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Now that you know how to safely journey, have identified your personal Medicine, and have begun to interpret what your Guardians are trying to tell you, it is time to harness your creative abilities. Tapping into your creativity is a wonderful way to develop your personal Power and gain confidence and self-expression. A crafted sacred item also acts as a bridge between the spirit world and the physical world. It will help you directly channel Power that the object holds. For now, I will gently remind you that you are to create items only for yourself and not for another person.
Everyday Items as Medicine
Not all shamanic tools are drums and rattles. If you engage in a specific activity consistently for the greater good or the purpose of bringing good Medicine to the world, you can also turn the activity’s tools into sacred objects. Be aware that once you do this, these items should be strictly used for this purpose!
One of my students crafts beautiful wooden items that have been “kissed by lightning” through channeling electricity. He has dedicated his workshop, power tools, and all the hand tools that he uses for this purpose back to Creator and bringing positive energy into this world. I have yet another student who is a drum maker and has done the same with all the tools and materials for crafting musical instruments for spiritual work. And I can think of still others, a family, who are very deeply connected with the Medicine of the plants and trees. They love to cultivate all kinds of vegetation. They have dedicated the soil, the plants, and all the items necessary to grow healthy plants back to Creator. They have noticed that the plants thrive vigorously and people respond positively because of the good Medicine.
First Medicine Pouch: Your Ready Bag
I would like to share with you an item that would be good for you to have. One of my teachers introduced me to this practice long ago, and I still follow it today. It is a type of Medicine bag that I have nicknamed a ready bag. The reason I call it a ready bag is because it is filled with things that at a moment’s notice I could give as proper offerings of gratitude to the spirits. It also can act as a portable personal altar of sorts, so you may meditate and connect more deeply with your Guardians no matter where you are.
This Medicine pouch does not have to be big. Mine is small enough to fit into the side pocket of my drum bag. It is the quality of the offerings that counts, not the quantity! The bag should be made of a natural material such as leather or fabric. I know of several folks who made a small box made of wood. Within should be the accoutrements for smudging, such as a small bowl or shell, smudge, matches or a lighter, and a feather. Other offerings can be added, such as cornmeal and tobacco. You should also have an offering bowl and crystals or fetishes that honor your spiritual helpers. You may also personalize it by adding other crystals and items that have meaning and help you connect more deeply with your own Medicine.
Create a Shamanic Tool for Your Practice
Here is a method for creating a shamanic tool. There are some things you need to think about before you get started. An important one for you to reflect on is what purpose the tool is going to fulfill. Is this item going to be dedicated to a specific sacred spirit? What Medicine Power do you want it to hold? What exactly is the item you are crafting? After that, choose and gather the items, tools, elements, and any embellishments that you will use to create the item. You will also need to have an offering of gratitude that you will give back to the land. It can be cornmeal, natural tobacco, or a gift of beauty, such as a pretty stone or an honoring chant that you sing. Make sure that the workspace and whatever you selected is blessed in addition to yourself. Think carefully about which kingdom you would go to in order to bring back the Power to awaken the item.
Place everything in front of you and prepare to journey. Walk into the Fire of Your Heart. Ask your Guardians to escort you to the kingdom that you will need to go to. Once you are there, focus with your Heart and your mind on what you are crafting and ask that an energy or spirit who would be willing to assist you make itself known. When it appears, give thanks for this kindness and present the offering of gratitude. Allow yourself to feel and connect with the sacred Power that is being gifted to you. You will know that you have received enough when either you are dismissed or you feel as if your Heart is full. Begin journeying back to carry this Medicine through the Fire of Your Heart. Remember, you are only to bring back the Power and not a spirit!
Breathe the energy into the main body of the item that you are going to build. Say, for example, I am making a prayer feather. I would breathe the Medicine into the feather and anything else I have decided for sure is going to be a part of the finished product. While remaining connected to this energy, permit your creativity to flow through you. Allow the images, colors, and decorations to be an expression of what you have experienced in the spirit realm. Everything that you put upon your sacred tool has to have meaning! When you feel that you have completed it, focus and release the last of the energy into your creation. You are using the Breath of the Creator that is within you to awaken the object because that is what turns it into a sacred shamanic tool. Seal the Medicine by bathing your sacred item in the smoke of smudge.
If you find that you cannot finish crafting the object in one sitting, then cover your work in progress with a red cloth made of natural fabric. This includes all the tools and items that you are using. When you return, with the help of your Guardians, connect with the images and energies on the spirit side that came to you when you first journeyed. Channel this sacred energy until you are finished.
Once an object becomes sacred, it must be cared for in a special manner. In my tradition, you should never touch the Medicine of another person unless they give you explicit permission to do so! You should follow the same rules for your own sacred tools. Once you are done using your shamanic item, it should be stored in a special place, such as your personal sanctuary. I will describe how to create a sanctuary in chapter 11. The reason we use the color red is because it represents the Breath and Fire of the Great Mystery. Wrapping your sacred tools insulates them from random energies in addition to keeping them physically protected.
It is important that whatever you have created you use frequently. Your tools will hold the memory and energy of your lessons. The more you use them, the stronger the Power within them becomes! Sometimes, a shamanic tool can develop a personality. For example, I have two drums. My shield drum bears the symbol of my name. She is used for calling everyone to prayer, to hear the teachings, or to ceremonies. She is a diva and does not like being touched by anyone except me. My other drum is a sweat lodge drum. I use this drum for community ritual, and he has earned the nickname Smiley. This is because he loves everyone and enjoys being played by anyone. The joy of the spirits can be felt with every drumbeat when Smiley is used for ceremony.
Acquiring a Drum
Since we are on the subject of drums and rattles, I figured I should address that here. After you have been Walking on this path for a bit, there will come a time when you will want your own drum or rattle. I frequently get asked several questions, so I would like to answer them here. Although it does make it more powerful and personal, you do not need to make the drum yourself. If you come across an instructor who knows how to make traditional Native American drums, please take advantage of it! This is a dying art and it should be preserved. I have been told by many who have crafted their own drums that there is nothing like connecting with its spirit in helping it be “born” into the world.
I know that there are many of you who would not want to use the hide of any animal. So no, your drum does not need to be made of animal skin. There are many great drums out there that have synthetic drumheads and have a great sound. I also get asked a lot if it needs to be a specific type of drum. I would say not really, but it would not be an African drum such as a djembe or Cuban drum such as bongos. A drum that you can easily hold in one hand will serve you best, and traditionally we use single head beaters only.
What really counts is the “voice” of the drum. The drum represents the heartbeat of our beautiful Earth Mother. As you know, each drum has a different pitch. I prefer drums that have a deeper call, and I know there are people who prefer them to have a higher sound. You will know that the drum tone is correct because when it is played, you will feel it connect deeply with your Heart, and it will move through you in a way that gives you joy.
Whatever type of drum you get, regardless of what it is made out of, it is important to ask how to care for it. Failing to do so can cause the drum’s rim to crack or the drumhead to split. Just like any other shamanic item that you have, you need to journey to find the Medicine for your drum. It is critical that you connect with your instrument and hold it throughout the whole journey. If you are able to beat the drum as you do this journey, it will be much easier to find its Medicine and make the connection between the spirit realm and the physical body of the drum more Powerful. However, if you are unable to do this, it will still work if you have someone else beating a different drum while you hold your own. Once you know the Medicine that your drum is supposed to have, breathe it into the head of your drum.
Whatever you paint upon the face of the drum will be the prayer and the energy that will connect it between the worlds every single time that drum is beaten. Paint and decorate the drum yourself if you can, but if you are unable to, then you can contract an artist. You need to be extremely specific about the image if you have someone else painting it. I personally recommend interviewing several artists and seeing their portfolios to make sure that their style of art will accurately capture the spirit of the Medicine that you want on your instrument. You only have one chance because once the image is on your drum, it is never coming off. Sometimes a drum will choose to have its face completely painted, and others prefer to chronicle its journey with you over time. There is no one right way.
In order for a drum to be fully connected and act as your helper by being a bridge between the worlds, it needs to be awakened. In this tradition you need to approach someone who is Medicine or a spirit person, such as a shaman or a spiritual leader of the tribe. You would need to offer them a gift of tobacco at the very least, and if you wish to go the extra mile, perhaps you can gift them something else as well. However, I will give you a way of beginning to bless your drum since it may not be easy for you to find a traditional Native American spiritual teacher to perform the ceremony for you.
Sit and consider the energy and prayers that you would like your drum to carry. The first song that is sung is important because from the first drumbeat until the end of that drum’s days, the meaning of the song will be the purpose of that instrument as it moves through the worlds. My sweat lodge drum’s first song was an intertribal Medicine Wheel chant because I play it for ceremonies that welcome all people who want to come together to pray. Smiley will only serve in that capacity. The first song attunes the drum. Once you have decided on which traditional chant or song you will sing to bless the drum, move it in a clockwise, circular motion four times through the smoke of smudge. Dedicate the drum to the Great Spirit and any other helping spirits that have shown themselves. You may be inspired to honor them by having their images painted upon your drum. Feel the joy as you beat your drum and sing the song, which is its birth song. Once you are done, close the ceremony by once again moving the drum four times in a clockwise, circular motion through the smoke of smudge. Your drum from this point forward will now serve the Creator and All Your Relations and act as your “horse” that you ride upon your shamanic travels.
The procedure for rattles and flutes is much the same as for drums. Some people prefer their flutes to be made from manmade materials because they do not warp or crack easily in addition to being easier to transport. I know a professional flute maker who crafts them out of PVC pipes of various diameters for these reasons.