For this special episode of KALW’s Crosscurrents, we spent the hour talking about spirituality. Radio personality and Spirit Rock Buddhist teacher Wes “Scoop” Nisker was our guest. The show also featured stories about an urban Native American sweat lodge and Marin wood carver Tom Killion. We played newly discovered tape from standup comedian Robin Williams. We relived old times with a person-on-the-street interview by Nisker from the early 80s. And we got answers to the question, “What is the meaning of life?”
Listen: Native American sweats out trauma of the past
September 10, 2014–It’s intense in a sweat lodge. You enter a round structure, about five feet high at the center, and sit down on an earthen floor. The flap of heavy blankets closes and you’re left in utter darkness. Moments later, the leader pours water over hot, volcanic rocks. Like a sauna, thick steam rises and spreads. For some people, the experience can be terrifying, at least at first. For others, it’s a welcome home. Samuel Martinez’s first sweat lodge ceremony was like a déjà vu, he says, a coming home. In this… [Read More…]
