred Harvest Festival in 2013. New business included a vigorous and often humorous discussion of a variety of potential themes for Sacred Harvest Festival 2013,  confirmation of the date and location for the November Meet-and-Greet and a formal announcement of the agenda for the next council meeting. The meeting began at 1pm with a spiritual opening and ended at 3:42pm.

Some suggestions which did not make the list for Sacred Harvest 2013 include the following:  New or Next Generation, [Member Tasha Rose commented “When I see this I think of a Star Trek convention.”], Discover Wealth by Sharing Wealth, which was panned as sounding like a financial seminar, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. During the discussion, Nels Linde noted that there is a dark moon during the festival next year. This might be a factor in consideration of a theme. Several themes had substantial discussion, however a proposal at the annual meeting to defer a final decision until the October council meeting passed unanimously.

A brief discussion ensued regarding the location and adequate space for the November Meet-and-Greet. The Harmony Tribe Meet-and-Greet has a large attendance. It is when all members come and convince their friends to come and become members. It was agreed that a private home was not appropriate for a Meet-and-Greet since Harmony Tribe is a non-profit organization.  Suggested options ranged from local stores to a park with fire pits and kitchen space to a local church.  A decision was made for members present to look for locations which would fit both the space and financial needs of Harmony Tribe for the November Meet-and-Greet. The final dates are posted on their website    Sat Nov 17th at Magus Books.

One possible innovation for future Harmony Tribe meetings will be the use of Skype or Google Plus to facilitate members who are unable to attend but who can be present via technology. This will be discussed during upcoming council meetings.

After the meeting adjourned at 3:42pm, two Harmony Tribe members, Steward Judy Olson-Linde and Council Member-at-Large Nels Linde spoke candidly about the recent changes in Harmony Tribe and their most successful accomplishment to date:  successful submission of a 501(c)3 application to the Internal Revenue Service. As a charitable organization, this is a necessary component.

Continue reading →