The crackling of the bonfire echoed off the canyon walls as Anita and Galen listened to their instructions from the wizened old shaman.
They had come to him in search of guidance to the local Anasazi ruins. Anita and Galen were researching a Native American version of the Kama Sutra. During their last dig they had found a tattered manuscript that spoke of ancient rites that allowed ancient spirits to engage in sexual exploits while inhabiting the bodies of the living. The holy one was willing, but they had to undertake an inipi, or spiritual sweat. He warned that to go unprepared was unwise and definitely dangerous.
So together with the shaman and his apprentice they gathered the willow saplings & bent them together to form a small hut about six feet in diameter and four feet tall. Once the saplings were bent and tied, they were covered with heavy supple bison hides. The shaman spryly kept hopping inside the lodge to make sure no light could get into the lodge. Upon finishing the lodge, they then gathered the hard wood that would become the ceremonial fire that heated the rocks for the sweat. Once everything was prepared, they had to wait until sundown to begin.
The pair took the remaining hours before sundown to rest and have a light meal together. Although Anita and Galen had been working together for fifteen years now, their relationship had never transcended the "friend stage". It wasn't that they considered the other unattractive. Galen was of average build, standing at 5'10" weighing 190 lbs. Anita meanwhile, was 5'8" and weighed 140 lbs. Her 34C cup breasts and curvy hips didn't allow for the typical athletic build. They both maintained a certain level of fitness required for their occupation as archeologists. They weren't virgins, both had had their share of sexual partners. Each had agreed that their work was more important than their getting physical gratification and risking the integrity of their team.
As they finished eating, the sun started to eclipse over the horizon. They took turns getting changed into bathing suits to wear. Anita opted for a modest two-piece suit, figuring it would wear easier in the sweat. Its rays were streaking the desert sky like fires from heaven. The tumbleweeds became silhouetted against the various forms of cacti that dotted the plain.
Once the two had received their instructions on how to participate in the ceremony, they stood by the fire. Staring into it's flickering flames, the bonfire appeared alive. Slowly Anita and Galen became mesmerized by the fire. Galen stood behind Anita and placed his hands on her shoulders slowly rubbing them in a circular motion.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked. She smiled and leaned back against him.
"With you by my side, how can I not be?" she replied.
The shaman appeared at their elbow, breaking the spell of the flames. It was time to go inside the sweat. As each reached the entrance of the hut, they knelt and said the words mitakuye oyasin("we are all related" in Lakota). Galen entered first. Anita followed close behind and then the shaman. Galen and Anita sprawled on one side of the central fire pit with the shaman seated across from them. The shaman's feeble voice started to sing the ancient text of the inipi ceremony. As he commenced, the apprentice brought in the rocks one by one. Each rock was blessed with cedar and sacred white sage, causing a light haze to fill the hut.
Once all the rocks were inside, the apprentice sealed the hides to the earth. The darkness of the lodge startled Anita. Unable to see her hand in front of her face, she reached out for Galen. Searching, she put her hand on his thigh. Galen patted her hand in reassurance and then covered it with his hand. Slowly the heat built, causing the air to seem thick and syrupy. Anita and Galen were starting to get dizzy listening to the shaman sing. Maybe it was the heat affecting them, but the shaman's voice was no longer weak in timbre. It was strong and vibrant. A light breeze circled around them causing both to wonder where it came from and how could it survive in this heat.
