CIRCLES Thunder Lodge
What to Bring with you to Long Dance:
5 gallons of water, 1 frozen. Remember it gets dusty.
Comfortable clothing - layers is a good idea as it is hot during the day and can get quite cold & damp at night
Camping gear for Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights, as appropriate to your plans.
Work gloves, tools you like, sunscreen, bug spray, a hat, bandanas, extra socks.
A lightweight but comfy chair to sit around the fire in the Brothers' Camp
Potluck offerings for Thurs and Fri nites, plus personal food for your stay
Besides food and beverages, bring your own eating and drinking utensils. These will not be provided
A towel or 2 for the Sweat Lodge. NO CONTACT LENS or JEWELRY ALLOWED IN SWEAT LODGE
A donation of wood to feed the Sacred Fires. We require large amounts, please be generous
You may want to shop at the Trade Circle so bring cash and/or checkbook. There's always great stuff!
Please carpool if at all possible
If you would like to help prepare the final touches, you are welcome! We will be on the land all day Thursday and Friday.
Remember, no children or pets at the dance. Please arrange your child/pet care at home with family or friends
This Lodge is currently seeking leadership, someone willing to shape and coordinate the days' events for the Brothers Lodge at Long Dance. We do have several brothers with different areas of expertise who are willing to step up and participate but they need a facilitator who can carry the big vision of a few days and nights of events in mind, as well as a larger mission of Thunder Lodge thru out the year. A generous and experienced brother from the San Jose area will pour water at the Brothers only Sweat Lodge (Thurs Sept 22nd), followed by a potluck, shared with the sisters in camp that night.
2011's Brother-inclusive events include a Brothers only Sweat Lodge on Thursday night, a Friday afternoon Pipe Ceremony, Talking Stick events, a drum workshop, and finally, a concert on Friday night. The Sisters' main event is Saturday night's Long Dance. During the Dance, Brothers will act as Sentry, holding the sacred space with their energies and receiving teachings from visiting Elders. On Sunday, if they so choose, Thunder Lodge also helps out with the Take Down of the Village.
Take Down Lodge has been newly created this year to bring fresh energy in on Sunday to help with the closing of the ceremony. This includes packing, transporting, unloading and storing the gear of the whole Village at Hua's place in Arroyo Grande. With a crew of twenty or more, this Take Down day can be as short as 8 hours. Please see this newsletter for more info on the Take Down Lodge we are forming to ease the load on Thunder Lodge.
Our efforts to foster a strong spiritual opportunity for our Brothers was a beautiful and powerful component of last year's Long Dance and so we are offering it this year as well. It is our intention to do all we can to see this Thunder Lodge grow stronger. We are holding most of this year's Sweat Lodges at the Church grounds as mixed Lodges so that brothers can attend and learn Firekeeper skills if they so choose.
We also encourage brothers to attend the Empowerment through Ritual & Ceremony classes offered by Hua - these are full of insight and methods of shielding and seeing, working with feathers, sacred plants and medicines and learning the flow of ceremony and prayer.
We are actively in touch with a number of Elders and spiritually committed men who are rallying their own brothers for added support and the chance for deep ceremony at Long Dance. We want to support our Thunder Lodge in every way we can, so please know we are open to your communications!
If Thunder Lodge appeals to you, please contact Tobey White Heart and she can fill you in on opportunities, resources and connections.
AHO!
Sky Dog, at Long Dance North, 2009
Thunder Lodge shield
Bear Medicine of the West with Thunder Lodge insignia
SCHEDULE of EVENTS
Thursday September 22nd, 2011
DANCERS and HOME LODGE VOLUNTEERS will begin to arrive and help prepare the site.
We set up tipis, rake the paths, create beauty-way, prepare the sweat
lodge, and create a collective experience finishing the sacred village
for ceremony.
BROTHERS SWEAT
Brothers will have a evening sweat lodge
DRUM CIRCLE Drumming, Circle Songs & Storytelling with the Sisters
ALL ARE WELCOME.
POTLUCK follows! Bring something yummy & nutritious to share with your community.
Friday September 23rd, 2011
During this day we will be finishing the Beauty Way of the Village and sharing ceremony & teachings:
MORNING YOGA (8-9 am)
TEACHING WITH LINDA SEELEY (9-11) Linda is an advanced facilitator of The Work that Reconnects
SACRED PIPE CEREMONY and offering of prayers with our Elder Maheewa (noon - 2 pm) ALL ARE WELCOME
HOME LODGE SWEAT LODGE for the sisters will start right after the Pipe Ceremony, around 2 pm. (Should you decide to attend, make sure that you drink plenty of water during the day.)
TEACHING FORUMS (2:30 –
3:30)
"Connecting with the Divine Masculine" and
"Destiny & Daily Life: Hearing the Call While Doing the Dishes" with "Hawk Stands Strong"
DRUM WORKSHOP with Francesca Bolignini (4 – 5:30)
POTLUCK DINNER (6:30)
CONCERT with several Guest Artists (7:30 – 9:30).
Saturday September 24, 2011
REGISTRATION/CHECK IN Everyone will be on site by 9 a.m. to check in at registration (NB: even if you have already been there camping out, you still must check in at this morning time slot!) Then we will go to Welcome Lodge, which includes grounding and making prayer ties to help clarify our intentions for the dance.
LONG DANCE ORIENTATION begins at 11 a.m. and lasts two hours. Bring personal needs, e.g. water, snacks, and a lawn chair. Each part of the Ceremony is explained and taught.
TRADE CIRCLE starts after orientation and lasts until 4 p.m. All are encouraged to offer their services, ceremonial items, gifts, etc. for trade.
GETTING READY At 5 or 6 p.m. the women will put on dance skirts and warm clothing.
DANCETIME Sundown, at the blowing of the conch, the women will gather in
the dance circle to receive Hua’s teaching for this year’s dance. The Brothers will stand Sentry, get rest and enjoy teachings and a fire in their own Camp. In the morning, the Brothers come at sunrise and re-join the sisters, singing the Cherokee Morning Song.
Sunday September 25, 2011
CLOSE of CEREMONY At the end of the ceremony, the women will take our chairs and gear back to the shaded tree area to begin the final portion of the Long Dance program
HARVEST BREAKFAST This bounty is offered by the Kitchen Crew. Brothers & Elders first, as always...
TAKE DOWN Please stay and help
even if it is one hour. This greatly eases the load on everyone else.
Brothers typically stay for the entire Take Down process, which, with a
crew of 20, is approximately 6- 8 hours to the final unload at Hua's
garage in Arroyo Grande. Pizza is provided.
THANK YOU!!!
Registration page