Mystical craft

Such a mystic is considered chosen by the spirits, which heralds the ability to communicate with them from early childhood. Continuous visions and omens lead the child to be taught by the current mystic. The rite of passage for the future mystic will be his first vision quest, of which he will have many later in life.

Such tasks arise after a period of asceticism, such as a retreat to a remote meditation site. Another method is the sauna ceremony, or sweat lodge, in which fresh wood is covered with skins or blankets and the interior is lined with heated stones. The mystic enters such a tent and pours water on the stones [which immediately evaporates, raising the air temperature like in a sauna – translator's note]; his sweat is said to effect purification.