OBJECTS OF POWER
PICTURES OF MY PESONAL OBJECT OF POWER
Power
of Ten Cultures
1. Hindu
and Muhammadan number Charms –numbers have a significant
power over events and occurrences. Single numbers all signify different
things such as power, hope, and health. Single numbers are of special
importance when encountering people and travelers. The number of people
met at one time corresponds to the designated quality of the number (health,
hope, etc.). Both Hindus and Mohammadans use numbers in the design of
power charms. They use leaf, paper and cloth to make charms with specific
number patterns in order to invoke a different desired outcome. These
outcomes can be as varied as a chance meeting of a new friend to a cure
for indigestion. Hindus and Mohammadans believe that numbers hold special
purpose in aligning them with the universe and its wondrous powers.
2. Native
American Peace Pipe – “The stem, forty inches
long, is made of a green ash sprout; attached to it with sinew thongs
are tufts of real horse hair, and the heads of six northern pleated woodpeckers
with mandibles turned back upon the red crest.” The medicine man
or ceremony conductor puffs hard on the peace pie blowing smoke toward
the heavens to signify his offering to the sky, then the earth, and finally
the four winds. Native Americans like those of the Cree Nation gathered
the stone from Dakota area quarries, which was neutral ground. Each nation
used a different pattern in the tomahawk shape. As a gesture to indicate
the making of peace, the tomahawk was driven in to the ground while saying,
“ bury the Tomahawk.” This is where the expression ‘bury
the hatchet,’ is derived from, as a saying of peace.
3. Arab
and Persian Amulets – Consisting of seven symbols,
seven being a divine number, Arab and Persian cultures create parchment
or stone amulets to be placed in the home or worn around the neck. The
amulets appear in the form of a rectangle containing 7 x 7 squares. The
squares are arranged in seven lines with each line containing seven letters,
symbols or names. Like many other amulets the purpose is to offer protection
r invoke a desired outcome of events.
4. Hebrew Amulets (prehistoric) – Called the Teraphim, early Hebrew
people constructed small clay figurines of men or gods to be worn on the
body. The pagan amulets were worn in attempts to ward off evil. They were
used to protect early Hebrews from miscarriages, harm to a newborn, curses,
etc.
5. Babylonian
Amulets – These amulets consisted of memorial tablets
inscribed with the names of Syrian lords or gods. They were worn to provide
protection from evil demons – Lamashtu.
6. Ring
Amulets -- Not directly associated with any culture, rings
have been used to signify many different things across the globe. Early
ring amulets were associated with the sun as solar disks. These rings
were to provide power to those who possessed them. Rings derive their
power often from the different materials they are constructed from. Stones
to adorn ring amulets are used to further the power they provided. Rings
in general are used to embody ideas of divinity, strength, sovereignty,
power and protection.
Interestingly Greek mythology provides us with a story about the ring
and marriage. Jove lost the Titan Prometheus from the bonds that condemned
him; he favored the titan with a perpetual punishment matching the original
sentence. He was to wear a ring enchanted with a piece of the Caucasian
rock of torture. This ornament was presented to Prometheus at his wedding
to Peleus. The ring marked his journey into eternal penance and marriage
at the same time.
7. Kabbalistic
system of writing
– originally taking well-known systems of writing such as Hebrew
or Arabic, the Kabbalists modified the alphabets to enhance their esoteric
meanings. The newly developed alphabets were only understood by their
creators and thus provided power to them over all who would attempt to
decipher the meanings.
8. Mirrors
– Aside from what we normally think of as mirror being constructed
of glass and metal, magical mirrors were made from vessels that held liquid.
The liquid was manipulated with dyes and stirrers in attempts to foretell
the future.
9. Lucky
Stones/Birth Stones – January, garnet; February,
amethyst; March, bloodstone; April, diamond; May, emerald; June, agate;
July, turquoise; August, carndian; September, crystallite; October, Beryl;
November, topaz; December, ruby. Stones can be rearranged when fitted
to rings and amulets for the twelve months. Each stone provide a unique
power that is aligned with the persons born within the month marked by
the stones. I chose birth stones because, much like rings, the idea is
multicultural.
10. Swastika
– Also known as the Gamadian, fylfot and Croix pattee. What has come
to be known as the swastika is originally believed to be an ancient Aryan
special symbol of supreme god. Max Muller determined that the ancient
symbol has different meanings. When the top bent arm is pointed to the
left the symbol signifies the vernal sun, and when pointed to the right
it signifies the autumnal sun. Most likely invented by the primitive Aryans,
the symbol is known to many as coming from Native American, which is where
it gets its name swastika. The Native American meaning is ‘fortunate’
or ‘lucky.’ It is both a solar symbol and a sign of life and
blessing. I chose the swastika because, although it is a symbol, it is
an object of power whose full meaning has come to mean the complete opposite
of what it originally stood or, of course due to its association with
the Nazis.
Personal Objects of Power
1. Brother (Juergen) he is an extension of myself and I am of him. He is the one person in this world that I feel closest to.
2. Books provide knowledge for me to live well. I firmly believe that knowledge is power
3. Smell of Rain true love
4. Smell of conifers reminds me of when I was a boy and the summers I used to spend at our cabin in Colorado, reminds me of purity
5. West Texas Sunset Purple, orange and red glow emblazoned across the never-ending horizon let me know of the beauty in the world and how precious life truly is.
6. Speech although fundamentally limiting. The power to speak combined with knowledge allows me to express myself.
7. My Guitar playing now for several years, the music I make is a salve for the soul.
8. Icthus Charm around my neck. It is a Christian symbol that gives me hope in man. I wear it not for the religious significance , but rather in remembrance of the person who gave it to me.
9. Film the celluloid in my hands allows me to manipulate the world akin to my perception.
10. Tools I have about twenty different tool sets. My mom gets me a new one every Christmas. She is the best. I love getting presents I can actually use. With them I tear down, build, and create.
11. Tape recorder a small electronic device, yet it has such powerful capabilities. Whenever my friend and I get drunk together I place it in the back of the room and record our conversations for posterity. One time my friend Ivan, who I got the idea from, captured me puking on his momšs shoes when she, home early from Vegas, discovered us drunk in the garage. Hearing it later when I was sober was even better.
12. Alcohol - I like most Americans often practice what I have dubbed escapism, or the voluntary imbibing of inebriating substances in order to relieve onešs self from the rigors of the everyday circus. Some people use drugs like pot, I stick more with beer. I even make my own beer, three batches a year
13. Water physically I am mostly comprised of water, yet the power that lies in the substance is what makes it important to me. It quenches me when I thirst and cleanses me when I wash, but most important is its capacity to allow life to propagate from generation to generation.
14. Air the loose ocean. I am always swimming. Driving on I-10, at 3:30 in the morning, though Arizona at 120MPH with the top down, there is truly nothing like it. Irresponsible? Perhps. Worth it? Oh yeah!
15. Height I would not classify myself as an adrenaline junky, but I have thrown myself off of perfectly good cliffs plenty times. Once I threw myself out of a perfectly good airplane, my eyelashes where frozen to my eyebrows by the time I hit the ground. Wow.
16. Picture of my father holding my brother when he was a baby my parents divorced when I was about four and I never really understood the love a father can feel for his son. When I look at that picture I get these feeling of caring that I cannot explain. I wish I had gotten more of a chance to know him.
17. Dreams when remembered they provide purpose, give me hope, and ideas for living.
18. Metal it does not matter what type of metal. I like that weight of metal in my hand and the idea that it can be used to build and destroy.
19. Kilbournešs Hole a very long since dead volcano in the southeastern corner of New Mexico. In my mind I can picture a huge depression in the dry plain extending further than the eye can see. The nights are cool with the glow of the bonfire drawing the rattlers in from the surrounding desert fro warmth. I look up and the black velvet sky is pricked full of bright glowing holes each one being an new unfulfilled wish, so many I run out and ask other what they want most I life. The sense of comfort given to me from Kilbournešs Hole will never leave me.
20. Money odd to me, I place no value on money. Sure it allows me to purchase food and gas, but I does not mean anything to me, yet people die everyday for just a little bit. My lack of caring about money I think gives me certain power because I know that I will never be driven to act out of want for it.