Tom Utterback, a laboratory technician in Yakima, Wash., considers himself a man of science, but when he stepped into a sweat lodge he found something profound in the pitch blackness; the smell of earth; the fierce, moist heat penetrating his skin; and the honest words spoken by the participants, followed by intense silence.

"It was all very meaningful to me;' Utterback recalls. "For some time, I had been looking for ways to explore spirituality, but I couldn't relate to conventional Western religions. The sweat lodge seemed to allow for a direct experience of our human spirit. Afterward, I felt a stronger sense of confidence in my life."

Explaining that kind of impact has as much to do with the participant as it does with the event, offers Peter Blum, sweat lodge facilitator at the New Age Health Spa, nestled in New York's Catskills Mountains. "Deep healing happens when a person is ready to be healed. Whatever words you decide to use for spirit-the Native Americans call it the Great Mystery-the lodge setting certainly facilitates that. It's a ceremony that resonates with something in a person's psyche.

"Blum observes that modern society divorces us from any daily contact with nature, and that even human interactions are becoming ever more remote, more virtual."People are so out of touch that when they come and just sit together in a community among the ancient elements-the dirt, the fire, the wood, the air-that in itself is very healing."

For Utterback, the encounter was so compelling that he braved the hostility outsiders can face when they intrude upon Native American ceremonies. A Yakima tribal elder allowed him to observe and learn the tradition over a period of eight months.

"We never think of how we got here, the continuity that makes our lives possible;" says Utterback. "A quote I'd heard long ago suddenly made sense to me:'l am the reason that my ancestors existed for thousands of years.' just the act of giving thanks for your life and for other people-that expression of gratitude is not something we take time for every day. When I did, I started to feel connected to everything around me."

Where to Sweat

For more information on attending a sweat lodge ceremony, contact:

Lewis iMehl-Madrona Tucson Ariz.
Address inquiries to mehlmadrona@aol.com

Seven Circles, Richmond, Calif:
sevencircles.org ; 510-222-3822.
Fred Wahpepah, a tribal elder of the Kickapoo and Sac-and­Fox, provides opportunities for non-Native Americans to participate in sweat lodges and Vision Quest ceremonies in the San Francisco Bay area.

New Age Heatlh Spa, Neversink, NY.
newagehealthspa.com ; 800-682-4348.

About two hours from New York City, the spa con­ducts sweat lodges monthly from April through November.

Hidden Creek Ranch. Harrison Idaho
hiddencreek.com ; Boo-446-3833.
Along with holistic education and outdoor activities, the ranch offers pipe and sweat lodge ceremonies.

© Healthy Living