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The Hopi Pipe Ceremony Added by Nate Birgenheier, M.D.
Purpose: As mentioned previously, the word "Medicine" has a different meaning for Native Americans. It encompasses well-being and spiritual health as well as physical health. A pipe ceremony is a ritual that Hopi Native Americans employ to pray to the Great Spirit. Great Spirit is comprised of the mother (the earth) the father (the heavens and celestial bodies) as well as the grandmothers and grandfathers. Grandmothers and grandfathers may be likened to angels. In the Hopi tradition, they are beings that have been in the universe since time began and they are thought to carry specific medicines. That is, they each have different strengths or aptitudes which the Hopi may call upon in different circumstances.
Pipe ceremonies can be carried out at virtually any time that the practitioner desires. One way to think of them is as an active or interactive prayer session or meditation. Sometimes a Hopi shaman (medicine man) is present for the ceremony, but that is by no means a requirement. Practitioners of the Hopi faith can perform a pipe ceremony when they are grateful for an answered prayer, to ask for the health or care of a loved one, to celebrate the birth or death of a family member, to ask for clarity when making a decision, to request the healing of a friend, or to express gratitude for life's many blessings. One of the key aspects of the pipe ceremony is to develop one's own relationship with Spirit with the understanding that Spirit will provide the tools necessary via channels such as the shaman. The Basics
The model for the Hopi Pipe Ceremony draws largely from the four cardinal
directions in addition to three other directions. Each of the cardinal
directions corresponds to a season of the year and a time in one's life. These
will be described below. In addition to the
The central piece of the pipe ceremony is, fittingly, the pipe. The Hopi
tradition, similar to many other religions, has symbolic stories
During a pipe ceremony, a practitioner takes a small pinch of tobacco and calls into each of the seven directions with it. He voices his concerns, gratitude, desires, or hopes in each of the directions and places his prayers into the tobacco. Once each of the seven directions have been addressed, the practitioner lights the tobacco, sending his prayers to Spirit. A pipe ceremony is usually begun in the direction of the current season; therefore, it changes throughout the year. Once begun, the cardinal directions are visited in sequence followed by the mother, the father, and the self. North- Guardian: Yellow Mountain Lion Element: stone(owa) Season: Winter
East- Guardian: White Wolf Element: water (pahoo) Season: Spring
South- Guardian: Red Badger Element: fire (qoohee) Season: Summer
West- Guardian: Blue Bear Element: wind (sumala) Season: Fall
Mother- Guardian: mole or anaconda (they have intimate contact with the mother's body, the earth)
Father- Guardian: eagle or condor
Self or Child
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four cardinal directions, the three
other "directions" are the mother, the father, and the self or child. In total, then,
there are seven directions. Each direction has a representative animal from the
Hopi faith tradition. These representatives are thought to guard a specific
direction. One prays specifically to these representatives with the belief that
they can carry the practitioner's prayers to the appropriate grandmothers and
grandfathers in the star kingdom.
that represent
and explain some of the basic core beliefs in this Native American practice.
These are referred to as Kiva stories and may be likened to parables in the
Christian tradition. One of these specific Kiva stories describes that tobacco
was given to the people of the earth as a gift from the grandmothers and
grandfathers. They gave this gift, the story goes, because Great Spirit has the
ability to see smoke. Accordingly, Hopi's can put their prayers in the tobacco
during a pipe ceremony. Then, when the tobacco is smoked, their prayers can be
taken to Spirit in the smoke.
According to the Hopi tradition, the North is the time of conception and
gestation. During the winter, the mother's body (the earth) is quiet and calm.
It is a time of vision when one can hear the voice of Spirit. This is a time for
thinking before speaking; for considering what exactly it is that one wants and
how he wants his life to proceed. Practitioners may ask for clarity or strength
in this time of planting and sewing the seeds of the future.
In the Hopi tradition, this is the time of birth and new beginnings. It is a
time to celebrate the joyfulness and innocence of childhood. The time of the
rising sun, the Spring is the time when vision becomes reality. It is when the
seeds planted in the North are realized physically. Practitioners may offer
gratitude for that which is new in their lives at this time; or, they may
celebrate the child within, realizing that curiosity and wonder lead to
spiritual growth and realization.
The time of the hot summer sun, summer and the south represent an individual
becoming and adult. This is the time to mature, to accept responsibility, to
have a family, to protect one's family, one's way of life, and one's beliefs.
Importantly, during this period, Hopi's strive to be "warrior's of light", to
spread truth and healing. This is a time of action, of coming into oneself and
defining what your life is about. Strength, resolve, courage, and foresight are
important qualities in this time, and practitioners may offer a pipe ceremony
asking for these qualities or celebrating the realization of them.
The time or place of the setting sun, this season corresponds to preparing
for death or hibernation. It is the time of becoming an elder and realizing that
one has accumulated much wisdom and has much to teach. This is a time for
sharing that wisdom, a time for grace, integrity, and humility. In the pipe
ceremony, this can be a time to ask for the ability to teach, the ability to
reflect and learn, and the ability to be at peace with what has come to pass.
In the Hopi tradition, the mother represents the earth and all that is
tangible and physically evident. The mother also represents those things
typically associated with the feminine: care-taking, emotions, and child-birth.
During this time of the pipe ceremony, the practitioner may ask for the health
of his physical body. He may give thanks for the abundances that the earth
provides including foods, animals, homes, and clothing. All things physical come
from the earth and this is a time for appreciating that. 
The
father represents the heavens and celestial bodies. He represents all that is
abstract and spiritual. This idea stems for the Hopi concept that all
individuals are comprised of a physical body and a spiritual body. The father is
and icon for that which is spiritual. He stands for all things masculine
including compassion and forgiveness. In this sense, the Hopi father has much in
common with the typical Christian, loving God. In addressing the father, the practitioner may ask for an open mind and the ability to
appreciate those things which cannot be physically experienced.
This is a time for praying to your ancestors and those who have come before
you. The tobacco in the pipe represents the prayers of your heart and those in
the hearts of all those present at the ceremony. This is a time to offer
gratitude for your mentors and teachers. It is a time to be resolute in one's
desire to live a wholesome life and leave a beautiful path for those yet to
come. This is a time during the ceremony to especially ask for help in areas of
weakness in one's life, as well as a time to offer thanks for all of one's
strengths.