Bury the Soul

Sacred Strokes - Bury the Soul
Deeply relaxing and comforting.

When you take Castle Building and Cocooning back to their roots you begin at Bury the Soul.

Bury the Soul is an old Native tradition, where the recipient is literally buried in stones and rocks. Under ceremony and with several people participating in the stone placement.

This Sacred Stroke offers grounding and balancing on a mental and emotional level, and rejuvenates the body through piezoelectric effect. The ceremony is often offered for grief, anger, domestic violence or addictions. It is a way to completely escape this world for a while and deeply reconnect with Mother Earth.

Traditionally you lie on your stomach outside, while sun warmed and water chilled stones are placed on you. A group of people offer the stones to the one lying on the ground, placing stones where they seem appropriate and right. It is a very intuitive process and just as often stones are placed around the person as they're placed on the person.

Once the stones are placed and the recipient is fully supported, there are several things which can be done. Songs can be sung, drumming, rattle and flute are often used and the entire session becomes an honouring and a tribute to Mother Earth.

In a modern setting, you will often lie on a massage table, or on a cushioned floor. The stones are heated in warm water and chilled on ice. And you can be clothed or not as you prefer. Drumming and other instruments might be used during the session, as well as creating sounds by tapping the stones. Various rhythms resemble different animals and invite their energies and associations into the treatment. Smudging, energy work, tiny stones sprinkled over your body and replacement of the stones all participate to create a unique and intensive experience.

Traditionally people would rise up and shake of their stones when they felt themselves ready to leave the warm embrace of Mother Earth. On the massage table and especially when using a mix of basalt, marble and crystals the stones are peeled off the body a few at a time and placed on the floor in a Sacred Symbol.

Bury the Soul can be a very intense and empowering experience, and has very few contraindications. Make sure to let your practitioner know if you have sensitivity to temperature, sounds or a history of epileptic seizures. These are the major contraindications in Bury the Soul, and the session will be adjusted to take this into consideration.

Related posts:
Cocooning - relaxing with stones, Stress relief with Cocooning, Difference between Cocooning and Castle Building , Sacred Symbols

Shamanic Journey

Image by Taunaki via Flickr

A Shamanic Journey is a form of guided meditation, using Native American traditions and methods. The experience can be rather powerful, and is usually very enlightening and a stepping stone for personal growth and healing.

My own experience taught me new things about myself and also confirmed things I already had an idea about. It also reminded me to just trust myself and my intuition.

The day starts with laying the Alter, Smudging and tying Prayer Ties. While sitting in the circle, we are told about what will happen. As the Journey goes into the animal kingdom, no names of animals are spoken as not to influence our subconscious minds before the actual visualization.

During a Shamanic Journey various rhythms and beats with the drum is used to bring our minds into a relaxed alpha state. Words spoken guide us into relaxation, so we enter a dreamlike state. Much like how you feel just before you fall asleep and pictures begin to float before your eyes and your awareness of the body slowly disappears.

Once deeply relaxed, you are guided into a nature scene, where you eventually become an animal. All you know is that you have four legs, a tail and so on. During the Journey you walk around, and might encounter other animals, eat your favourite food, see your own reflection and so on. At some point you will identify what animal it is you embody.

You might not just become one animal, but change between several or meet several as you walk through the scenery. Some will see things clearly, as if you were actually there. To others it might be more vague and scattered, and yet others again might sense or feel the animal instead of seeing.

After you have been brought back, you will write down your experience while it's still fresh in your mind. Then the group will gather in the circle again and taking turns, you will share what you have experienced. The symbolism and messages of the animal will be discussed.

During my first Journey, I didn't really see things but rather felt it in my body. I could feel how I was a puma. How it was to walk like a feline, the smoothness of the gait, the way I would stretch my body and so on. A rather fascinating sensation. It did take me a bit of learning to accept that I would feel the animal instead of seeing it. So at first I wasn't sure if my experience was even real. I had to trust that which came to my mind was the messages I was to receive, not doubting myself. I had to trust myself.

Two Journeys are never the same. Depending on the guide and your state of mind that day, you will experience different things and receive different messages. It is certain though, that as long as you keep an open heart and mind, you will learn new things about yourself or a current situation. The animals and their messages are surprisingly accurate. Perhaps it's not so surprising after all, as it is your subconsciousness which is giving you messages and you're in a situation where you are willing to listen to it.

If you get the chance, do go onto a Shamanic Journey yourself. It can be very profound and amazing.

What stone heater and why

You might ask if it really matters what stone heater you invest in when you do stone massages. There are many heaters out there and it's tempting to buy one that's cheap, especially as stones can be rather expensive as well.

My answer is, yes, it matters and it matters a lot.

I was fortunate that I started working with a really good heater specially designed for my use and the size and numbers of stones I have. I might not have grown to love working with my stones as I do, had I followed the advice from forums and massage equipment providers. Here you see recommendations for slow cookers, roasters and items like the "Spa Pro Massage Stone Heater".

I have worked with a Spa Pro Massage Stone Heater out of necessity, and I can definitely never recommend that to anyone.The Spa Pro Massage Stone Heater is just a converted roaster, nothing else. If you buy that, you might as well buy a good slow cooker with temperature adjustment.

During my time with the roaster, I've burnt my hands trying to take out stones, the temperature is unreliable and impossible to control accurately and there's just not room enough for my stones. My massage became interrupted as I waited for stones to cool when they were too hot. Other times they weren't warm enough and the client didn't get the full benefit of the temperature I offered. I can't even imagine trying to use a slow cooker which doesn't even have a resemblance of temperature control on it.

The frustration using of an inadequate tool threatened to take away a big part of my enjoyment of working with the stones and it certainly lowers the quality of the massage I give.

So what should you look for when you buy a stone heater?

Size
Make sure it has room enough for all your stones. It shouldn't just be big enough to hold them all, but rather it must be so large that you can organize your stones and easily find the ones you're looking for. Every time you search for a stone, the client misses out on some wonderful treatment.

Having enough space in your heater allows you to use more massage stones at a time, so you don't have to reheat as many stones at a time. Thereby you can give a more fluid and uninterrupted massage. Replacing the stones in the heater constantly lowers the temperature. Which is a problem in a poor heater.

With a large heater you also have the opportunity to use a greater variety of stones in your treatment to address very specific situations. It allows you to heat extra stones "just in case", or even just use each stone once and then place them in a Sacred Symbol on the floor after use.

When your heater is too small, you have to plan in advance what stones to use with your client and often cut that down to a bare minimum. This often means that you're limited in what treatment you give and can't adapt to the current needs of the client. Deciding upon which stones to use when the client arrives is too late. Stones, in a good heater, often takes 20-30 minutes to reach working temperature.

Precise temperature control
This is absolutely essential for your sake and for the sake and safety of the client. Make sure that there's a digital thermometer which ensures that the temperature of the water is always constant. It can change two-three of degrees as the heater turns on and off, but certainly nothing more than that. You should be able to set a temperature and know that the water will never be warmer than that.

I can't stress enough how important it is to be able to control the temperature 100%. Knowing what the temperature is gives you confidence and trust that the stones you take out are always ready to use and will not harm or burn the client.

Depending on the client, you may need to change the temperature. Children, very skinny people, elderly and others with certain contra-indications need lower temperatures. Other people don't like too much heat and lowering the temperature by just 2-3 degrees makes a huge difference in how they perceive the temperature and how their experience is. You need a digital thermostat to control the temperature so accurately.

When using the Spa Pro I have found that by the end of a one hour massage, the temperature has dropped by 10 degrees without changing the settings. So at first the client gets stones which are too hot, and by the end they're too cool. Consequently I have to try and adjust the temperature during the treatment, and I never know how hot a stone is when I need it.

The small differences
Size and thermostat are the two most important factors in your heater and should be your priority. The following is more of convenience and icing that makes the experience just that better.

Free flowing water
The roasters and typical stone heaters have the stones lie directly on the bottom of an insert. This often means that the temperature of the sides and bottom is much hotter than the water, which again means that the stones aren't uniformly heated. Those lying at the bottom or the sides are hotter, and one side of the stone might be hotter than the other side.

By placing the stones on a grate or framework above the heating element allows for the water to circulate around the stones, thereby ensuring a uniform temperature everywhere in the heater. In my heater the heating element heats the water directly - much like an electrical kettle - and the framework ensures that the stones are never in contact with the element and the warmth is evenly distributed.

Easy draining and cleaning
Working with a big heater means working with a lot of water in the heater. Perhaps a full bucket in a large and heavy heater. Even if you're strong enough to lift the heater and empty out the water, it's certainly not doing your back and body a favour doing so. Having a tap on the side which you can open, allows you to empty the heater easily and conveniently.

Easy cleaning of your heater will save you time and work. For example, I use my heater to wash my stones in. When the session is over, I pour soap into my heater along with all my stones and wash them in the hot water. The heater is washed at the same time, saving me time and work.

Looks matters
The heater is an important part of your massage room. The looks of the heater speaks of your professionalism and of quality. Using a slow cooker can send a conflicted signal to the clients of amateurism or of being cheap. So think about the impression you give your clients as well as how your heater suits the decoration and mood of your massage room.

Finally
This article was written due to my frustration and annoyance over using a small and poor heater. Being forced to use something less than what I am used to really opened my eyes as to why it's so important to invest in a good stone heater from the beginning.

It makes a huge difference in how I enjoy giving a massage with the stones, and what treatment quality the client receives. Please don't do yourself a disfavour and buy a converted roaster or slow cooker for your stones, but go out and see if you can find a proper heater that is big enough and where you have a digital thermostat controlling the water temperature.

Do you have experiences with stone heaters and what have you learned from using different types? Please share your thoughts and experiences below.

Medicine Wheel

Alter in a circle of stones with prayer ties.

Each tribe and even clan have their own version of the Medicine Wheel and how to lay an Alter and tie Prayer Ties. It doesn't really matter which version you follow or if you even make up your own. The Medicine Wheel is used as a focus for prayer and intention, a symbol for communicating with Creator or just to clear your own mind and meditate.

What I share below is from the teachings I learned from my Stone Medicine course taught by Jenny Ray. As with all things, take what you can use, adapt what needs adaptation for your truth and leave the rest be. Just keep the intention and purpose in mind and there's really not any wrong way to lay an alter or say prayers.

The Alter
Upon a cloth in the centre is placed a shell or bowl with sage or another herb. It is lightened and the smoke is what carries the prayers to Creator, as well as cleanses what you place on the alter. The centre is the connection to Mother Earth and Father Sky. Symbolism for the animals can be placed here as well. The herb for the rooted ones, the shell for the swimming ones, some protective skin or antler for the running ones, the smoke for the flying ones and so on. The most important is that it speaks to you.

In the four directions are placed their elements and their guardians, and any object you wish to imbue with energies of that direction. Prayer Ties are also placed on the axes of the directions, targeting the prayers to that area or intention.

The Four Directions
East for the fresh breath, for new beginnings, dawn and birth. East is guarded by the Eagle who carries our prayers up to Creator. The lesson of the East is to live in this moment - like the Buddhist mindfulness practice. The breath of yesterday is gone, you can't breathe it again. And the breath of tomorrow you don't even know if you will have. So you breathe in this moment for that is all you have.

South is for the family, abundance and growth. It's the direction of summer, warmth, fire and sun. This is the direction of our ancestors when they teach us; as the parents teach their children. Guarded by the dog family, south is the direction of playfulness and exploration. Of children growing into adults.

West is for fall and the evening, the Bear going into her den to wait out the winter season. This is where we go into ourselves to dream and vision, to work out our issues and discover ourselves. Here we bury the things we no longer wish to carry, our worries and fears, our pain and hurt, our disappointment and anger. In the west we contemplate and store the harvest of summer.

North is for wellness and healing. The cold of the winter which kills diseases. This is also the direction of the spirit realm and those who has passed over. Here you find the teachings from White Buffalo Calf Woman who brought the Pipe and ceremonies to the People, to teach them how to facilitate wellness and healing.

Prayer Ties
A bit of tobacco is placed on a small square piece of cloth, of the colour for the direction it will be placed in. Using a single string of thread, or a string of hair, a knot is securely tied around the cloth creating a small bag in which the tobacco is kept. While tying the string, the prayer is said, either spoken out aloud or to yourself. Tying the knot finalizes the prayer, giving it a firm conclusion and statement. Each Prayer Tie has a prayer. And several Ties can be made for just one direction to cover different things. The prayers can be about one topic for all four directions, or different topics. It is all up to you.

Tobacco
The Sacred Herb for the Prayer Ties is tobacco as it holds a special meaning to the Native Americans. Tobacco is said to carry the words and prayers directly to Creator. One reason it is so special is that the tribes had to trade for it across the North Americas. This required that they could meet peacefully and communicate even if they didn't speak the same language. As a result, a sign language was developed - thereby giving tobacco communication attributes.

The Spaces in Between
It is important to keep the Spaces in Between free for items.  They are more sacred than the directions, though more vague. In the wonderful logic of Jenny and the natives: Creator created all those spaces in between - we have more space in between than we have matter - so obviously it must be very important to Creator even if we have no clue as to why.

It is in the Space in Between where true change happens. This is when growth happen. Children grow when they sleep, when they are in between days. The time in between Winter and Summer is Spring, when the world come alive and new life is born. It is in the spaces in between that we have time to think and reflect, to work through our challenges and come up with new solutions. The Spaces in Between are the moments were we pause and just are. When we are in the moment.