Sweat Girls: Finding Connection Beyond the Veil, (Paperback)

The story of Sweat Girls is told by Leah, who becomes a voice of skepticism among an unlikely group of middle-aged women seekers who journey into the mystery of a sweat lodge led by a Native holy man. They soon discover they can reach across the veils of time and space into to the wisdom and guidance of animals and of their ancestors.<br>Their journey takes them through the Flathead Valley and into the wilderness of the northern mountains of Montana and as they grow ever more deeply enchanted by the Native holy man and his quiet, fragile wife.<br>It was during a time when America felt the pride of culture after having elected a Black President and before the country knew of the backlash that was coming.<br>Glenda, the holy man's apprentice, leads the women into this Native culture, its unique costumes, drums, rituals, artifacts, and song. They grew together in spirit as they formed great bonds of friendship and love. They sweat together, cooked together, and worked together learning while building a lodge. In time, the women performed a fast, alone, naked and painted red in the Montana wilderness for three days and two nights.<br>There were animal guides and visions of ancestors beyond the veil. Leah dreamed of a magic button that became an object cared for by a mountain lion in a cave where her ancestral grandmother began to hum to her. In the same mystical cave, Glenda and Leah discover a mummified body.<br>The Sweat Girls loved the mystery. They wanted to believe.<br>However, just as Obama was headed into re-election, the holy man's fragile hold on reality began to unravel and his thoughts began to stray from mysterious to dangerous. He became obsessed with the idea that Obama was a fascist.<br>The women began to question his behavior and gradually struggled out from under his charismatic spell. He was discovered to be not only grooming and abusing women but was also abusing alcohol. His decisions ultimately lead to the deaths of his wife and one of the women fasting in the wilderness.<br>Shocked into stark reality, the Sweat Girls drew together to face the loss of the beliefs they had come to cherish and to deal with their new world of lawyers and tribal elders.<br>Through their long journey as seekers, the Sweat Girls began to notice their own access to ancestral and animal guides, and to turn inward where the spirit had no need for a mediator. They grew in strength and spirit as they built themselves a Kiva and opened their lodge to young women to find the path to their inner wisdom that the Sweat Girls had discovered.<br>They became the Kiva Sisters.

• Sweat Girls: Finding Connection Beyond the Veil, (Paperback)
• Author: Cynthia Winters
• ISBN: 9798234054968
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 2026-07-01
• Page Count: 294