Friday, November 3, 2023
I have a friend who once visited a sweat lodge on a Native American reservation in Kansas. A sweat lodge is a cleansing ritual. They heat up these huge rocks and pour water over them, and you sit in a teepee and swelter. Not only are these lodges thought to cleanse the body and mind of toxins, but they are thought of as healing rites. No doubt, the intensity of the heat tests endurance and adaptability as well. I can see the spiritual benefit. You’re confined in a small space with temperatures rising to intolerable levels. Pushing the boundaries of physical and spiritual limit allows for growth, catharsis, and the confronting of fear. It’s a way of facing fear to release it, and to free it from the darkness.
One of the things they advise the participants to do, if they get so uncomfortable that they feel as though they cannot stand it any longer, is to pray for the person next to them. This not only sends good energy, but it takes the focus off of your own discomfort.
When we suffer, the last thing we ever think about is how we might relieve the suffering of others. When we’re afraid, we never think of how to help others be less afraid. Problems, fears, and struggles create myopia; but compassion broadens our field of vision, offloading the burden. We tend to reach in when we struggle; but I advise that you reach out. If you’re lonely, don’t wait for that friend to call. Reach out and be a friend to another lonely soul. The heaviness of your problems will lighten if you find the capacity to take your focus off of yourself. Closing in on your struggles won’t help; but reaching out to be a blessing to others just might do the trick to get you to the other side towards release, freedom, and relief.