What is a medicine bag and how do I make one?

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What Is A Medicine Bag and How Do I Make Mine?

 

By Shaman Elder Maggie Wahls

 

A medicine bag is an ancient item that spiritually

represents the person who wears it. In 1991 the body

of a man who lived over 5,000 years ago was found

frozen in a high mountain range and with him was a

medicine bag. The medicine bag is known in all

cultures and through out all of history. They contain

objects such as leaves, feathers, stones, herbs such

as sweetgrass, sage, cedar, lavender or pinion, and

other objects which have been added by the wearer and

considered spiritually significant.

 

Medicine bags can be as small as 1 inch by 1 inch or

as large as 30 inches in length. They are typically

made of leather and you can purchase such a bag to

make your own at most metaphysical stores.

 

The reasons to carry a medicine are for guidance,

healing and protection. Most medicine bags contain a

quartz crystal as one of its objects. Quartz energy

resonates with all the energies of the physical body

and is considered a remarkable healing stone. It

connects you to your spiritual self.

 

Other items you might like in your own medicine bag

are items you may have found a special attraction to

or resonance with in your life. For example, a special

shell you found at the seashore or a feather you found

or a piece of pine tree or a juniper berry that holds

meaning for you. We often meet up with items that seem

to be just waiting for us to pick them up and carry

them home and then we don’t know what to do with them.

This is one place to give them a home close to your

heart. The essence of these special items create an

energy in your medicine bag and that energy is the

force that represents you. So by creating a medicine

bag and wearing it close to your heart you are

connecting with your spiritual self, the authentic you

and always remembering who you are.

 

The Shaman often carries a medicine bag that has items

in it for healing oneself and others. I carry many

things in my tiny medicine bag. I met with a group of

healers recently who laughed at me for having such a

small medicine bag! Mine is only about 1 inch by 1 ½

inches. But it is not about the size at all, it is

about what it contains. My medicine bag contains items

that I can use for healing others on the spot. I carry

jojoba, a plant grown in the southwest for healing

skin infections, bug bites and rashes. I carry a

moonstone for healing trauma, a small piece of

serpentine that heals all kinds of internal disorders.

A small ostrich feather to heal any kind of spiritual

negativity, a seagull feather to remove any lesions or

other intrusions upon the body, the herb feverfew to

ease fevers, a hair from an elephant who is my totem

animal, the animal that I resonate the most with, and

the Three Sisters: a kernel of corn, a dried bean and

a squash seed that connect me to the abundance and

healing of Mother Earth. So the medicine bag I carry

is a healing bag and I might remove an item or use the

whole bag in an emergency situation or when visiting

someone who is sick by laying my bag upon the illness

or broken leg for example. It works!

 

Your medicine bag is a holy item for you and should

never be opened by anyone. It contains your holy

items, those that help you heal, those that bring you

protection, those items that connect you with your

guides or angels. The word totem animal is often

referred to and that would mean something that

represents an animal that you closely identify with

and feel a kinship for as I do with the elephant. You

can put something to represent this animal in your

medicine bag. Your item represents the power of this

animal.

 

To make your medicine bag you can purchase a small

leather pouch or make your own from a piece of hide or

natural colored canvas. The outside of your bag should

be a natural color or earth tone like tan. You can

decorate the outside of your bag with symbols or

drawings of animals or leaves, whatever feels right in

your heart. Before placing your items in your bag take

a moment to bless them and realize their meaning in

your life and why you wish to carry them with you in

this way. Bless Mother Earth and her creatures for

providing these things for you.

 

Think of how each item represents your own power to

heal, to guide and protect others by carrying this

medicine bag. This is your connection to your

spiritual nature. Carrying this medicine bag will

increase your awareness of your own sacredness and the

bag becomes sacred too. AS you go through life you may

find other things you want to add to this medicine

bag. If you wear it and add to it throughout the years

it becomes a spiritual scrap book of your life, your

travels, your achievements, who you really are and is

a wonderful thing to hand down to grandchildren who

can understand its meaning and respect its value as

you now do.

Copyright 2005

 

Shaman Elder Maggie Wahls has been a practicing Shaman

for over 50 years. She recently received a

dispensation to reach out to those who have a desire

to learn about a Shaman’s path and now offers an

online course at www.shamanelder.com. Many people on

this earth have been Shamans in other lives and only

need to reconnect with their lost knowledge and skills

to bring shamanic healing back to Mother Earth and its

peoples. This is Shaman Elder’s goal. Please visit her

website at www.shamanelder.com or write her an email

for a free consultation at shaman