Sacred Pipe Ceremony:
1) Start a smudge bowl burning with Sage, Cedar, tobacco and sweet grass, before you start the ceremony of the pipe, smudge the area you will be doing your ceremony in, the circle around you going "Counter-Clock wise because you are doing medicine in a good way.
2) Lift the pipe bowl up to the Creator; say a prayer asking for His Blessing that no evil ever be taken in or through the sacred clay of the bowl, which was made from our Living Earth Mother. This is the female. Hold the part of the bowl that fits onto the stem, over the smoke of the smudge and allow the smoke to filter through it and come out on its own, this is the Creator blessing it if it does!
3) Lift the Stem up to the Creator, say a prayer asking for His Blessing that no evil ever be taken through the stem which represents all Life being as one.
Next, join the two together. This is the male.
Take the sage leaves out of the bowl, save to put back in after you are through using the pipe. Do the same thing you did with the bowl, hold the end that joins into the bowl over the smudge, and allow the smoke to go through it and out. Again, this is the Creator's breath blessing the stem when the smoke come out of it!
Note: (1) pinch is equal to what an individual can hold between their forefinger and thumb.
4) Load the pipe with the traditional (4) pinches of tobacco to give honor to the four directions. If tobacco is mixed all together in one pouch (like most do), then take only (1) pinch and offer it in honor and respect to the four directions, then fill the pipe.
The Directions in which to turn ...
After lighting the pipe and getting it going, face East towards where the sun comes up and the East is the Creator's Direction whom we face day by day in Truth. Take a puff, turn the stem up to the Creator and blow the puff towards the sky. This is Thanking the Creator for His Blessing, and Also represents the first of the "Four Directional Spirits" whom we give Respect, NOT worship to for protecting from evil.
Then turn "Counter-Clockwise" towards the North, Do the same and take a puff of smoke from the pipe, turn the stem around towards the sky and blow the smoke in that direction, thanking the Northern Directional (Good Spirit and Good Spirit Only) For the Protection against evil.
Then turn toward Clock-wise towards the next West and do the same as before, and South and do the same, and back to the beginning face East.
Now, this is how you end the ceremony.....
AS you blow the puff of smoke towards the sky, and turn the pipe bowl back towards you, you will now (BLOW GENTLY) air back into the pipe itself,
This is where we all remember,,,,,"Never just take and take, but ALWAYS GIVE SOMETHING BACK!"
(Especially from the Good Spirits and Earth Mother).
Respect for Respect.
Note: In the Christen belief compared to the same similar ways of our people....The Good "Directional Spirits) of the Four Directions that protect us all from evil, are the "Four Arch Angels" appointed by God the Creator of All to guard the four corners of Earth.
After the pipe ceremony, clean the bowl, put your sage back into the bowl. Save the burnt tobacco to mix with the next (New) tobacco for your prayers in a pouch you will be adding to, the used as the first pinch of tobacco, then the new for the other three pinches of tobacco to pack your pipe with.
Then separate the bowl and stem. (This "used" tobacco can also be used in blessing and healing ceremonies for other times) Wrap them separately as before, but this time White around them and also Red wrapped around the White. This is to represent the Heart, the Creator and purest of the purest is the Center of ALL things, and the Red is the Blood that connects us All.
