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SPIRIT
LODGE
LIBRARY
Tools
& Crafts
Page
19
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Tobacco & Tobacco
Ties - Discussion
By CoyoteMoon
What is the proper way to use tobacco
as an offering? I've only used it once. And what are "tobacco
ties"? I've never been told what they are before.
SkyeKatt/Katt:
Hi Jake,
I'm on my way to work, and I know you'll get lots of answers
to this, but go to Cinn's post on “Prayer Beads”.
Tobacco ties are also called Prayer Ties, so something else
for you to Google. As for offering Tobacco, I offer it in gratitude
for blessings received, I carry it with me and offer it to the
winds for the souls of the animals I pass on the road, I offer
it to the Spirits of my house, and the land I live on. It's
very important in Pipe ceremonies, I'm sure there's an article
or two on that in the library. Hope that helps a bit.
WolfScout:
Here
is what I had posted on my board…
Prayer
Ties Prayer ties are used in a ceremony that is done in a safe
, quiet place while you are balanced and focused.
Needed:
100% cotton cloth perhaps in seven rainbow colors,
scissors,
tobacco or cornmeal,
with cotton string or yarn.
Cut or tear the cloth into 2 inch squares. Use all the colors
– red , orange, yellow green, blue, purple and burgundy
for the Great Spirit may call you to work with specific energy
of one of the colors or a combination of them.
Loose-leaf
tobacco or cornmeal is used to fill the prayer ties white cotton
or yarn is used to tie them.
To begin
the ceremony, Lay it all out in front of you, hold the tobacco
or cornmeal close to your heart and place the prayer inside.
Then put it in the center of a cloth square bring the edges
up, and wrap three times with the string or yarn, twist the
leading edge of the string into a loop and cinch it around the
first three wraps. This forms the fourth wrap and when pulled
tight acts as a cinch knot. As the prayer ties increase you
can roll them into a ball, wrap them around a smooth stick or
lay them in a neat circle within your prayer space. Keep adding
to them over the course of days or months or you may do a series
for one ceremony only.
At some
point they will need to be “released”. This is done
by hanging them outside in a sacred place, or by ceremonially
burning them. There are many other ways I've read, I’m
sure others will post their ways. be nice to read them as I
like doing them for journey work and around the Sweats.
Jimmy WhiteBear:
Tobacco
or Prayer ties are used as an offering to the spirits. Depending
on what you’re going to do in ceremony and for what reason
will depend on how many Ties you make for the offering.
In one
tradition, one can make up to or just over 400 tobacco ties
for the ceremony. There is no set number, it is what the Spirits
tell you to make to achieve the sacred space you are trying
to obtain.
Sometimes,
an elder or lodge keeper will tell you how many and of what
colors to use. Cotton is used now a-days because it is the easiest
to get but long ago before Cloth came to the people, dyed hide
was used to wrap tobacco in.
If you
can't afford to purchase the seven different colors of cloth,
use red in place of all the colors. If you are strapped and
unable to buy cloth then one pinch of tobacco offered to each
of the seven directions is also good. The act of offering something
to the spirits is what is important.
The
important thing to remember is that the "Intent" is
what is important not that you have tobacco, sage, sweetgrass,
cedar, cornmeal etc.
The
calling in of the spirits is as simple as facing each direction
and asking each of the spirits to join in the sacred ceremony.
Offering
an acorn, rock a feather etc. helps the spirits to understand
and helps you to make the connection with that spirit you call
upon. Connecting with the Spirits, Mother Earth, Creator, etc.
opens the realms to which we or the spirits want us to visit
and learn from...
Hope
this helps?
FireStarter/Karen:
Oh....I'm so excited....I
have about 30 baby tobacco plants in my kitchen! This is my
first try and I'm only in my second step of many steps to having
the tobacco to smoke and offer. So many times, what I offer
feels, not enough? I often pull my own hair out of my head to
offer. But, this tobacco, I feel, will be good. A teacher of
mine considers real money to be a good offer. I mean, it makes
sense to me too. I worked for my money, it has great value.
Out of tradition I have given and
accepted tobacco ties. But, I usually go with what feels right
at the time. When I received the Hawk wing for Christmas, I
pulled hair out of my head....yes, there was pain, lol, but,
there was also pain, I know, in the process of me receiving
the wing. I offer and see if it sits well, if not, I add.
Good topic and good to be back in
Spirit here.
Jimmy WhiteBear:
"A
teacher of mine considers real money to be a good offer"
Who
are you offering money to? or who would it be offered to? Although
money can do a lot of good it most definitely has a major negative
value in spirituality. Money represents greed, power and much
more and in all my teachings (what I have learned) I am told
it is a negative and should not be introduced as part of spirituality.
Pulling a strand of hair although painful it can be is considered
sacrifice of self to obtain spirit.
I am
not saying you can't buy things of spiritual value, I was taught
if you buy something it needs to rest for 4 or more days before
using it. It needs to be smudged, blessed and kept wrapped up
in red cloth when not in use.
Karen,
my apologies for my response to "money", Spirituality
can't be bought and paid for, only the
tools and it is best to receive them by gift. That is not always
the way we obtain the things we need... but it is the best way!
CoyoteMoon:
Would it be appropriate
to use tobacco when you are asking for something? In this case,
for healing. Thanks for the insight on what Tobacco Ties are.
CinnamonMoon:
Yes,
Coyote, that's very appropriate. For anything you would pray
for. That's why they are also called Prayer Ties too.
FireStarter/Karen:
To me, money is a good energy,
especially when worked honestly for. My ways may seem absurd
to some, though, for me to offer, say a shiny silver dollar,
to a respected poke patch, I feel I am giving something I value
to receive something I value. I only have so much hair, lol.
(sorry)... It is just my way. And, besides, I enjoy watching
what most people view as negative become very good. I am a shining
example. A friend of mine once gave 100.00 to a Spiritual situation,
where no physical entity received the money and by all accounts
the money is "gone". And, for her, on a limited income,
to say the least, this was a very large gesture. It came from
her heart and it comes from mine. And, I would hope there is
nothing seen as negative that comes from the heart. No apologies
needed. I enjoy the discussions.
DragonflyDezignz:
At Sundance Tobacco ties are
made in a diffferent way, they are larger and they have streamers,
these are called Flags and are hung on the Sacred Tree by Sundancers
before they dance.
In different cultures material
flags are put on trees or buildings and are there for sacred
reasons. Buddhists hang them to what we would think of as washing
lines, here in England I have seen them hanging on trees close
to Avebury stone circle, and also in Glastonbury at the sacred
Chalice Well. In Scotland they are hanging at sacred Wells in
various places. In America I saw them in Wisconsin, hung on
fences when Miracle the White Buffalo was born, those fences
were taken down and kept when they were overloaded with ties
and gifts and new one replaced them. At Pipestone National Monument,
in Minnesota, where the sacred stone is quarried they are tied
to trees and at Bear Butte in South Dakota they are also tied
along the pathway going to the top and various other places
around the area. At Sitting Bull's grave you will see them and
also at the Little Big Horn in Montana and the Medicine Wheel
in Wyoming.
Where-ever people pray material
is used along with a botanical of some type to show respect
to the Ancestors or the Creator, or to the water, wind , sun
or moon. They are left for the elements to take what they will
once Spirit has accepted the prayer or gift. Whenever you see
one you know that prayers have been said at that place. Please
don't touch them as they belong to Spirit.
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Libraries
are on this row
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INDEX
Page 3
(Main Section, Medicine Wheel, Native Languages &
Nations, Symbology)
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INDEX
Page 5
(Sacred Feminine & Masculine, Stones & Minerals)
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©
Copyright: Cinnamon Moon & River WildFire Moon (Founders.)
2000-date
All rights reserved.
Site
constructed by Dragonfly
Dezignz 1998-date
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