Cranes in Flight

It didn't require much convincing when retired artist Glenn Lewis was presented with the opportunity to paint a limited number of sacred gourd rattles. "I thought I had painted on about every possible medium available to me during the past 65 years," he said, "from countless canvases to huge murals, and on glass, brick, stucco, metal, wood, drywall, hundreds of Bob's special drums and more, but never on a sacred gourd rattle. I was honored and especially excited for an opportunity to interpret and express my deep appreciation of Spirit animals and the deeply moving language, sometimes encoded, that is transmitted by spiritual symbols."

 

Each of the rattles in this Collection is unique, a one-of-a-kind, impossible to duplicate. Each is beautifully shaped as it was when picked from the garden. Each is beautifully hand-painted by artist Glenn Lewis, and I decorate each too. This goes deeper than shape, paint or decoration however. These rattles have their very own voices that result from the separation of the original seedpods within their very shells. Thus, the more one shakes a gourd like this, the more seeds separate and the more varied becomes the rattle's voice. Now that's one-of-a-kind for certain!

 

Something else however joins these rattles spiritually. A Lightning Bead (coming from a lightning-struck tree) in union with one or more copper beads becomes a welcomed energy source for a shaman familiar with their use in ceremony. You can read more about this here, an article I wrote, "The Hidden Majesty of Lightning Wood."

 

 

Bob's Thoughts About The Cranes in Flight Rattle:

Artist Glenn Lewis exhibits amazing versatility in this stylized Eastern and indigenous interpretation of a flock of cranes in flight.

The world over these large graceful flyers have soared into countless cultures and myriad myths and legends. Many ancients saw them as a sort of harbinger of either poor or good fortune, while others viewed the birds as noble protectors and even as symbols of immortality.

Here in Kentucky we are lucky to be in the flightway of the high-flying Sandhill Cranes, one of the generally 15 recognized species of cranes, and I've grown to love them as dependable bringers of my favorite seasons, spring and fall. Their melodious trumpeting calls, even from great heights, can penetrate the noisy streets of our small city and tell us that the misery of winter is about to pass soon, despite what a calendar may indicate. Sure enough last year they heralded an early spring. In the fall they trumpeted a late arrival of that season. Bringers of the Seasons!

I'm sure if you think of the crane while playing this rattle that you too may hear the pelting rain of spring and the ice-laden rain of fall in the rattle's voice. Does the Crane bring something important to you in ceremony, some healing advice and help for someone who suffers? I think so. Spread your wings and fly with the dependable Crane.

 

Aho & Namaste,

Bob

This rattle can only be sold in America. A special $20 shipping charge has already been added to the price shown. This allows for the expense of wrapping, double boxing, packing and thus protecting this sacred rattle while in transit to U.S. customers.

We do not have special boxes for shipping this rattle, so it will be secured in suitable boxes that may show one or another company logo or other identifying information on it. This does not mean that the company whose logo or other identifying information appearing on a box is an endorsement of or otherwise an acknowledgement of the box's contents. The Thunder Valley Drums name will appear on the shipping label however.