An interview with water pourer Maarten Elout

Where lie the origins of the sweat bath?
Sweat baths and ceremonies have been around for thousands of years in many cultures around the globe. The Native American sweat lodge as a ceremony is probably best known today but similar traditions have been part and in some form are still part of our European culture. Sadly, much of our spiritual heritage has been lost in time, in part through the adaptation and replacement by other belief systems and religious movements. In my opinion this has resulted in our contemporary custom of ‘borrowing’ spiritual paths and paradigms from other cultures to bring meaning and purpose to our own existence. The way I was taught the sweat lodge ceremony for instance, was according to a Native American model but fortunately it came with a charge: I was to find the rituals of my ancestors and reclaim my own heritage. It took me years to get to know the essence of the ceremony well enough through the model I was taught, to now be able to unweave myself and reconnect it to its native European ceremonial roots.

Why are people all over the world sweating?
Mainly because sweating helps our body to rid itself of toxins: our metabolic rate increases and the organs work harder to flush out waste materials. When hot rocks are being used the splashing of water on them creates an atmosphere filled with higher amounts of negative ions, which aids the body's immune system and induces a healthy and possitive mental state. The sweat also serves as a means for social interaction, creating and maintaining the bonds between the members of the ‘tribe’.

But what happened to the spiritual aspects of the sweat, like offerings, prayer, communion, initiatory rites and seeking visions; that which is so prominent in the Native American traditions?
In this day and age the sweat bath in Europe primarily has a physical, mental and communal function. Ours is a mix of Roman, Greek, Turkish, Finnish and Russian influences. Often versions of these are offered at our modern bath houses and although a complete ceremonial form has not survived in Europe, there are still spiritual elements to be found in different traditional native sweat baths.

Can you give some examples?
I just returned from Turkey and the attendant of the Turkish bath house drives out the phantoms that live in the steam by shouting out a traditional purgatory phrase upon entering the steam room. In Russia it is believed that a powerful spirit resides in the sweat house. People often bring this spirit little offerings to appease him but their bania is also a place for communion with benevolent spirits that can help in extracting evil and prophesizing the future. The sweat bath is still considered a rite of passage, aiding people in transitory stages of life, like weddings, births and deaths. Of course in Finland and the Nordic countries sweating has been a prominent part of their culture. In their old beliefs fire was considered a piece of Heaven. In the sauna it transfers its heat to the stones and when water is splashed upon them the vapor becomes another object of worship: the steam they call Löyly - Spirit of Life. And the Celtic druids for instance, are said to have gathered in sweat houses for their traditional lustrations, to commune with the unseen world and receive guidance, to seek visions of the future that would help the clans survive and prosper.

It seems like a universal practice doesn’t it?
I agree. All over Europe you can find traces of the spiritual aspects of the sweat bath, still hinting at the old ways. The making of offerings, prayer, healing, communion with the unseen spirits or elemental forces, and the seeking of visions and guidance in one way or another is connected with sweat bath practice in almost every culture. By studying these aspects in various cultures throughout time I’ve come to understand that not only in essence but also in its various forms the sweat bath is a universal spiritual doorway, offering people the world over a powerful ritual vessel for purification, healing, communion and spiritual connection.

What is your intention with this particular ceremonial work?
It is my intention to offer a spiritual path ‘home’ that no longer needs to borrow a paradigm from another culture but is based on our own heritage so we in the West can once again dance the sacred dance of life in fulness, in harmony and firmly rooted in the soil of our birth and in customs and traditions from our own culture and past.