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Post by wren on Sept 25, 2006 13:24:58 GMT -5
At my Grove's Fall Fest this weekend, I was the honored recipient of a pair of rattles. They are crafted from desert tortoise shells with deer dew claws tied on with threads of sinew. The moment I saw them, I felt drawn to them. They come from an 83-year-old Navaho woman who said they are shaman's rattles and are older than she is, though just how old they are is unknown. The leather ankle ties have been replaced recently, but the rattles themselves have not been restored in any other way in her lifetime.
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Post by wren on Sept 25, 2006 13:27:05 GMT -5
Bigger pic...
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Post by Senbecc on Sept 27, 2006 1:21:21 GMT -5
At my Grove's Fall Fest this weekend, I was the honored recipient of a pair of rattles. They are crafted from desert tortoise shells with deer dew claws tied on with threads of sinew. The moment I saw them, I felt drawn to them. They come from an 83-year-old Navaho woman who said they are shaman's rattles and are older than she is, though just how old they are is unknown. The leather ankle ties have been replaced recently, but the rattles themselves have not been restored in any other way in her lifetime. You know, I'm reminded of those antique shows where they think they have something old, then find out they have something REALLY old...Who knows you may be holding on to a piece of American history there!
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Post by wren on Sept 27, 2006 11:53:13 GMT -5
They have already spoken to me in so many ways, Senbecc. I had a tremendous experience yesterday when I took them back to the woods behind my house for my course 'power and landscape' mediation work. This is part of the journal entry I wrote yesterday... September 26, 2006 – I returned to the woods behind my house today, taking my new turtle rattles with me. It’s a sunny day but cool, a sweet fall breeze blowing through the trees and across my skin. The sandy soil was damp, making the trek a bit easier in most spots. The steep hill, however, presented a bit of a challenge having eroded a bit more, though I am a little less afraid of the height. The world around me was silent but for the nature spirits, no sounds of humans to mar the music of the birds and crickets.
There was a noticeable difference in the feel of the land around me on this visit. There was none of the wariness or fear or distrust I have felt in the past. Instead, the land felt more peaceful. There were fewer signs of human visits around me. The teenagers' make-shift firepit we cleared had not returned. There are no new carvings in the familiar trees. There was less trash and no sign of dog waste left on the ground. I found a short bit of birch, it’s bark beginning to peel, but no sign of any birch tree nearby. A bright red leaf sat in my path. A red stone nearby. I took all three with me.
I went straight to the pool, feeling its draw, but arrived to find the tide was going out. Instead of a deep, quiet pool, I found a deep pit with a floor of mud. At first, I was disappointed but suddenly I realized that there would be a lesson in this as well. So, I centered myself and begin to breath the ‘fire breath’. It felt as if no time passed before the old man sat down beside me. I felt myself sitting beside him on the ground, my legs crossed, the damp cool soil and moss against my skin. I placed the rattles in my lap. He held up his hand in greeting and I pressed my palm against his. He nodded his head and smiled.
"Meeha," he said in his rough voice. I realized he meant that as a greeting, as if it is my name or nickname, perhaps. I pointed out the pool was gone and he smiled and nodded.
"What do you see?" he asked me. Mud, I told him. The sun shining through the trees and making spots of light on the wet surface. Rocks, leaves… He shook his head at me.
"What do you see, Meeha?" So, I looked beyond the mud. Three tiny rivulets of water ran from beneath the tree roots on the land side of the pool. They trickled down the surface toward the receding creek. He nodded.
"What do you see?" As I watched the three tiny streams they became the past, present and future… all merging with the creek as it flowed silently along. Then, the three streams became the Ancestors, the Nature Spirits and the Deities, all flowing into the one creek. I heard the birds and a large bee buzzed by me. The light on the surface of the mud became the fires of the Ancestors and the light of Danu’s energy. I felt the spirits of the ancestors of the land surround me, welcoming me. I heard children laughing, mothers humming to their babies, young men rough-housing with one another. I could feel them around me, as if I were welcome and belonged among them. I felt no animosity or fear, only welcome and joy. Even the land seemed to sigh in relief on this particular visit.
I continued to watch the three streams and they became the Three Worlds. One above me, one below and the one in which I sat, all at once. Again, they flowed into the creek. Three doors appeared at the base of the tree roots, with the tiny streams of the Worlds flowing out of the doors, toward the creek where they merged.
Suddenly, three turtles emerged, one from each door. Identical in appearance, they walked slowly along the path of the three rivulets making their way to the creek. At the water’s edge, they came together, becoming a much larger single turtle before it, too, slipped into the water.
"You are Wren," he said, nodding his head at me. "You sing even in the death of Winter. When your eyes are open, you see the World. You fly even on tiny, broken wings. Like Wren, you are the Air. You are Turtle, grounded and stable, your heart never far from the heart of the Mother. Remember this, Turtle’s legs always point to all four winds at the same time. Like Turtle, you are the daughter of the Great Mother and live long within Her. Like Turtle, you are the Earth." Thinking of the turtle rattles, I asked him if that is why I wanted them so much. He lifted one from my lap and held it out in front of us.
"They came to you," he told me. "You do not own them. They have many lessons to teach you. When the time comes, you will give them to the next one who needs them. You will give them with a happy heart, knowing they carry much power within them." He shook one and I felt its power reach out to the land around me. I remembered what someone had posted on my thread about the rattles, that they heal the Earth Mother. I asked him about the deer dew claws on the rattles. He lifted one of the tied claws.
"Deer is a Sacred Spirit. We used every part of Deer when She offered Her life to us. We understood Her Sacrifice and honored it. The claws are to remind you to honor each and every Spirit in your life and to welcome all of the gifts They offer you, even the most painful and dangerous ones, even the sacrifices which hurt the most. Never forget that each Spirit is sacred and due honor for Its gifts, even you." I thought about that for a long time, watching the little trickles of water making their way to the creek. When I looked at him again, he was watching me closely.
"Who are you?" I asked him.
"You know who I am," he told me, tiling his head and smiling at me. I felt tears prick my eyes and my heart began to hurt. Somehow, I did know just who he was, though I cannot speak it yet. He ran his hand over my hair and smiled at me as he squeezed my shoulder gently, causing no pain with his touch. I heard a fish jump in the water and an acorn drop from a tree and bounce into the creek with a splash. I was alone and back in my wheelchair. The cool breeze felt wonderful, not as painful against my skin as in the past. I could still feel the power of the land around me as well as the peace there at last.
On the way back up the path, I could not shake the feeling that I do know him and that he has always been very important to me. As I went up my driveway, I remembered my daughter mentioned the cocoon on our bronze fennel looked empty and I found that the butterfly had emerged. I felt the same way. So, I carefully removed the cocoon and will keep it in the box with the other gifts I have received.The old man has come to me several times, during full moon and other meditations and even in my dreams. This is the first time he has ever said more than 'daughter', 'meeha' or 'ahas' to me. ('Ahas' is 'Crow' in Lenni Lenape and they are the original People of of the land where I now live) He has given me a crow feather and a lot of attitude in the past... ... but yesterday was probably one of the two most profound meditations I have ever experienced! I particularly loved the idea that Turtle reaches to all four Winds at once!
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