BRING IN THE LIGHT - SPIRIT LODGE CEREMONY

Join me at Tir na nOg in Scotland for a sweat lodge ceremony to celebrate the feast of Saint Lucia!

December 13th has been celebrated of old in the Germanic pagan traditions as the day that the light returns for a new annual cycle. In the Scandinavian countries you can still find a Christian ritual on this day hinting at the old ways. Here a young woman, elected to play the part of Saint Lucia (lit. 'light') wearing a white gown with a red sash and a crown of candles, leads a procession of women who each carry a single candle while they sing the song in honor of Saint Lucia. In this version of the ritual the candles symbolize the fire that did not take Saint Lucia's life when she was sentenced to be burned and the song tells of her light that overcame the darkness.

Clearly this symbolism reflects something of a more earthly nature. Before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar December 13th was thought to be the longest night and the Saint Lucia celebration is connected to what we now celebrate as midwinter. The red sash she's wearing refers to the sun like the red berries of the holly do for the winter season. Saint Lucia is bringing in the light after the dark months and with her white gown and the candles she speaks of a new yearly cycle of the sun and earth and a new cycle in our consciousness.

The customary cattle markets that you can find on the 13th in some parts of North-West Europe are also connected to midwinter and traditionally served to cleanse the cattle of disease and negative energies. Other winter celebrations for instance, like the fires and procession of lanterns on Saint Maarten's day (November 11th) are also to cleanse and to protect the fields and cattle for the coming winter.

The veil between the worlds is thin in the weeks between Samhain and the winter solstice and the energetic movement that exists on this particular day supports a traditional purging of ourselves of the old, ridding ourselves of negative energies, praying for health and protection for the winter and inviting in the light for our new rounds on the wheel of life.

During this time it was customary in many parts of the Celtic and Germanic lands to bless little bags of grain to ensure good, healthy crops and fertility of the lifestock. In accordance with this we will build an altar near the sweat lodge and I ask you to bring a little bag (hand-size) with you to put on it so it can be blessed by the Spirits, the fire and the energies of the lodge. In this little bag you can put the things that symbolize what you would like to grow in the new cycle: your dreams, your hopes, your health, your loved ones etc..

I'm looking very much forward to sharing this special time with you!

Until then,

Maarten

Where?
At Tirnanog, about 40 min. north of Glasgow.

What time?
We start at 10am and finish approximately at 6pm after enjoying a meal together.

What do I contribute?
It's a 50 pound (or Euro 57,50 in the payment portal) contribution for the day. If you bring another person through a joint booking your friend only contributes 20 pound. That is 35 pounds each and it includes the meal afterwards!

What should I bring?
The sweat itself is clothing optional, which means you can enter the lodge as you were born (naked) or, if you prefer, you can wear some light clothing like a bathing suit, shirt and boxers or sarong. Just bring whatever clothing you are comfortable to sweat in (if any) and also wear comfortable and outdoorsy (warm) clothing for the rest of the day because we may get dirty building the fire and being out and around it. Bring a couple of towels: at least one for inside the lodge (that will get dirty) and one to use after rinsing off. It's also very important to keep hydrating throughout the day so bring a big bottle of water with you that you can refill. Here's a list of what to bring:

- (warm and) comfortable, outdoorsy clothing (rain gear if needed)
- bathing suit, shirt and boxers or sarong (or whatever you're wearing into the lodge)
- towels
- big bottle of water
- your little bag of dreams!
- your remaining balance (if this applies to you)
- a happy heart

How do I register?
You can register through Tirnanog by giving them a call at (+44) (0)1360 449300 or by clicking THIS LINK, which will forward you to the payment portal on www.maartenelout.com. Here you can pay your deposit or full contribution by credit card or your PayPal account (both are handled by PayPal). When you've made your payment you'll receive an email with a download link so you can download the PDF file with the ceremony's details. If you're not able to register in this way, please send me an email through this website and we'll sort something out.