Kindling the Native Spirit: Sacred Practices for Everyday Life - Denise Linn 2015
Blankets: Spirit of the Robe
The Deepening: Communing with Spirit
When I was a child, we had some Pendleton wool blankets that I loved. (Pendleton is a blanket company that started in 1863. Early in their history, they traded blankets with Native Americans, and they often use traditional native designs on their wool blankets.) Each blanket we owned had Native American designs on it. Every symbol had a meaning—for example, an arrow meant protection and crossed arrows represented friendship. One time my mother took me aside to tell me about the meaning of blankets to a native woman. She said, “Denise, blankets are a native woman’s wealth. If you have blankets, you’re a wealthy woman.”
As a young adult, I took her words to heart and after my initial vision quest, I purchased my first Pendleton blanket. Then after every major life change, even when I didn’t have much money, I bought (or was gifted) another blanket. My blankets chronicle my life. When I wrap myself in one on a frosty morning to meditate, or curl up under one on a cold night, I feel abundant beyond measure.
Every night I sleep on a Pendleton blanket (with a sheet over it). Although it might sound strange, I feel as though my husband and I are protected and embraced by the energy of that blanket. (Anything that you have in your sleeping space affects your energy. A blanket that is respected, and that has been energized, can help you sleep better and help you feel more refreshed when you awake.) I plan on having my blankets for the rest of my life and would like to be wrapped in one when my time on earth is completed. This is how important they are to me.
The gifting and cherishing of blankets and robes is woven deep into the native spirit. To receive a blanket as a gift is a meaningful acknowledgment of respect, friendship, or gratitude. Births, marriages, deaths, and major accomplishments are often commemorated with the gift of a blanket. There is also sometimes a mystical component of the blanket (which would be worn oftentimes as a robe). In North American native tradition, some trade blankets, with specific designs, were also known as “wearing blankets.” When a blanket is wrapped around the shoulders (with the two sides joined in front) the artwork on it comes together to create a uniform design. This also completes a circle. Symbolically the wearer is placed at the center of the sacred circle of life.
These kinds of blankets sometimes seem to come to life when they are worn in a ceremonial way. Rain Parrish, a Navajo (or Diné), shared this perception of the mystical aspect of blankets:
As the light from the fire illuminated the moving bodies and blankets [they had wrapped around them], the swirling shapes, lines, patterns and colors sprang to life. I no longer saw blankets, but rather the familiar designs of the Holy People coming to life from the sand paintings. I saw moving clouds, glowing sunsets, and varicolored streaks of lightning, rainbow goddesses, sacred mountains, horned toads and images like desert mirages—all dancing before my eyes [Language of the Robes, by Robert W. Kapoun and Charles J. Lohrmann].
White settlers initially created the blankets—which we now know as Native American blankets—in the 1800s. However, the native people almost immediately embraced the colorful blankets. They used these blankets as trade blankets (trading goods for the blankets and trading blankets for goods), but it didn’t take long before they were worn as ceremonial robes. And, of course, they were used to stave off the cold. Long before these blankets arrived with the settlers, there was a tradition of handmade and ceremonial blankets: the buffalo robe in the Plains, the hand-loomed blankets created by the Navajo and Pueblo weavers, and the cedar bark and mohair blankets of the Pacific Northwest. In every instance the blankets and robes were cherished possessions.
Blankets can also hold memories and family stories and can even take on a personality. Older blankets in Native American homes can tell a story. They tell of births, lovemaking, hard times, and joyous times. Sometimes blankets are even named. If you decide to obtain a blanket to use for sacred purposes, over the years it will collect memories and eventually become a kind of record keeper for your life.
INVITING THE SPIRIT OF THE SACRED BLANKET INTO YOUR HOME
1. Obtain a blanket, preferably a new one made from natural fibers. It doesn’t have to be a blanket with native designs, but you do need to love it.
2. Cleanse and clear your blanket. You can do this by hanging it outside in the sunshine for at least three hours or by smudging it with sage.
3. You may also choose to sew a tiny fabric compartment into a corner of it to place sacred items, such as a small tumbled crystal, that you’ve dedicated to your dreams. Likewise, you can place affirmations written on a tiny scroll to affirm the blessings you desire to absorb during your resting hours.
4. While in meditation, bring your blanket to your heart and hold the intention for wonderful energy to fill your blanket.
5. To gift a blanket to someone (or gift to a couple for their wedding), wrap the blanket around the individual (the couple) and say, “You are embraced in the sacred circle of life. May balance, love, and support fill your life,” or any other words that feel right.