The rainstick is one of my favorite musical instruments. I often use one to open sacred space for ritual or ceremony. The rainstick is a percussion instrument made from a dried hollowed out cactus section. Pebbles or other small objects are placed inside the tube, and the ends are sealed. The spines are removed, and then driven into the cavity like nails to form a lattice work for the pebbles to "rain" through. A sound reminiscent of gently falling rain is made when the rainstick is upended to a vertical position. Many indigenous cultures believe the sound of falling rain produced by rainsticks invokes the weather spirits to bring the rains and sustain the Earth. Origin of the rainstick is unclear but can be found today in different indigenous cultures including Africa, Central and South America, and in the desert regions of the United States. The rainstick can also be used to support the listener in making shamanic journeys. Try a rainstick shamanic journey.
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