Prayer Spirit Shield
On The Wings of PrayerWe all want our prayers to take flight, to soar to the heavens where they will be heard. Many of our ancestors thought the same thing. And they often sought to adorn themselves and/or their surroundings with birds and feathers in hopes of lifting their awareness to new heights, and to assure that their prayers were given a lift.
These winged ones and their feathers served as powerful symbols of transcendence, hope, justice (reality as seen from above), freedom, and a powerful connection with Spirit. That’s why you will see birds and feathers depicted on everything from cave walls to Egyptian tombs. And why now I have made a Prayer Spirit Shield. (You can read a quick overview of spirit shields on my blog, where you’ll also find some pointers about how to make one of your own.)
Why would I make such a spirit shield?
(LEFT: Full-length view of the Prayer Spirit Shield.)Here’s the straight forward answer. I consider my small shop to be a sacred place, and simply walking into it is my way of opening to Spirit. Doing so requires no discipline, no elaborate ceremony or ritual. It’s just a way I’ve chosen to be. So, when I walk in, I’m willing to listen to Spirit. And that’s how these spiritual items you see on my Website come into being. No, it’s not some big divine revelation or anything like that. Just a simple form of relaxation that opens my heart. I often sit for hours, or tinker with this or that for extended periods. And then it happens, a fleeting thought, a casual glimpse at a length of lacing, a tray of beads, or any of hundreds of other simple things that lay within arm’s reach in that wonderfully cramped and cluttered shop space. Spirit urges.
I’m sure the same thing has happened to you on occasion while you are creating something.
In my case, the things I make are usually one-of-a-kind, and are made for one person. And most definitely, it’s so often made for a person I don’t know. Further, and as it usually turns out, the person knows more about the item than I do.
Oh, there’s no doubt that this shield holds meaning for me, please understand. I felt such an airy presence while making it. And I sensed joy, the kind one feels when connecting with Spirit. The two circles, one within the other, seems quite symbolic, too, the outer one being the outward you, or the world, while the inner one is the real you, the one at the heart of your soul. That is the one who is the source of prayer.
I made the shield over the course of several days, and each time I turned my attention to it, these feelings would come. So, it was easy to understand that it was a prayer shield, a symbolic representation of how prayer travels, and of how one’s intentions can transform mere utterances into a sacred message that seeks guidance for the common good, or healing for one or for all. Such a message is of the “imperishable light,” the “limitless light” as mentioned in *The Hypostasis of the Archons, which in turn is a shield for truth.
If this resonates with you, and yet you seem to know even more about it, then this is definitely your shield.
(* Note: You can read a translation of this short and important work, included within Codex II, which is one of 13 codices in the Nag Hammadi Library, discovered in Egypt in 1945, here: http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/hypostas.html)
Prayer Spirit Shield Features:
- 9-inch rattan hoop holds a 5-inch hoop of similar wood inside.
- 5-inch Hoop: Encloses a rawhide shield tied with rawhide lacing (just like I do when making an actual drum) and an inner circle of hemp cord. Features a hand painted bird fetish in the suggestion of carrying prayers upward, while two pheasant tufts are hand sewn into the bottom of the circle.
- Wine-colored lacing used throughout, along with wooden and exclusive pottery beads.
- Plenty of space allowed for you to add your own sacred items.
- Exclusive! One-of-a-kind.
Price: $185 plus s/h
Shipping and handling for U.S. customers: $19 (Requires special packaging to protect the feathers)
International customers please inquire first, as shipping costs will be more.
HOW TO PURCHASE: Please call me 270/766-1469 or send an EMAIL to let me know of your interest. I will then send a PayPal invoice to your email address. As this is the only one of its kind, the first buyer has precedence.
See Another Spirit Shield, the “Unity” Spirit Shield here
Return to Home Page
