Dig It - 2/9/26

Well Fellow Seekers, smoke seems to be a peculiar way that mankind attempts to communicate with the supernatural, be it gods or ancestors. Perhaps it is because fire consumes solid materials like herbs, paper, and resins, such as incense, and transforms them into an ethereal cloud that rises to the heavens.

You can see its use across cultures. European Catholics use braziers of incense to carry prayers to God. The Chinese use Joss paper and incense, while the Maya used paper soaked in blood and copal to take their prayers to the ancestors and gods, to name a few.

Plains Indian Tribes used tobacco and other herbs that, when smoked in pipes, carried prayers to the supernatural world. Given their importance in this transformative ritual, pipe bowls, stems, and tampers were considered important and were highly decorated. This pipe tamper is beautifully quilled and has a carved wooden ball in a cage (sort of a bit of magic). I don’t know the specific tribe, but it certainly has plenty of magic connected with it. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. -Lonesome