Bob is shown with Ma-Nee, just before she left to visit her daughter's family and grandsons. The are standing by the sweat lodge constructed to wrap up the fasting weekend. For the fast itself, I was in a little tent on my own, about 200 feet from the "base camp", all in the forest on our property. Not having any food in the tent is quite beneficial from the perspective of generating no interest from curious local bears and other wildlife. My tent was surrounded by a ring of cedar leaves, one of the traditional medicines and for protection. A traditional and effective way to lay down a "non-food" scent. In order to be certain, when I left the safety circle to let my bladder have some relief, I opened a spot in the cedar leaves, closed them, and piddled in a territorial way around the outside of my ring. Why not demonstrate some behavior that is understandable to the local creatures? The folks at the base camp drummed for moral support and checked on me twice a day, but otherwise it was incredibly peaceful and meditative time. For some folks who are not used to being in the bush alone, getting over the fear of this is a big step. I was comfortable with that aspect, given the physical arrangements, so was able to get a great deal out of this time. At base camp, they had a sleep tent and a kitchen tent, plus two fires, one for cooking and one ceremonial (sacred). The latter is strictly attended in shifts around the clock while a fast is underway. Surprisingly, I did not feel hungry at all throughout the fast. I had tapered down my eating prior to starting it and had given up coffee about a month prior. I quit drinking coffee in the tradition of giving something up, for me the most difficult thing in the selection of vices from coffee, sweets, chocolate and alcohol. The other consideration was that I wanted to get through the coffee withdrawal headache period before having the fast. Being a woman, it was acceptable to have sips of cedar tea during the fast time. My research on cedar tea shows that in moderation, a few tablespoons at a time, it contains a great deal of vitamin C and can be beneficial (as it was to Jacques Cartier who received it from native North Americans when he and his 18th century explorers were suffering from scurvy). On the other hand, like any "medicine", it can be harmful if taken in large quantities. Following the fast, five of our group went through a sweat lodge process. The frame shown in the picture is covered with tarps and blankets to create a dark and "womblike" space. There is a pit dug into the middle where hot rocks from a fire nearby are passed in three "rounds" into the lodge. The sweat lodge leader (Ma-Nee) used a branch with cedar leaves to shake water from a container on to the rocks, creating a sauna. During the time in the lodge, the leader shares teachings and each person has several chances to speak about how they feel and what they are experiencing. After being cramped in a rather small space for several days, it served to limber me up nicely and was followed by a feast, laid out for everyone and to wrap up the fast. This process was not only enlightening, but also a learning experience for me. The process is called either a fast or a vision quest. A fast can occur without the desire to quest for enlightenment and vision, but when it includes time cloistered alone and followed by a sweat, it is often called a vision quest. As with eastern meditation, one of the objectives is to still the chatter in your mind and find a place of stillness, inner peace and inner knowledge. Being inexperienced, I would say that I touched on this feeling but need more meditative practice to be good at it. In other words I am not transformed into a totally changed and zen person, but I feel better for taking a little step in that direction. Each person finds a life path in their own way and this traditional Ojibwe approach embraces that concept, so it's for me!
