Sweat, sung and cry in Svetti

A group of people gathered in the Svettttjald at Apavatn yesterday under the auspices of Thorláks Hilmar Morthens, who is better known as Tolli. He has been working to introduce sweat to the country’s prisons, but sweat has been extremely good for many who have been in prison and struggling with addiction problems.

Svetti is described as mental and physical purification. Sweet takes place in a large tent where the water is scrambled on the hot stones, which leads to a very hot tent in the tent. An experience in Svetti is individual, but the ceremony is intended to lead the individual inward and bring him in more connection with himself. Sweat originated from the first tribes of North and Central America and is used among tribes there.

Tolli manages the ceremony and leads people through some kind of journey that no one experiences the same. In 1996, he met Svetti with a man who met the ceremony with Indians. Tolli acquired his first Svetttid tent in 2007 and has been swallowed regularly ever since. In the prison at Sogni and Kvíabryggja regularly sweat for men and women.

« Sweat is a certain methodology that works for people and helps to get to know themselves. This is not just for people in prison but people in all kinds of mental state. All kinds of people come and participate in Svetti with us.

Songs from tribes

The sweat is divided into five rounds and each session lasts to over 30 minutes. The tent is closed and water is sprinkled on the boiling stones so that the steam is formed. Women and men are separated in the tent and sit in the middle and manages the ceremony.

In the first round, participants are around a fire located in front of the tent and there is a tobacco ceremony, but the tobacco is regarded as a holy herb in Svetti. « The first session is to connect with the spirit and wet of heaven, earth and all eight. Everything is in the same energy flow as we associate with it and our ancestors, » says Tolli.

Next, you go into the tent and then the other sessions start with the body and what it stores. The third round focuses on prayers and is a prayer circle where participants connect with their ancestors. The fourth session is an empowerment session and participants may comment if they want them. After each session ends, participants can get out of the tent and cool down and even jump into the river just outside the tent.

In all the cycles, songs come from a small tribe in North America. According to Tolla, it is uncertain what the singers are discussing as the texts cannot be found in writing. « For us, this is a kind of sound poem with meaning and purpose. »

Also, Icelandic songs are sung such as « Sleep My Young Love » and Buddhism mantles.

Former Icelandic prisoners participated in the ceremony and everyone had participated in Svetti before. In a conversation with the journalist, they said sweet had changed their lives and made them better people. Many who had been involved in Svetti for many years, while others met it within the walls of the prison and continued Svetti after imprisonment.

Germans sweat in Svetti

The last days of the project’s work group have Perspective on behalf of the European Union has been in the country. The countries involved in the project are Greece, Iceland, Italy, Romania, Turkey and Germany. The group has in recent days examined Icelandic prisons and the resources that are available to prisoners in Iceland. The working group is working to improve remedies for people who are returning to the community after imprisonment and the goal of the working group is to find ways to help prisoners adapt to the community. The sweat was introduced to the group and in the future ten Germans decided to come to customs and try the sweat.

Peter Dohmem from Germany was stressed but excited to test the sweat yesterday. He was excited to see if the sweat would touch his soul but uncertain what he was going into. Dohmem had never heard of sweat and was interested in finding out if sweat could be suitable for prisoners in Germany and other European countries. « I try it out with an open mind and I need to have tried it myself if I intend to introduce it to other countries. »

A journalist did not enter the tent, and the ceremony was not over when he left. Therefore, it is uncertain what Dohmem felt about the sweat but it will be interesting to see if sweet VERedi taken up in prisons in Germany.

Tolli tells the Germans from Svetti and no doubt some of them are skeptical.

mbl.is/árni Sæberg