Talking Circle & Sweat Lodge Ceremonies with Tela Star Hawk Talk ~ Friday, September 2nd, 2011 at 7:30 pm at Statler Chiropractic, 488 East Jericho Turnpike, Huntington Station, NY 11746 Sweat Lodges ~ Saturday, September 3rd & Sunday September 4th, 2011 at the First Annual Outdoor Gathering, 240 Manor Road, Huntington, NY 11743 THE TALK: Join us Friday evening for an introduction to Tela. We will listen to her talk about her fascinating work as an Indian Doctor, her ancestral medicine, the sweat lodge ceremony, the spiritual meaning of moontime for women & more. We will then open the circle for question & answer time. Donation: $15 - $25 THE SWEAT LODGES: Saturday & Sunday, ceremony will begin with the lighting of the fire at 11 am & finish with a potluck feast sometime early evening. Each day requires a full & flexible commitment of time. The fee to participate is $50 per person per day, which helps to cover the expense of hosting Tela & her helpers; a portion of the funds will be gifted to her as a donation, as is customary. ABOUT THE LODGE – The sweat lodge is purification & healing ceremony in which heated stones are placed in a small, covered dome made from bent saplings. Its purpose is physical, mental & spiritual healing & transformation. It is a warm, shared & bonding experience as well as an ancient ceremony that should be given the absolute highest level of respect. By sweat & prayer, we cleanse our bodies of toxins, our minds of negativities & heighten our spirits, allowing us to come into a balanced relationship with ourselves, the Earth & everything that surrounds us. Tela will guide us through the Sweat Lodge Ceremony with traditional Yurok medicine songs & herbs. The focus of this lodge will be on healing as this is typically where Tela does much of her traditional Yurok doctoring work. This ceremony is a co-ed sweat, men & women are welcome. Yurok tradition considers the spiritual power of a woman on her menses to be extremely strong, & a woman on her monthly period (moontime) does not participate in ceremonies. Rather, she is separate from the lodges in an honored position. There is no fee for ceremony, but gifting is customary to medicine people. Money is appreciated & necessary to carry on these teachings. ABOUT TELA – Born in Requa, northern California, Tela has been sharing her traditional ancestral medicine for over 30 years & has worked with thousands of people. She was recognized as a gifted Indian Doctor by her elders at a very young age & was brought up in preparation to fulfill her destiny as a traditional Yurok Tribal Doctor. A traditional Yurok Indian Doctor is similar to a medicine woman but she possesses additional skills. According to Yurok tradition a person cannot choose to be an Indian Doctor but is, as in Tela’s case, chosen for this work before birth. WHAT TO BRING – • food to share for the potluck feast (there will be gas grills available for cooking) • plates, cups & utensils • drinking water • high potassium food & drink (bananas, coconut water) to recharge electrolytes • 2 towels & loose comfortable modest clothing for the sweat lodge; women wear a dress or skirt & shirt of light material; men wear shorts • bug spray TO PRE-REGISTER and/or RSVP – E-mail cathynardone@yahoo.com or Mary at dreamstar360@yahoo.com. ABOUT THE LAND – There is running water as well as outdoor bathrooms. (The house on the land is not for use in any way.) If you plan on attending both days or the other events hosted by the First Annual Outdoor Gathering & & would like to camp on the land, you are more than welcome to. There is a $10 per night camping fee. Please e-mail Dr. Rick Statler to arrange your stay over at teachonlyloveamen@yahoo.com The Sweat Lodge Ceremonies are part of the First Annual Outdoor Gathering, sponsored by Statler Chiropractic & the Gathering of Light Fellowship. |
