Discovering the Magickal Mysterious Character

Magickal Mysterious Character Series

Talking Stick

In the first book, Discovering the Magickal Mysterious Character, Sam receives her first lesson on how to use a Talking Stick and then she makes one of her own. Below is some information about making your own Talking Stick. For more information about the uses of a Talking Stick or how to become a Certified Talking Stick Mediator, pick up a copy of Phyllis Cronbaugh's The Talking Stick: Guarantee You Are Understood and Not Just Heard!

Talking Sticks can be used
by five-year-olds or fifty-year-olds
from the bedroom to the boardroom.
Talking Sticks create respect and promote self-esteem
for all individuals involved.

          There are no rules for making a Talking Stick. They are as individual as the speakers and listeners who will use them. If a situation arises and you feel the need to have a Talking Stick immediately, a pen or pencil or some other object at hand can work. It is your intent that brings magick to the implement.
           But, many feel the ceremony has more meaning if they are using a tool that has been designed as a Talking Stick. If you feel this way and would like to create your own Talking Stick, here are some ideas. Use them to spark your own imagination.
          Use a stick between 15” and 18” in length. You can use a dowel rod or a stick you have found in the woods or your backyard. Driftwood or dead branches make beautiful Talking Sticks. The stick can be straight or gnarly with lots of knotholes. I don’t recommend cutting a live branch from a tree, but if that is your only choice ask the tree before cutting and thank the tree for its gift when you are through. A Native American way to thank the tree would be to leave it a gift of tobacco (not a cigarette with a filter, just the tobacco), some corn meal, a hair from your head, or some spit or saliva.
          My late husband was a woodcarver and the first Talking Stick I ever made used the top half of a walking stick that he had made. It had a wonderful carving of a mountain man and I began a beading pattern using circular peyote stitch right below the carving. It became a present for my stepdaughter and her family. I used the bottom half to create my own Talking Stick so I could keep the connection.
          I made another interesting Talking Stick from a saguaro cactus spine and decorated it with porcupine quills and leather. I’ve made numerous Talking Sticks from ¾” diameter dowel rods beading them with the peyote stitch. They became gifts for friends. A friend of mine went into a thrift store one day and found a long carving of a snake. He gave it to me thinking it might be a nice medicine gift to thank someone for doing a sweat lodge ceremony. When I saw it I knew I wasn’t going to give it away for a long time. I beaded the black snake using a rattlesnake design and still have it. Maybe I will give it away someday or maybe not. My father was given a real Irish shilalie years ago. Shilalies were actually weapons of old. When he crossed over, I took the stick and made it into a Talking Stick using a rainbow bead pattern. It’s a great conversation piece. It will never be used again in war. While walking the shores of a lake one day I found an interesting stick. The top is bent over and looks exactly like the head of a dragon. It didn’t take much to make it into a Talking Stick. All I had to do was add a large red crystal stone for the eye. I bought my most recent Talking Stick from a special artist. It is made of a very thick grapevine (about an inch and a half in diameter). It is very gnarly, and has nooks and holes for wonderful stones and treasures. Attached to one end is an amazing crystal of some variety and a smaller clear quartz crystal finishes off the other end. I have had a number of people jest that it just might be missing at the end of the circle.
          In making your own Talking Stick, you may want to include something from the Four Worlds of Grandmother Earth – Mineral, Plant, Animal and Human. You might even add something that you feel represents the Spirit World. The stick itself is a representation of the Plant world, but you can certainly add something else that is a plant if you choose. Dried grasses or flowers would be beautiful. When you hold the stick and pass it, you are adding the Human world.
          Here are some ideas for the Mineral world. Use a pointed crystal the same diameter as the stick for the top. They come in many different colors. Crystals amplify energy and many feel it increases the connection between what native peoples call the As Above and So Below, bringing a powerful aspect to the ceremony. The crystal can be attached with a little glue and then by wrapping the stick with a long leather strip or sinew. To secure it, begin the wrapping at least an inch below the crystal on the stick and continue up making sure to wrap at least and inch on the crystal. I have seen them attached with sinew and copper wire as well. Almost any kind of stone that has meaning for you can be attached with good hearty glue.
          I have mentioned that I beaded a number of sticks. Use seed beads, usually size 11, to create intricate circular patterns in what is called peyote or brick stitch. Most craft stores have books that can teach you how to do this beading stitch. You may choose to bead straight onto the stick or add leather first and then secure your beading to it. Beading straight onto the stick allows you to move the beading up and down, if you aren’t sure where your pattern may take you. Beading onto leather is more permanent. You can also use a beading loom to create a long strip and then wrap it around the stick. Both are beautiful. Since most seed beads are glass, they are a representation of the Mineral world.
          Another idea for the ends of the stick is stone cabochons glued onto a ninety-degree or forty-five degree mitered cut. Cabochons are stones that have a flat surface on one side and can be found at rock, gem and mineral stores. Turquoise is especially sacred to native peoples and is a representation of the land for Hopi Indians. The Hopi use red coral as a representation of the sea. You might use a piece of turquoise on one end and coral on the other. Many tribes utilize seashells in their decorations and small ones make beautiful ornaments. If you use a stick with a lot of knotholes, tuck large beads or stones into the holes with a touch of glue.
          Many animal fetishes or stone animal carvings can be purchased at gem and mineral stores. Metaphysical and native stores normally have a wide selection as well. If you find one that represents one of your power animals, you might want to attach it to the top in some fashion. A friend of mine has one with a large turquoise bear attached to the top with copper wire and leather. A stone animal fetish would actually be a representation of both the Animal and Mineral worlds.
          Leather is a common representation of the Animal world. If you choose a dowel rod, a nice affect is to wrap the entire stick with the leather in a spiral fashion. Leather cord or laces can be purchased in many colors as well as regular leather, allowing you to cut your own strips. If your stick is an uneven branch, you can wet the leather and stretch it onto the stick. This helps it mold to the surface. A friend of mine has a beautiful stick wrapped in rattlesnake skin. The rattles were attached at the top with a leather thong.
          If you fancy turtles, you can use a turtle or tortoise shell on your stick. Insert a stick into the rear of the shell and let it extend out through the neck hole. Shape the end of the stick to look like the turtle’s head. You might decorate the rest of the stick with green beading, or paint and shells.
          Sticks can also be wrapped with jute or other materials. Yarn is a very inexpensive, colorful way to decorate a stick and even kids can create their own using yarn. Several layers of yarn in different colors can create a very interesting pattern. Choose wool yarn if you are trying to keep your stick natural.
          Leather fringe attached somewhere on the stick is a nice touch. Cutting fringe can be difficult, but some stores like Tandy Leather have fringe already cut. You might want to thread glass or stone beads onto the fringe at intervals and secure with glue. They add a little weight and help create a nice swingy effect. Attach small bells to the ends of the fringe also. Native peoples use bells to call to the Tolilahqui or Little People, the elves, gnomes, leprechauns, elementals, etc. When you use your Talking Stick, they can remind you to not take yourself too seriously.
          Feathers are a popular addition as representation of the Animal world. Natives feel all birds are a connection to the As Above and Great Spirit. Before using any feathers, you might want to wrap the feather base with red thread. This is an honoring of the bird and signifies giving the bird back its lifeblood. If you do this, consider adding a looped string to the base of the feather. Do this with several feathers and then attach them to the stick with a leather lace so they hang free. You can cover the thread with leather or if you are beading your stick, you can bead the base of the feathers as well. The best time of the year to find feathers is in summer when birds are molting, but feathers can be purchased at most craft stores any time of the year, if you are unable to find your own.
          Instead of feathers, I have seen interesting sticks that utilize the tail of a raccoon, fox, or some other animal. Another nice representation of the animal world would be to add a band of rabbit fur or some other type of fur or hair. Rabbit skins are available at most craft stores. I have seen horse hair used and buffalo or bear would be especially nice, because they are sacred to indigenous peoples.
          Adding color by painting your stick is a great idea and quite inexpensive. Here are two color schemes that have a native connotation. One is what native people use to represent the four original races of man. Some call this the colors of the Four Winds. There are variations, but most traditions use red for the south, black for the west, white for the north and yellow for the east. Some tribes switch the red and white, putting the white in the south and the red in the north. The As Above or heaven is generally blue and the So Below or Earth is green. The point where the As Above and So Below meet can be amethyst (purple).
          Another color scheme you might consider is a rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and indigo). Start at the bottom and paint one-inch wide stripes of each. Of course, you can also paint the stick with any colors that mean something to you.
          These are just a few ideas that I hope will get your imagination flowing. When your stick is complete, you can ask someone to Bless and Awaken it for you or, do it yourself. Use the sage stick or smudge that was mentioned previously to banish negative energy and cleanse. Separating the elements in smudge and using them individually can create a special intent. The sage represents banishing negative energy, the sweetgrass is for blessing, cedar is for balance and lavender is for beauty. Speak your own thoughts as you run your stick through the smoke created by each ingredient. I also suggest that you say a prayer or indicate in some way, your intent to always use your stick in a sacred manner.
          Lastly, keep your Talking Stick in a place of honor and NEVER use it as a weapon.

Walk in beauty, my friend. Awanestica!