Rattles ... Rattles remind me of fancy, wooden baby toys ...

Rattles remind me of fancy, wooden baby toys ... wood clicking against wood; and the sound soothes if it the right one.  I really thought of getting one of those wooden, baby toy rattles, but settled on making one on my own.  

Rattles are one of the most ancient of musical instruments.  The rattle, in various forms, is used by shamans in many parts of the world to help the practitioner enter a shamanic state of consciousness.

Some people also use advil bottles with pills as their shakers for calling in the spirits and it works just fine for them.

Native American Rattles ... made of Rawhide, Gourd, Turtle.  Of the many types of Indian rattles it is probably the turtle shell rattle as well as Native American gourd rattles that are the most well known.

The Native American rattle is a predominant part of Native community life, ceremonies and rituals and has become a Native American symbol for music, dance and medicine as well as spirituality.

Native American rattles are made with unique materials ...

Turtle shell rattle and may also include leather, rawhide, bead work and feathers as well as fur, leather fringe, seeds, rocks, antlers, horns, bones and shells.

The items placed inside the rattle also have special importance and are often chosen with great care.

Occasionally blue corn is used. Some Native people who make rattles search for small smooth pebbles found near the opening of an ant-hill to place inside their rattle.

The Native Indian rattle is also an instrument that is said to refer to the three kingdoms.

The animal kingdom … represented by the container or feather decoration,

the mineral kingdom … represented by rocks used for sound

The plant kingdom ... represented by the container or the wooden handle of the rattle.

The sound of a rattle can also be used to clear blockages in the aura.

I got my first rattle months before I had any intention of doing anything with shamanism.  I've never been interested in shamanism or any native american anything.  I just saw this turtle shell rattle in Sedona and fell in love with it and had to have it; it was so, so beautiful!!!

Then, I made a real mini rattle, all on my own.  It was a fun, creative activity ... just finished it last month.   It just looks cute and gorgeous and feels like my own.  While I don't journey to the contents of each rattle, but I do use my pendulum to dowse to fin out if the rattle likes a certain kind of fur, etc. or not.  Although it is a really tiny gourd rattle, it looks nothing like a native american rattle.  I like to use a lot of olive wood, deer leather, fur; the filings are unique and not totally native american either.  It's just perfect for me!!!