How To Make A Beautiful Shamanic Gourd Rattle
The Union of Earth and Sky
& The Transformation of the Ugly Duckling
& The Transformation of the Ugly Duckling
Let's talk natural. All natural. That's the beauty of a gourd rattle, all natural, superbly connected with Mother Earth. And with this rattle, we will ask for some Sky to join with it in order to have it represent the union with Spirit that we seek. Earth and Sky and All That Is.
Along the way, we are going to be rewriting the story of the Ugly Duckling, too. In fact, that's where we'll start.
Take a look at the photo below. Oh, my. Am I out of my gourd? Quacked up? Rattled?
Well, take heart. You are going to help an unattractive little bottle gourd to find its inner beauty, and to then help it to sing a most beautiful song in praise of its transformation and liberation, and in celebration!
(If you would like to see the finished rattle featured in this post, please scroll to the bottom.)
Step By Step, Heartbeat By Heartbeat
Step One: You are undertaking a sacred journey, so once you have purchased or obtained a gourd, take it into ceremony with you. If you are unaccustomed to doing this, here's a brief outline. (You can fill in where you wish to add your own expression and / or the names you use for the Divine.) Drum, or chant, or pray while calling in your Spiritual Helpers and asking for guidance, protection, and blessing for yourself, the little gourd and for all of those you love. Thank the gourd and the plant it came from, Mother Earth for bearing it, Father Sky for watering it, and Great Spirit for imbuing it with the force of life and the spirit of service. Ask that all be cleansed and allowed to be free in service to each other and to all of life and that the gourd rattle be capable only of doing good and no harm.
Such a ceremony is indeed the heartbeat of the sacred.
Step Two: As presented here, this project can take four hours or so, allowing for glue to dry and so forth, but more importantly for allowing you to enjoy your time with Spirit. It is sacred time well spent.
This project rates slightly above mid-way on the elaborate scale, as it requires some drilling and "eyeball engineering." Some of the process is a bit tricky, but don't worry about it. There aren't any "rattle police" who will come by and cite you. This is a project between you, a would-be rattle and Spirit. Once finished, though, the rattle will be very sturdy and able to withstand a lot of use. And of course you can modify this project at will to conform with your own skills/desires.
The basics you'll need to have on hand include those pictured at left:- a scrub brush,
- old toothbrush,
- the paint you intend to use (if any),
- some lacing (leather, ribbon, fabric, yarn, etc.),
- some craft glue,
- a stick you'll use for the handle,
- a smaller diameter stick to use as a crosspiece,
- a stiff wire or prong at least as long as the gourd and rather sharp on the end.
- a drill or mini-tool (like a Dremel),
- some fine sandpaper,
- a bunch of beads or other things to make the rattling sound inside the gourd,
- and a nice bead with a large enough hole to slide over two thicknesses of the lacing you've chosen.
- a pair of small feathers and some yarn or lacing.
You'll be amazed at how stubborn some of the soil and other stuff is to remove. But be persistent. You are demonstrating your desire to be of service to the gourd. It will remember this when you call on it to help you.
Once you've scrubbed off the dirt, mold, and other gunk, let it dry until its shell is nice and hard and shiny. Then give it a gentle sanding until it is wonderfully smooth to the touch. (Don't sand too much or you'll damage the shell.) Don't worry about the various spots and blotches which may appear on it. That's part of its charm!
Step Three: Make sure the stick for the handle is long enough to go through the center of the gourd and clear up to the top, while also allowing enough to protrude for you to use as a handle. (See photo at left.) Decide on the size of hole you want on the small (stem) end, and drill the hole. I made a 5/8-inch hole. Now, take the gourd outside and begin scratching out the seeds and fluffy lining that's inside by using a stiff wire or such. (I use a pegboard hook, which worked great.) Be gentle to begin with, as you will be rewarded with a cascade of seeds which, assuming the gourd is not a hybrid, you can plant and have a lifetime supply of gourds for more rattles and other projects. This is a fine place in which to give thanks for such bounty and the "bonus" you never expected when you bought this homely looking little gourd.
Once all the seeds are out, be a little more firm and scratch and scratch until all the lining is out, on the sides, top and bottom. You can use an old toothbrush to remove any remaining vestiges of fluff. You'll know there's none left when the sound is no longer muted and instead sounds like you are scratching against the inside of an egg shell. The lining, by the way, will come out in chunks and bits and even as dust, so that's why it's good to be outside. It avoids making a mess indoors, and helps you avoid breathing in the dust.
Now, whittle the stick so that it fits snugly into the hole and touches the top of the inside of the gourd. Hold it there while you drill across the plane in order to have a hole for the crosspiece. I made a 1/4-inch hole to match the size of the crosspiece.
Insert the crosspiece through the gourd and handle to make sure everything lines up (per the photo, above).
This is also the time to help the rattle find its voice. So gather together some combination of things that will produce a rattling sound (the "sounders"), like inexpensive beads, very small round stones, hard dried corn or beans, nut shells (hard ones, like pistachio, etc.), or whatever. Be inventive.
Disassemble the rattle and place some of the sounders into the gourd, reassemble the rattle and give it a shake. Keep experimenting until the sound is perfect for your ears.
Step Four: Disassemble the rattle, spill out the sounders into a dish, and grab the paintbrush for some fun! Do your thing and paint some or all of the gourd, handle, crosspiece—whatever!I use acrylic paint, but I suspect about any kind of paint will do.
While it's drying, you can begin wrapping the feathers, if you plan to use them. (Refer to this previous post for instructions about Feather Wrapping. Link will open a new window so you don't lose your place here.)
Step Five: Place the sounders back into the gourd once its paint job has dried.(Photo, left) Pour some glue into a cup lid or whatever, and coat the end of the handle with it. Insert it into the gourd, holding the gourd sideways so the sounders are out of the way, and touch it to the inside top of the gourd where the handle will eventually be permanently attached. Twist the handle a little to make sure you are depositing glue to the top. Repeat this with more glue.
Step Six: (Photo, left) Withdraw the handle and re-coat its tip with glue. Coat the inside of the hole in the handle with glue. And coat the middle of the crosspiece with glue.Wait a few minutes for the glue to begin setting, then—
Step Seven: (Photo, left) First, insert the handle into the gourd, once again making sure the sounders are out of the way, and press it firmly into place onto the inside top of the gourd. Maintaining pressure, turn it until the hole lines up with the holes in the gourd, and insert the crosspiece through the holes.
Step Eight: (Photo, left) Now, maintaining pressure on the handle and the top of the gourd (I moved my hand out of the way only long enough to take this picture), add some glue around the crosspiece where it emerges from either side of the gourd.
Step Nine: (Photo, left) Try to press the top of the rattle up against a soft obstacle, like a plastic bottle with a cloth around it or the like in order to free at least one of your hands. If you can wedge it between the bottle and say, your tummy, you can use both hands to then begin tying the lacing, as shown. Be sure the lacing contacts the glue, and tie a half knot.
Step Ten: (Photo, left) Now, begin tightly wrapping the lacing around to the other side of the gourd, making sure to hook the lacing over the extended arms of the crosspiece. Make a half knot and return the lacing around the other half of the gourd and back to the first side. (Wipe off any excess glue as you go along.) Repeat this a few times, then tie a firm knot. Slide a nice bead up to the knot, and add a knot underneath it.
Touch up any paint that may have been marred or smudged by the glue or the process.
If possible, wedge the rattle top and bottom between two immovable objects to help keep pressure on it while it dries. Allow to dry at least 24 hours.
Congratulations! You did it!!!
Now, prepare to join with ALL THAT IS in rejoicing
at the liberation of your beautiful new rattle!
at the liberation of your beautiful new rattle!
If you would like to purchase or to learn more about this particular rattle, like hearing it for example, you can follow this link to the Thunder Valley Drums Website!
Aho & Namaste...and Happy Rattling!
Bob
PS: There are lots of good links to learn about gourds, but here's a particularly delightful one:
from the North Carolina Gourd Society.
Posted by Bob at Tuesday, June 14, 2011 8:49 AM 
Categories: Shaman Share Essays Videos And More
Tags: shamanic rattle shamanic gourd rattle gourd rattle how to make a gourd rattle gourd rattle for sale Thunder Valley Drums
Categories: Shaman Share Essays Videos And More
Tags: shamanic rattle shamanic gourd rattle gourd rattle how to make a gourd rattle gourd rattle for sale Thunder Valley Drums
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