Receiving Power Objects and Their Lessons

We acquire power objects in many different ways, but most often the spirits of the objects reach out and specifically choose us.

Many of my friends and colleagues tell stories about a drum calling to them across a crowded room of vendors. Or passing by it and feeling pulled to it, connecting to that spirit right away. The stories usually start with, “I hadn’t planned to get a new drum, but then this one spoke to me and wanted to come home with me.”

Many times power objects will be gifted to us by our teachers. Releasing them is part of their learning path and receiving them is part of ours. Usually they come with no instructions or information at all. It is part of our learning experience to engage directly with the spirit and find out what powers they hold. Sometimes we are not ready to engage with that power. We have to go through initiations and learn to raise our energy to the frequency where we can work with the power.

If that is the case, and if it takes us a while to go through our initiations, the spirit of the object may go to sleep. When the timing is right, we may get a nudge from our team of helping spirits about what we need to do to wake up the spirit of the object.  And then sometimes the spirit just leaves.

Many years ago when I was very new to my shamanic path, my first shamanic teacher, Lone Dove, met me for lunch at a restaurant. A couple other students who were in our study group joined us. When Lone Dove walked in, the entire energy of the place amped up a level. She sat down and placed a paper bag she was carrying next to her chair. I felt ripples of energy coming from that bag. After a time she handed it to me. By this time I felt like I had had three cups of coffee and my hair on my neck was standing on end. I opened the bag to find a turtle shell rattle which felt warm and alive in my hand. It was exquisitely crafted with a handle wrapped in snakeskin and beads. I was stunned. She didn’t tell me much about it, except that she was passing it on to me now, and that I would receive what I needed to know from the rattle itself.

I gave it a protected place on my altar, welcomed it with ceremony and danced with it in my medicine circle in the backyard. I journeyed with it asking for guidance from it. I didn’t get any then, but kept trying. Over the next few months I worked with it on and off but I was distressed to feel the power ebb from it. And Lone Dove had moved and gone on to other things, my studying with her had ended.  

At that time, I was not up for the initiation that the rattle brought with it. I did not have the wisdom or the strong relationship with my spirit team then that was necessary to work with the rattle and the power it held. The overlighting Spirit that came with it that had a relationship with Lone Dove left the rattle. Perhaps it went back to her, I do not know.  But the spirits of the parts of the rattle were still there and I did connect with turtle and snake spirit over the years.  I learned much from the rattle since then. 

In many cases the spirit of the object remains with the object and can teach us when we are ready. We may just need to reach the level of consciousness that resonates with it, or in some cases wake up the spirit within who may be sleeping. We will get nudges or even detailed instructions when ready.

When we are ready to pass power objects on, the spirit of the object can direct us to who they would like to go next.  That is also something to think about before we leave this plane. I know of powerful shamans who have after their death contacted other shamans to retrieve power from objects they left behind. Ceremony can be done for the original owner so they can take the power with them in the Spirit realm they are inhabiting now.

When we have relationships with Spirits who are embodied in power objects, we have a responsibility to caretake them and the power they hold. If we are getting into our elder years we may begin to pass on power objects to family members, students or colleagues. We may think about leaving detailed instructions with our wills and trusts about our power objects.  That way power can be passed on, retrieved or even freed to go where it will.  

I like to think that the Spirits who power these objects can have infinite experiences in many realms, just like our own soul essences. It’s just possible that we partner with one another again and expand our relationship in new ways.