Larry Sellers on Spirituality

Particularly in Native beliefs there is no such thing as just a sweatlodge leader. A lot of people can lead a sweat and it doesn't make you anything exceptionally special, it just gives you responsibility. I think the difference between responsibility and recognition is misunderstood. They want to be somebody so they say 'I'm a healer' or ' I'm a sweat lodge leader' and what they're actually saying is 'Look at me, look at me', which is totally the opposite of what Native beliefs are about. In the Sun Dance people offer a piece of themselves - the blood, sweat tears and pain - because that's the only thing we truly have to give of ourselves, the only thing. That's not to say that people who don't pierce don't get their prayers answered, but if you're going to give anything, the Creator doesn't care if you put fifty thousand dollars there, He can't use it. He doesn't care how sincere you are with that fifty thousand dollars but if you offer a piece of yourself - blood, sweat, tears and pain - for the prayers that you're offering, that's what he wants to see. He wants to see how sincere you are. He wants to see what you're willing to give and what you're willing to commit of yourself. There are non-Natives who are very sincere. They don't come out and say, 'I am a healer, I want to do this ceremony', or 'I'm a Medicine Woman, I want to do this ceremony', or I'm a sweat lodge leader, I want to do this ceremony'. They are the ones who come and put the sweat and the work and the time into whatever is going on. They are the ones who will go the extra distance to help everybody, not just themselves. They don't show up the day before and want to dance. Some people show up the day before and have no idea what the sweat is about, no idea what the pipe is about and no idea what the ceremony is all about. They just seem to want that vision for self-agrandisement. They make things up, 'Oh I saw this, this and this'. They want to elevate themselves to make others believe they've really had this vision. If you believe in the values of the pipe you can't determine what somebody else's spirituality is. But they know. The spirits know. What we need to do is ensure that the sanctity of ceremonies is not sacrificed for the egos of the people who are there for it. I have seen it time and time again when non-Indians come and their egos are accomodated by the people leading the ceremony, whch is really unfortunate because it hurts that ceremony. The first indicator with insincere people will be the first words out of their mouths - 'I studied with' - because in native beliefs you don't study with anybody, we live it. We learn from experience. You don't go to a school or read a book and you don't sit and listen to someone pontificate on how spiritual you need to be! Native beliefs teach you to conduct yourself by incorporating true values every second, every minute every hour, every day, every week, every month, every year, all of the time. It is a way of life. A lot of the New Age people want a metaphysical experience they can have a conversation piece about." From lakotaoyate.com (Lakota Oyate in Solidarity)