This bag is almost 12 years old. It's made with cotton thread, is only 2.25 inches long, and has taken a lot of abuse. It's on an adjustable leather thong, and is very simply decorated: actually, the varied stitch patterns are the only decoration I felt it needed.
It always holds:
My Zuni Bear with his medicine bundle. He was made by the Navajo carver Emery Eriacho, and is for general protection. Different Zuni fetish animals have different powers, I've read. A white bear specifically aids healing, for example.
A rough emerald, said to ease pain.
An amethyst crystal, supposedly avoids drunkeness...
A tiny capsule of sand from Coronado Beach (San Diego) where my Dad liked to go.
Sometimes I add folding money, a pain pill, a tiny shell or pebble to commemorate a special place, or a flower or leaf that smells good. My gate key (to our neighborhood here in Mexico) fits in there, too.
Just having it around my neck seems to impart a calm serenity to my mood.
And for anyone now wondering about all this pain I'm anxious to avoid:
I have the lowest pain tolerance of anyone I ever HEARD of. (I need Nitrous when I have dental X-Rays.) I developed osteoarthritis in my early teens (thanks, Mom), and have undergone 8 surgeries for degenerated disks and knees. Then I got Ramsay Hunt Syndrome 2 years ago, which is when the chicken pox virus that WAS lying dormant in cranial nerves decides to wake up. It feels like a bayonet is being rammed through my right ear and comes out my right eye. Comes with painful blisters in the ear, and sometimes facial paralysis, decreased hearing, vision, and balance. Treatment includes antivirals, high-dose Neurontin, steroids, and rest.
So that's the story of my amulet bag. See my Etsy Shop if you need one...
No comments:
Post a Comment