September 23, 2015 – Finland, Minnesota

“And I will sing this song…”

My eyes are closed as I listen to a small chorus of mostly naked female naturalists, along with my hosts’ son, who is completely nude. I wish I had that kind of fearlessness.

“…And I will raise up to the night sky…”

This is my first experience in a real sauna, and I assume it’s not the typical introduction. The space is limited to begin with, and it doesn’t help that we have nine people. These are the kinds of experiences I’m looking for, right?

“…And I will sing this song…”

Advection warms the room as I pour water on the heater; we all feel the blast of steam. It’s enough for some to step out momentarily, save myself and two others. Well, I might as well get this over with now. I head to the corner and engage in a sorely needed sponge bath.

“…I do believe I’m back on solid ground…”

The experience spawns thoughts of a time when this practice would have been much more commonplace. A time when we had to do more than flip a switch to light up a room. Twist a knob to receive a steady stream of hot water. A time when we were less focused on the superfluous. Less obsessed with fantasy.

A time when all we had was each other.

“…I do believe I’m back on solid ground.”

“In the frenzy of modern life we lose sight of the real value of humanity. People become the sum total of what they produce. Human beings act like machines whose function is to make money. This is absolutely wrong. The purpose of making money is the happiness of humankind, not the other way round. Humans are not for money, money is for humans. We need enough to live, so money is necessary, but we also need to realize that if there is too much attachment to wealth, it does not help at all. As the saints of India and Tibet tell us, the wealthier one becomes, the more suffering one endures.” – Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama