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SPIRIT
LODGE
LIBRARY
Tools
& Crafts
Page
8
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(Main
Links of the site are right at the bottom of the page)
The links for the 22 pages in this Tools & Crafts section
are below.
Medicine Shields
© Cinnamon Moon
Shields in the physical sense take
on many forms as a tool be it private or ceremonial. The ceremonial
shield will more often than not be adorned with symbols that
represent the purpose of its use relative to the ceremony it
is designed to serve. Here you will find the adornments to vary
not only due to the ritual use but as to tribal custom as well.
While this tribal custom can impact the adornment of a personal
shield it is not always the case. Shields tell of their Medicine,
and of the individual's Medicine Story. Some are designed for
protection while others are designed as working tools to serve
a multitude of purposes. They are symbolic of the individual
that owns them and reflect many things. Masculine and feminine
shields exist as well, and while the familiar shield of the
warrior is well-known to us all, the bead-belt shield of women
is also found among many different tribal nations. The adornments
of these shields depend on their use and will include such things
as painted images, painted scenes, feathers, teeth, hooves,
pieces of bone, shells, fur, and other items to depict the Medicine
of the Shield and the individual that it belongs to.
Let me share an overview of the story
behind one of my sacred Shields. Some of you may recall that
a friend of mine is a spirit painter and does some amazing work.
As a gift to me she offered to paint me a Medicine Shield telling
the story of some of my Medicines and pathwork. As I shared
stories of things and events that took place in my life she
began composing the images she would incorporate into the Shield
as we went. One story at a time, one portion at a time, and
piece by piece, image by image it began taking form. I shared
with her about Cougar and told her what mine was like. On the
lower portion there she is, reclining against a hollow standing
tree trunk and across her hindquarters is the image of a Medicine
Woman in a Dreaming state as Cougar keeps watch. It's a night
sky and the full *cinnamon moon* hovers big and bright in the
sky overhead. The woman is draped in a blanket trimmed out with
Ravens in flight and she wears an earring of a raven. Over her
shoulder is a Medicine Pouch with the paw print of a Cougar
and four white feathers that hang from the flap. (My friend
made me a pouch like this as a surprise to go with the Shield.
I have my Sacred Pipe in it.)
To the left and just in front of
the sleeping Medicine Woman is a gnarled tree with the face
of a Dragon and a root that is it's claw. From behind the tree
and at the top of the knoll rise the figures of the Spirit Elders,
Ancient Ones, who have come to teach me Women's Medicine. Behind
the head of Cougar at the top of the hill to the right, standing
beneath an outstretched tree branch stands Coyote watching.
As I told her my Medicine Stories, one by one my Guides and
Totems began showing themselves to her, letting her become acquainted
with them well enough to capture their essence without trapping
them in the Shield. It's a fascinating journey just in the way
it came about and a lot of time went into the design and painting.
There is much I can't say about it but I can tell you that much
of my Medicine Story is here and it is a powerful tool. There
are two hollow trees through which I can journey both for different
purposes and directions. The images shift and take different
posed expressions as the light reflects from what she calls
her magic paints (luminous oils) and it is alive. I love it
and work with it all the time. There are many spirits that work
with me from this tool that is a story and a portal and more.
It is sacred and it is huge. It is round and 36" across.
Painted on canvas, I have not adorned it. It needs nothing more.
Later she gifted me with a second
Shield, this one is much smaller, about 8" across, and
it has adornments hanging from it for another 8-10" or
so. It is meant to be used for protection and my Medicine Work
with the Thunder Beings. My shamanic horse has spirit hands
on his flanks and withers, down his legs are lightning bolts,
he is a black and white Appaloosa who travels from East to West
at the moment for that is the way it is hung, but if I want
to ride with him in another direction I need merely move the
shield and turn it within the Medicine Wheel. He moves from
left to right, clockwise, and is very versatile in this way.
Above him fly 4 Ravens as he is in the foreground of a dust
storm arising from his hooves. He trots atop the curve of Mother
Earth beneath a night sky. This shield is adorned with fringe,
a mirror, White Sage, beads, and feathers all representing aspects
of the Medicine it holds. It's journey story is unusual, as
it had work to do before it came to me, went through some cleansings
and alterations and came as a gift I had not expected to receive.
When it arrived I saw it for what it was, and we had a good
laugh for I had such a horse, in the spiritual sense and in
the physical sense. The Thunder Beings were symbolized in the
painted markings of the horse and she didn't even know what
they stood for at the time. She felt she was to paint them and
did. It was a round-about way of coming to me but it was certainly
guided through the inspiration she received and I have certainly
been blessed by it.
In painting my Dreaming Woman Shield
my Totems and Guides appeared to her. She described their personalities
or would ask me questions that I would clarify issues on and
we did a lot of work with the Totems as I would validate the
visions she was getting as she painted. It was a fascinating
process, and there is such love, such spirit in them that they
are indeed sacred treasures. I learned a great deal from her
work, and there is a bond between us that grew even deeper through
this process. But they are only a sampling of what a shield
can represent. If a Healer were to have a shield painted it
might depict herbs, Spirit Allies, Totems, and different aspects
of their Medicine in ways that tell others what their capabilities
are. Warriors would have a shield of battle stories or the Medicine
they carry to fight with. A Medicine Chief might have a shield
depicting that he or she were a Pipe Carrier, a Sacred Hoop
Dancer, a Singer, a Storyteller, a Heyokah, a Spirit Keeper
(guardian of the spirits of those who had Dropped their Robes),
or some other sacred holy role in the tribe. In the days when
the tipi stood at the river banks or out on the prairie such
shields were hung outside the door to signify who dwelled inside.
Up near the smoke hole, on a forked stick at the edge of the
lodge, or attached near the door, the Shield was always in view
for all to see.
All of these shields are Medicine
tools in one fashion or another depending on the intent by which
they are fashioned, and all of them are considered sacred. In
some tribes women bead belts depicting their Medicines and wear
them around the waist or keep them in a sacred place as part
of their ceremonial regalia as a belt Shield while others beaded
their dresses. The Shields are Mirrors of Medicines. There are
many kinds: Men's Shields, Women's Shields, Children's Shields,
Peace Shields, and Sacred Shields to mention a few. In the tradition
of the Plains tribes there were originally 12 Sacred Shields
that were each in the care of a Shield Keeper and brought together
for union at the annual Renewal Ceremony. They were placed inside
the Sun Dance Lodge to hang from 12 forked Poles and afterward
their Keepers took them home, each to a different Tribe. They
were known as the Shields of Light and their Keepers were the
most powerful and respected among their own Peoples. They were
Medicine People such as the Healers, Diviners, and Teachers
of all kinds. They would carry the Shields from camp to camp,
to teach the stories. Each Shield represented the 12 Tribes
of the Earth, 2 of which were Indian, 10
were of other cultures. Hence the Sacred Shields represented
all of humanity.
The Chief Shields (44 in number)
are tied to these 12 Sacred Shields, each telling a part of
the story. And from there each person was a keeper of their
own Shield that told their story, their Medicine. Often such
Shields hold the symbol or Clan sign to which that person belongs.
They tell of who the person is, what they strive to become,
their loves, fears, and dreams combined in a visual story form
through the pictures painted on them and the things that adorn
them. The name of the person usually is reflective of their
Medicine and the story of their Shield holds that too. In this
way anyone who sees the Shield "knows" the person
it belongs to. In this way others learn who the person is and
they need not ask unless they wish to be taught more. It is
a way of mirroring yourself to the world, and it is a way of
honoring each person for who they are. Perhaps in exploring
the use of Shields this far, you will find you would like one
for yourself, I know I cherish mine and love working with them
as more than just my story, they are also part of my Medicine
and as I said earlier, they are powerful tools as well.
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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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