Angels visit a small, wooden shed that is nestled in a bluff of poplar and birch trees on a First Nation reserve in eastern Saskatchewan.
You can find Part I here.
I can feel the vibrations from the drums throughout my body. Yet, as loud as it is in the lodge, I feel safe, calm, and tranquil.
After the song is over, a Grandmother talks to the Elder. He acknowledges her presence and thanks her for joining us.
"Hiy, hiy" the Elder says. We all repeat "hiy, hiy", the Cree way to give thanks.
The Elder listens to a voice that we cannot hear. This ability is a gift from the Creator.
The Elder relays the message that the Grandmother welcomes us all to the ceremony.
"Grandmother says that she can see her reflection in your bald head," the Elder says to me.
We all laugh. I don't share the same genes as my Cree brothers and sisters who have thick black hair. I feel relieved that the Grandmother made an appearance despite my presence. I feel welcomed and relieved all at the same time. My concern was that our students wouldn't have the experience because of me if they had not made an appearance.
The singing starts again. My feet are toasty being next to the fire. I'm aware of the students immediately to my right and left. Others are right behind me. It's crowded in the lodge.
Suddenly, I feel a rattle gently tapping my feet. I wonder how that can be as the rocks are right in front of me. Suddenly, as if to say that this is real, a rattle cracks a knuckle on my toe hard!
That hurt! But I think it was their way of saying "you aren't imagining this!"
And then instantly, I feel the rattles tapping me gently on my back. As I wonder how they went from cracking my to tapping my back in an instant, I feel both two rattles press precisely on my earlobes. The pressure increases momentarily. Then the rattle on my right ear flicked backward while the left flicked forward.
And, just like that, the rattle disappears. As Round 1 ends, we all share our experiences. Everyone in the lodge felt rattles. We all had the same experience.
The flaps to the door are lifted and everyone makes their way out to take a break. I decide to stay. It's far too safe a feeling for me to leave.
During the other three rounds, we all feel eagle feathers brushing our cheeks. Each round brought a similar experience for us all.
Sweat lodge veterans told me that they will often hear voices speaking in Cree or detecting different smells. It wasn't until my 6th or 7th sweat that I heard voices speaking in Cree. I never did smell anything that day or any other day.
Afterward, we all share in lunch with the young men serving us all. We all take a puff on a pipe.
Outside, the sky is blue and clear as it always was after any sweat I ever attended.
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