Rawhide Rattle: Build-a-Long

   In a recent post, 'The Thrifty Mystic', I mentioned using rawhide chew toys as an option to make an affordable rattle for your ceremonies. This post is my first in a series of build-a-longs that detail my methods of creating sacred tools that I use in my Shamanic practices. Please note that although rawhide rattles have been used by many North American tribes, the following tutorial is by no means traditional.
     The process of creating a rattle, or any ceremonial tool, is a deeply spiritual experience. Give yourself time to meditate on the purpose your rattle will serve, and allow Spirit to guide you through the work ahead.

 

Rawhide Rattle Tutorial

 

What you'll need:


- Large Rawhide Chew Sticks (These may be called Beefhide on different brands)

- Dental Floss (Unless you have some Sinew lying about)

- Sewing Needle

-Poster Board (Or some sort of paper to cut your template out of..)

-Sand or Small Pebbles

-Sturdy Scissors

-Seed Beads (This is for the Rattle's Voice, you can use stones or shells...)

-Stick/ Dowel Rod for the Handle

-Wood Glue

-Awl, Small Gauge Knitting Needle, Or Ice Pick (This is to create your holes for threading.)

 

Step 1: This is the easiest step of all, go to your local dollar store and purchase a package of large rawhide or beefhide dog chews. I purchased these AKC beefhide chews for only $2.25 (You can't beat that price!). Each roll will make about one rattle.

 



 

Step 2: Find a suitable sized container to soak the rawhide in. I found that a shoebox storage container works well. Fill this with hot water, and drop in your pieces of rawhide. You may want to find a heavy dish as the rawhide will try to float.

    It took about three to four hours for my pieces of rawhide to become flexible enough to unroll. They may stick a little at first, just carefully peel the rawhide apart. After you unroll the pieces it may be a good idea to let them soak a while longer, just to make sure the all of the rawhide is thoroughly wet. While they're soaking, take a piece of poster board and draw a 3 1/2 in. circle with a small rectangle at the bottom. This rectangle should be about 1 1/2 in. wide, this will be the neck of your rattle head.

 

 

Step 3: When the rawhide feels flexible, remove it from the water. Using a pair of sturdy scissors and your template, cut out two pieces from the rawhide. Take your time cutting out the rattle head, and try to avoid leaving jagged edges.  After you have these two pieces cut, take a sharp needle, awl or ice pick and pierce the rawhide around the edges starting at the rectangular neck. These holes should be set 1/6" to 1/4" apart.

 

 

 

Step 4: Thread a sewing needle with Sinew or Dental floss. Start with the neck of the rattle and work your way around the outside of the rattle. Remember to try to keep your stiches tight. Once you've finished sewing up your rattle head, tie off the floss and trim the excess.

 

 

 

Step 5: Using a funnel or a spoon, fill the rattle head with sand or peddles, this will help the rawhide hold the desired shape while it dries out. Be sure to pack the sand in as tightly as you can manage. A shortcut, that a very smart and creative friend of mine divised, is to place the rattle head in a food dehydrator. This dramatically cuts the drying However if you find yourself without a dehydrator, let the rawhide dry for atleast a day. BE SURE that it is no longer flexible, or you can end up with your rattle head collapsing. But no worries, if this happens just dump the sand, resoak the head, and start again. After it is completely dried, pour out the sand.

 

 

Step 6: Find a stick that you would like to use for your handle. I used a piece of seasoned bamboo. After making any adjustments you need to make your stick fit into the neck of the rattle head, fill the head with seed beads, shells, or pebbles. After you've created the rattles voice, it's time to glue the rawhide head onto the handle. Be sure to dab the glue all around the  top of the handle. Place the handle into the head and hold the neck secure for a few minutes. Then allow the glue to cure and set for several hours.

 

 

Step 7: Now it's time for you to let your creative spirit lead you wherever it may. You can choose to paint or henna dye your designs onto the rattle head. I used a speckled rabbits fur and tanned cowhide to wrap the handle of my rattle. If you choose to paint your rattle head, try to keep your coats light, as the rawhide will soak up any moisture. It is also a good idea to seal your rattle with a clear coat after you've painted it. I've painted a White Buffalo along with seven stars to honor the sacred teachings of White Buffalo Woman and the Pleaides.

     

          After the work is done give your rattle a ceremony to welcome its arrival into your life. Honoring its spirit and the all of the intimate ceremonies you will share in the future. I hope that you've found this build-a-long helpful! Feel free to comment with any questions you may have or your experiences in creating rattles of your own.

 

Mitakuye Oyasin (We Are All Related)

 



The Wheel of Selves

 

The Wheel of Selves is a medicine wheel that is close to my heart. It offers us an opportunity to delve deep into our inner cosmos, revealing all the parts of ourselves so that we can heal our wounds and learn from our own wisdom.

The wheel is comprised of four parts, The Innocent Child, The Dreaming Youth, The Visionary Warrior, and the Illuminated Elder. Each willing to contribute their own special gifts if we but open our arms to accept them.

 The following are descriptions of each of these beings, and a short meditation you can use to access them.

South- The Innocent Child- We begin in the South of the wheel. This is the little Boy/Girl Self, the child within. The child approaches the world with acceptance, making "imagination" and reality, one and the same. Just like other wheels, the south respresents physicality, however in this wheel this physicality relates to the realness of all things accepted by the child spirit. The child feels no need to explain, or question the realness of its existence, all things are a joyous thing to experience.When working with your Child self, it is important to create a nurturing relationship. Discover what that little girl or boy needs by speaking to them in your meditations. This is an opportunity to heal the scars and pain that were caused during childhood. In a sense, you can "parent" your inner child, giving them all the love and nurturing you may have not received. Many times your child self just wants to be held, to feel safe and loved.

West- The Dreaming Youth- This is the teenager within. The Adolescent dreams of what he wants to one day become, he dreams of what he will do in the World. He is in a powerful space of soul-searching, many times stumbling over societal pressures and rules. He is trying to find his place in the World, often times rebelling against control in order to find his own way. Note that he sits in the West, a place associated with the giveaway and finality. It is a powerfully emotional period of transition to say goodbye to life as he knows it, in his process of becoming an adult. It is his great metamorphosis to be able to stand in his own power in the North. When working with the teenage self, focus on the dreams you have always wanted to achieve. Example: You may have always dreamed of living in a far away place. This does not necessarily mean you need to pack your bags and move immediately. It may only be that this place represents an idea, maybe its freedom, or perhaps the experience of something unfamiliar or even a sense of thrill and danger. Working with the teenager is an opportunity to rediscover all the dreams and inspirations that still dwell within you. When seeking new dreams, this is a wonderful self to talk with.

North- The Visionary Warrior- This is the adult Self, your sacred vision within the World. The warrior/warrioress knows how to stand at the center of their circle. Living in their own personal power, the warrior seeks his Vision from the Spirit of all things. He takes responsibility for his actions, and seeks the path that will lead to illumination. As an exercise, imagine you are in the grocery store waiting in line, you look at the magazine racks, and you see your face on the cover of TIMES magazine. What would the cover say? Who are you in the World? What is your vision within the World? For example, I’ve always wanted to be an artist, a teacher, a shaman, this is my vision. Try to stay away from amorphous ideas, such as "I want to make people feel good…" This is wonderful, but HOW? That is the main focus. When working with the adult, allow yourself to be open to seeing the Truth of who you really are.

East- The Illuminated Elder- This is the Wise Self. The Wise Woman or Man within your being. This Wise Man is a reflection of your own wisdom, of who you will be and who you have been. He remembers all that you are, and has walked down the trails before you. He is the council you keep when you pray to the higher self. He is a shaman, a mystic, he knows the worlds, and the Mysteries. When working with the Wise Self, hold him or her in esteem and give them respect. They are the Elders within you and can teach you many things. If you ever feel like you are lost, speak to your Inner Wise Man. He can help you find your way.

Exercise: Sit down, close your eyes and fix your breathing. Visualize yourself standing inside of a medicine wheel. Go to each of the directions, starting in the South, and meet each of your selves. It’s alright if your selves do not reflect your form in terms of ethnicity, orientation, or gender. Each will appear in the form that is appropriate for you. Once you meet each one, ask them what message they have for you in your life, and ask what you can do to help them in return. Once you have met and received messages from each of your selves, thank each one for what they have given to you. After this point you can end your meditation.

The Thrifty Mystic

Of all the qualities shamans tend to possess, I believe that resourcefulness is one of the greatest. And why is that? Because, as shamans, we spend a large amount of our spiritual lives cultivating our ability to 'see'. Over the years I've learned time and time again, that whenever we have need of something the universe will provide it for us. We simply need the eyes to see those solutions. And so, in the spirit of resourcefulness I've created a short guide that I hope can help when you're without your arsenal of tools and helpers, or for those us who find ourselves strapped for cash from time to time.

If you've just discovered the wonderful world that is the shaman's journey, you've surely spent atleast a few hours salivating over the wide array of tools shamans commonly use. The following are a few rather inexpensive ways to make these tools for yourself. (So tell Mr. Piggy Bank he's safe...for now.)

The Drum- Of all the tools used, the drum is one of the most common.Providing a wide variety of functions for the shaman. We use it to call upon Spirit, journey into the Otherworlds, for prayer, etc. But, for a good frame drum you can spend anywhere from $60-$200, depending on how its made, who's making it and what it's made of. So what can you do in the meantime while you're saving up? For about $10, you can make a square framed drum out of wood, nails, and packing tape. Click the link below to watch a tutorial on how to make one of these creative instruments for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9WigGSS81Y
Thanks to Charles Gilchrist and BaBa Jubal for making this wonderfully instructive video.

The Rattle- Rattles, just like drums, have a multitude of functions. Some of these functions are healing, conversing with the spirits of a place, and preparing ceremonial ground. They can be made from many materials like gourds, large cowrie shells, and rawhide. Depending on the type of rattle, you can shell out $20- $100. But you can visit your local dollar store and buy a large dog's chew toy (made from rawhide) for about $5. To use the rawhide simply soak it in water until it softens and then cut out your rattle head. Then scour your home for a hammer, a nail, wood glue (or any other heavy duty glue), string, a stick, and something to fill your rattle with like rocks, shells, or beads.

Medicine Bags/Bundles and Mestanas- The medicine bag is a well known icon of the shaman, it a sacred and incredibly personal reflection of his or her spirit. As are his or her medicine bundles and mesas. I combined these sacred obects due to a great similarity in the materials used to make or aquire the fabric or leather. One very easy method of saving money on supplies is to shop at your local goodwill, consignment stores, and flea markets. Where you can pick up a leather jacket or purse or even placemats for a few dollars, and then simply dissamble them into raw materials. Another great idea that is completely free, is to call local interior design stores and ask if they have any upholstery samples or sample books they would like to get rid of. Finally, you can always make your own cloth using a simple cardboard loom. Where you can weave your own designs out of yarn or even those old clothes hanging the back of your closet.

The Flute- Flutes are an instrument of the soul, giving voice to the music that lies in the heart of the shaman. Often these are made from river cane, bamboo, or cedar, which can cost anywhere from $20-$130. But until you save up the money to buy one of those exquisite love flutes, you can thank the Physics Department of Michigan Technilogical University for creating an easy to follow tutorial that can use to make a PVC flute for around $5. Click the link below to get started.
http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/naflute.html


Smudge Sticks- Made of various types of sages, smudge sticks are a staple for most shamans. Used mainly for cleansing and purifaction, we rarely start a ceremony without them. But what happens when you don't have them? One very simple solution is to use Pine needles. Pine has been used by many different traditions to cleanse ceremonial ground and participants. Just gather the dry and seasoned needles that have fallen around the base of the tree. Once you have them, you can tie this small bundle with another pine needle and light it. Forgot your lighter too? No worries, you can use a small branch from this sacred tree to sweep the area and brush off the dense energies of anyone in attendance.

Offerings- Most shamans keep a small pinch of tobacco on their person as a sacred giveaway, or offering to any spirit we may come across. However if you can't get your hands on tobacco for whatever reason, you can always use corn meal. And if nothing else, you can pluck a hair from your head, offering a piece of yourself in return for any teaching you may have recieved.

I hope these few tips will help as you walk your path. Be sure to look in the coming weeks for my new Build-a-long project series, where I will show how to construct various shamanic tools and ceremonial items.

Please feel free to email me at heartoftheshaman@gmail.com with any questions or with subjects you would like to be covered in my blog.

Mitakuye Oyasin (We Are All Related)

Jaguar Spirit

 

Jaguar Spirit

 (Original Poem- 2012)

Eyes that glow brilliant green,

Shining in the dark unseen,

Watching as the world slips by,

Caught inside the jaguar's eye.

I have been, and shall always be,

Keeper of your memory,

Of traditions, that I bear alone,

Carved into my Jaguar throne.