A power object is an object used in shamanic journeying or healing for its properties, such as a crystal, a feather or a shield, existing in this physical reality or only in shamanic reality; fetishes, amulets and talismans are related kinds of object. In Christina Pratt’s encyclopedia of shamanism a fetish is an object made as a dwelling place for a spirit, and amulets and talismans are worn or carried for protection. In Therapeutic Shamanism what matters is the knowledge and relationship behind any object, not the object itself, and some practitioners work effectively with none at all.
What is a power object? #
An object used in shamanic journeying or healing for its properties: crystals, feathers, shields and so on. A power object may be physical, in this reality, or non-physical, met and used only in shamanic reality.1
Outside writers describe the same idea from many cultures. The anthropologist Piers Vitebsky writes that shamans use many objects which they see as “a concentration of power in the world”. Rocks are often thought to be containers for spirits, and crystals are used by shamans from America to Borneo; parts of plants and animals, like helper spirits, give the shaman something of their own properties. For Vitebsky, a shaman’s equipment is an extension of the shaman’s person, and especially of their capacity to act.2 The shamanic practitioner and teacher Christina Pratt puts it more strongly: “Power objects do not represent power. They are the power.” A power object, for her, is not a thing but alive, and its spirit teaches the shaman how to work with it and care for it.3
How are physical objects used in shamanic healing? #
As a way of connecting with what they stand for in shamanic reality. Shamanic healing is largely done in the shamanic realms, and when physical objects are used, their purpose is usually to help the shaman connect to that object’s healing power there. Holding a bone or another part of an animal helps the shaman tune into that animal in the shamanic realms. After a healing in which a particular stone featured prominently, the patient may be given a physical piece of that stone, to strengthen their connection with what happened.4
The things a shaman knows how to work with are sometimes called the Medicine BundleMedicine Bundle. Not a pouch of objects but the accumulated knowledge of the healing gifts, teachings and natures of the Peoples, and the living relationships that carry it. Built by grokking, journey by journey. Read the full answer. Sometimes this was a real bag or bundle, holding things such as stones or crystals, animal bones or teeth, seashells, beaks, claws, feathers, bags of herbs, tree bark or mosses.4 See What is the medicine bundle? and What are altars, fetishes and offerings for?
Can a power object exist only in shamanic reality? #
Yes. In journeys, the GuidesGuides. The Lower-World and Upper-World beings a practitioner works with and learns from, of whom the Power Animal is the first and foremost. True Guides are ethical to their core; the shaman’s power comes from the depth of these bonds, not from the shaman. More about this may give us things: a piece of a Stone to wear, or a blade or staff made from it; a bag of herbs to carry.5 Such objects belong to the Lower-WorldLower-World. The realm of Mother Earth: pure, unspoilt, wild nature, with no technology and no agriculture. Home of the Peoples and of our own Soul, and completely safe: feeling threatened in a journey is a reliable sign of not having reached it. Read the full answer, and so they are made of what hunter-gatherers would have used. There is no metalwork in the Lower-World, so every made object there is of stone, leather, wood, bone, antler, teeth, tusk and the like.5 Metal bangles, bracelets or amulets in a Lower-World journey are a sign that middle-worldMiddle-world. Ordinary physical reality together with its energetic layers: the realm of individuality, separation and mixed intentions, and the only realm where harm is possible. “If there is a hell, then it is the middle-world.” Read the full answer material is bleeding in.6
Some shamans use no physical objects other than the drum or rattle. They still have a Medicine Bundle, in the sense of an extensive knowledge of the healing properties of particular plants, animals and stones, but they work with them directly in shamanic reality. What is needed is the Lower-World Medicine Bundle, not a middle-world one.7
What is a fetish? #
In the encyclopedia literature, a made object that houses a spirit. Pratt defines a fetish as “a power object created to provide a dwelling place for spirit”. Once inhabited, she writes, it is regarded as a living being with the powers of the spirit it embodies, and it must be cared for, often by being “fed” with prayers and offerings. Relationships with fetishes differ from culture to culture. Amongst the Inuit, who were hunter-gatherers, she describes owners who could be quite antagonistic towards a fetish that was reluctant to share its powers.8 The theory of ‘fetishism’ entered the study of religion through the French writer Charles de Brosses, who in 1760 based all religion on what he called “fetishism”.9
Therapeutic Shamanism’s books do not use the word, but they describe the same kind of thing, a physical representation of something met in the shamanic realms. Some people like to have a picture or a soft toy of their Power AnimalPower Animal. The Oversoul of a wild species, met as a single Lower-World being and bonded with in a deep, committed, usually lifelong soul-bond of unconditional love. The practitioner’s first and foremost Guide: Panther, not “my panther”. Read the full answer beside them when they journey, or a crystal to hold. Whether to have physical representations at all is a matter of personal preference and what works for us.10
What are amulets and talismans? #
Objects worn or carried for protection. In Pratt’s account, an amulet in North America is a charm worn by its owner for protection, which shamans may make for patients to protect them from witchcraft; in other parts of the world, she notes, no distinction is made between amulet and talisman.11 A talisman, for her, is a power object created for the protection of the soul, a home for a spirit called on for protection, most commonly a small pouch filled with power objects. Depending on the actions of its bearer, its power may be used to help or to hurt.12
Because of the shaman’s Medicine Bundle, shamanism has sometimes been called the ‘path of paraphernalia’. In Fallen shamanic cultures, shamans may gather a great many ritual objects, amulets amongst them, along with magical clothing, fans, masks, knives, bowls, bells, whistles and combs. The more ritual and ceremonial a practitioner’s work, the more physical objects they tend to have.13 Protection, too, is seldom the issue people expect. With the basic precautions in place, a Lower-World journey is safe, with no particular need for additional protection.14 See Do I need spiritual protection? What is energy hygiene?
An object can still help as a reminder. One of the optional extras in Rewilding Yourself is to find something that reminds us of a commitment made to our Guides, such as a ring or bracelet, or a stone or crystal to hold when journeying.15 Its job is to remind us of the relationship, not to protect us.
Do I need power objects to practise shamanism? #
No. Some practitioners insist that the physical tools of shamanism are essential and that without them the work is impossible, but there are practitioners who work effectively without physical tools or representations. Whether to have them is a matter of personal preference and what works for us. What matters is not the physical object but knowing its teaching and healing properties and how to work with it shamanically, for that knowledge is what the Medicine Bundle really refers to.16 See also Do I need to buy a drum, or any other equipment?
