Tools, talismans & artifacts for transformation
November Full Moon Guide
In November we begin the journey inward, a time for magic making and creative exploration. This full moon guide reflects on the physical tools we can work with as vehicles for transformation during the dark months ahead.
The boundaries of a living body are open and indeterminate; more like membranes than barriers…The breathing, sensing body draws its sustenance and its very substance from the soils, plants, and elements that surround it…the body is a creative, shape-shifting entity.
~ The Spell of the Sensuous, by David Abram
The modern spiritual community tells us that everything we need for transformation comes from within us, that we must disconnect from the material world in order to find truth. In some aspects, I think this is true as we are more dependent than ever on external gratification. But I also think this does a disservice to the ways in which our ancestors connected with land, spirit and beyond.
Physical objects played an essential role in nearly every cultural practice. They offered ways for our “sensing bodies” to interact with and understand the seen and unseen world in a tangible way. Because most folks back then did not travel much and did not have access to extensive trading, the tools they used were typically crafted with local materials by the person that was to use it.
The act of hand-making one’s own tools imbued an ordinary object with a sense of mundane magic, opening the channels for this tool to help us reach beyond the confines of our world. Whether it be for protection, fertility, manifestation, or any number of other intentions, physical objects were seen as necessary vehicles for a human to rise above their limits.
Herbalists of old made their own tea strainers out of tree bark and horse hair. Beeswax was harvested from their own hives to create divination candles. Cords braided from home grown flax became important tools in magical practices. Found river rocks and pebbles held just as much power (if not more) than any imported crystal or gemstone. Herbs stuffed into small embroidered pouches became talismans of protection in an unpredictable world. Spindles symbolized the spinning of fate itself, a tool of the great weaver goddess.