Adam took it and relit the pipe. "Creator, I am loved by people but I do not love myself. The lack of love for myself has caused my grandfather much pain. I have introduced drugs into my body to try and hide my anger and to make things better without changing. I have hidden behind anything I could to avoid the truth. I even allowed a man to dominate me mentally and physically with so much control I became numb to my feelings and for a while it felt better to be numb. I wish to find what I once had as a child which was health, happiness, love for the people and love for myself." He handed the pipe to Liam, who smoked the last of the tobacco and then placed the pipe in front of him on a special holder.
Liam looked at each man individually and nodded his head towards Jared. Jared made five trips and placed each rock within the ring inside the lodge.
The inside of the lodge glowed from the red hot stones. Liam reached and pulled the ladle out of the bucket full, pouring it on the rock representing the west, repeating the procedure for the rocks representing the north, east and south. He poured two more full ladles on the rock in the center representing the grandfather. The lodge filled with steam rapidly and completely.
Liam spoke aloud, but could barely see the others in the lodge. "I will chant prayers. The first round of the four we will complete is for the west. Each direction will be a different focus on spirituality."
Liam began to chant and pray. The men in the tent felt the heat of the steam and the heat from the rocks and were sweating profusely. It felt good to them as the sweat poured down their bodies and into the ground. Jared was thinking to himself Liam's memories were coming to the surface more and more. He is a Shaman.
Liam poured more water on the rocks and the steam returned, filling the lodge like it had the first time. He then continued to chant and pray. Suddenly, the lodge shook violently. It wasn't like last time they had a sweat, it was like something was trying to tear its way into the lodge.
Liam began to chant again except louder. He asked everyone to hold hands in the circle. Once they had done this, they all chanted with Liam. Even the three young people chanted as if they had known the words before by heart.
Jared broke the grip on his hands and grabbed the talking stick. He shook it. Jared spoke, "The evil one has tried to come into the lodge. He says he has claim on two of the young men in this lodge and wants them. Liam my soulmate, if I may help you at this time, it would be an honour to me."
Liam looked at him and replied, "Maskwa, Sacred Medicine Man of the people, please let us work together in the name of the Creator."
Jared put the talking stick back on its holder and indicated to Liam to put more water on the stones. As the steam built up, the shaking of the lodge intensified. "Everyone hold hands again and do not let go, no matter what is said by anyone but me," stated Jared. They did so.
The lodge was filled with steam, but the outline of each person was still there from the glow on the rocks.
Jared looked up and chanted loudly, almost yelling the words of prayer. When lowered his head, his eyes were a solid glowing white light. Everyone in the lodge could see them cutting through the steam. The chants of Jared were growing faster and louder. Liam's eyes had also turned a bright white and they also cut through the steam. The lodge shifted as if someone had smacked it with a large baseball bat. Jared repeated the chant louder. Conner and Adam began to try and get their hands free from the men holding them. Mark was fighting with all his strength to keep holding onto them.
They were beginning to cry out as well with something which sounded like unearthly screams of agony. Jared and the rest of the men in the lodge were yelling the chants as loud as they could. Adam and Conner's bodies were writhing but Mark wouldn't let go of either one of them. Suddenly Jared's eyes flashed even brighter and his entire body started to glow. The glow spread to each of the men on Jared's right side and Liam on his left. The glow was slowly traveling up Conner's left arm and Adam's right arm. They were screaming as loud as they humanly could as the glow penetrated their bodies. Jared lifted his chin up and chanted something they had never heard before. A glowing pulse came off his body in a circular shape and grew until it touched the walls of the lodge. He chanted again as the lodge began to glow a bright yellow, building in intensity until it was almost blinding. By now Adam and Conner were no longer screaming and had settled down. The glow spread rapidly through them and into Mark. Now the entire circle of men was glowing. They heard in their heads a message from Jared, "Share your love with one another like we did before."
Everyone's head felt like a radio channel with too many people talking at the same time. There were visions of people loving, parents, beautiful places, friends, pets which were all forms of love they were sharing with each other. "Continue chanting brothers," yelled Jared in their heads.
Suddenly, Jared's Grandfather was in the lodge wearing the clothes of the Most Sacred Medicine Man of the People. His fur headdress was similar to Jared's having the horns of a buffalo on the sides. The big difference was the amount of eagle feathers Jared's grandfather had were in the hundreds.
Grandfather's voice was heard in everyone's head. "Maskwa, I am here to help you all. Liam, call for your ancestors to come forward as well. Dig deep and call for your S
eanair.
" (Scottish Gaelic for Grandfather).
As Liam concentrated, an old man dressed in furs, leather and a very full, thick beard was standing in front of them with a walking stick. He bowed to Grandfather who returned the gesture with a bow of his own. The two old men held hands and touched their foreheads together. After separating, the old druid raised his walking stick and thumped it into the ground. The vibration could be felt like an earthquake by the men sitting in the circle.
Liam's grandfather raised his arms above his head and then looked to the sky. He yelled a Gaelic expression louder than anyone thought was possible. When he lowered his head, his eyes were emerald green in colour. With one hand holding his staff, he raised his free hand, palm out, to the two young men.
Jared looked at his Grandfather and was surprised. He had moved next to the Celtic Shaman and had placed his hand onto the staff over Liam's grandfathers. For the first time ever, Jared witnessed his grandfather's eyes to be glowing emerald green. He also was standing with his free hand, palm out towards the two young men.
From each of their palms shot a green ball of energy which hit Conner and Adam. Both young men screamed as two very dark screaming shadows flew out of them. The shadows were immediately sucked into the ground by their feet with their long finger trying to grasp anything to stay.
Liam's grandfather raised his stick and thumped the ground again. Another dark shadow from each of the boys and this time Mark as well drawn out. A strong one was fighting to keep control of Adam.
Both Liam's and Jared's grandfather let loose a hooping war cry of battle. The scream of the battle cry sent shivers down the spine of everyone seated in the circle. Each grandfather reached gently to touch their respective grandson. The four of them yelled the war cry together as Liam's grandfather raised the stick one more time and rammed it into the ground hard. There was an intense flash of yellow, followed by red, white and the lodge went into blackness. Everything was quiet now.
Jared was drowsy as he suspected everyone else was as well. "When you are able, we need to go to the lake to cleanse ourselves," said Jared as he threw the door flaps open. They all crawled out and went to the lake and waded into it. "Put your heads under water to cleanse your entire body."
Everyone was beginning to come to full consciousness now. Liam said, "We can get out now and stand by the fire."
They had been standing around the fire for a few moments when they noticed they were not alone. Near the dock, were six wolves, a coyote, a bear, and an eagle sitting on the bears shoulder.
Jared got everyone's attention quietly and pointed at the animals. The Bear was sitting in the middle, the eagle on his shoulder and three wolves on each side of him. The coyote was sitting in front of the bear. Jared raised his hand in greeting and then everyone else did as well. The animals all howled, screeched and growled at the same time in reply.
