Sunday, October 20, 2019

Hands of the Spirits

Among Iroquois medicine societies of present-day central and upstate New York, rattles are often described as hands of the spirit beings. The sounds emanating from the shaking of a rattle during a ceremony serve as a primary means of communicating with the spirit world. Rattles are ritually used to invoke the assistance of power animals and helping spirits. The shaman's rattle draws the spirit world and its inhabitants into the material world. The shaman thus embodies the helping spirits to perform shamanic tasks. Healing energy can be mentally transmitted through the rattle and out into the environment or into a patient's body. Prayer and intention can be broadcast to the spirit world. Moreover, sacred space can be created by describing a circle with the rattle while shaking it.

According to the Iroquois or "people of the longhouse," the gourd rattle is the sound of Creation. The Iroquoian creation stories tell of the first sound, a shimmering sound, which went out in all directions; this was the sound of "the Creator's thoughts." The seeds of the gourd rattle embody the voice of the Creator, since they are the source of newly created life. The seeds within the rattle scatter the illusions of the conscious mind, planting seeds of pure and clear mind.

The turtle rattle is central to Iroquois tradition, beliefs and ways of life. The Iroquois derive their own values from the characteristics of the turtle such as perseverance, longevity and steadfastness. It is said that when the turtle rattle is shaken, "the Earth stops to listen."(1) The turtle rattle is a symbol of the world on the turtle's back, Turtle Island. The Creator is said to have loved snapping turtle best. When Mother Earth hears the sound of the turtle rattle, all of creation awakens and moves to its shaking beat. The crack of a turtle rattle, which shakes the Earth, draws the attention of the spirits at the beginning of a ceremony or meeting. "To Shake the Earth" is a metaphor often used in Iroquoian communities to describe the purpose of the turtle rattle. From a shamanic perspective, caretaking the rattle and playing it properly during ritual fulfills the destiny of the human spirit -- to sustain the order of existence.

1. Visions of Sound: Musical Instruments of First Nations Communities in Northeastern America, By Beverley Diamond, 1994.

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