“Captain, you of all People know the spirit world works in wondrous and mysterious ways. We should not doubt that the spirit people are helping Keith and Shell learn the necessary things in order to survive……ah….no not survive…yes, but to live!”, Keo explained.
“You are right, Keo”, the Captain replied. “I am letting myself slip into that tangible world, the one were I only trust what I see with my eyes and touch with my hands. Sometimes I listen with my heart and I forget about the spirit within me and around us.”
Keo placed both his hands on the Captain’s shoulders as he stood in front of him. “Now come, the inipi lodge is ready. Let us go to the Reservatory and give thanks and that which pains us to the Grandfather rocks. It is time to pray for Keith and Shell and for the People.”
There in the section of the Reservatory the trees grew thick and dense. There was one path that led to a center clearing in the middle of the heavy populated woods. Here the sweat lodge sat. It took many quilted blankets to cover all the lodge. However, there was only a small fire to represent what once was.
Grandfather rocks are hard to come by in the Reservatory. So with much prayer and thought went into how to best honor the tradition of an Inipi. The sweating out of bad spirits and looking into one’s self. The making of one good, so one may address the Great Spirit with their thanks and their concerns.
In the middle of the lodge, on the dirt floor was a dug out hole, in which a small solar powered dome produced heat. Permanently built into the walls of this heating dome was some of the Great Great Grandfather rocks that were taken when the People prepared for leaving the planet. On top of the dome was a clear surface that the solar panels heated. Steam would rise when water was poured onto the top of this dome.
There were about ten men who went into the sweat. Certain songs were sung and prayers were spilled off of tongues as the ceremony continued. Each person had his turn as their voices moved around the circle inside the lodge. When the blanket was pulled back from the door of the lodge, the steam would bellow out in rolls. At the end of all the prayers, one by one each man would come out of the lodge on his hands and knees. Each man felt reborn. The sweat lodge is a spiritual womb.
After the sacred pipe was smoked, everyone shook hands and departed to join the great feasting. Keo was left behind with the fire keeper, a young boy who was honored to make sure the small fire kept burning during the ceremony. Keo thanked him and said he would take care of putting the fire out. Then he pulled off his beaded necklace he wore and gifted it to the young boy.
“Go on, and join the others and eat well, my Grandson. Know you have honored your people well with the fire tonight.”
The young boy took the necklace with great humbleness. “Honored one, I must ask of you a question that ways heavy in my heart?”
The young boy reached into a pouch he carried at his side and pulled out in his hand some sacred tobacco. He offered this to Keo, respecting the traditions and the ways of the People.
Keo accepted the tobacco and said a quick prayer under his breath and threw the tobacco into the fire. He turned to the boy and placed one hand on his shoulder, “Okay, my grandson, you have honored me well too. What is on your mind?”
“Living on Earth….was is like the Solar Star Base. I mean, here is all I know and the Earth is so much more, awesome and powerful. I have heard of stories of beauty and yet great storms, beasts and yet gentle creatures. I am afraid.”
The eyes of the young man was sadden by fear, the unknown and yet wild with excitement.
“My dear young son, you have every right to wonder, but do not let fear bring you down. A great prophecy is about to unfold for our People and the life we know on this Solar Star Base is going to change in a very rapid way. Always remember the stories, those that were created on the Earth and the stories created here on the Solar Star Base. At the end of this journey for this Solar Star Base, you will have the awesome power of choosing your fate. You tell me, will you every know anything other than this Solar Star Base?”
Keo gave a warm and gentle smile to the young boy, which in was returned in kind. The young boy replied, “Well, I am very hungry and I suppose I will need to fuel up for my journey ahead, heh?. Moving away to the trail, the boy teased, “You better hurry to the feast or there will be none left for you!”
Keo’s and the young boy’s laughter echoed in the stillness. Now left alone, Keo gazed into the fire as if looking into another world……