#bonekeeper

I really enjoyed Gooseworx’s Little Runmo. Decided to draw my two favorite characters, being The Bonekeeper and Runmo!

"Bonekeeper" is a term that I came up with for myself, to describe my personal beliefs/practices since I was having such a hard time finding a “label" that “fit"… I try to not depend on labels but I like them sometimes. A bonekeeper is someone who works with bones and animal remains, gives offerings/does ritual work to cleanse said bones and work with the spirit (it may need to be appeased, released, or wants to be worked with as a spirit companion) of the bone(s); does divination with bones, etc. It also covers my love of paleolithic-shaman-like practices, spiritwork in general, ritual use of entheogens (when I get to that point), and the practice of various folk and sympathetic magics. But I think it means more than that, I myself am still figuring that out though. 

Partly, I think many peoples’ aversion to this has to do with our culture’s taboos round “death", and also our seperation between us and our food. Where it comes from, how it’s obtained, raising and killing our own food/animals, etc. I do not agree with sacrificing something just for the sake of sacrificing it, or killing just for the sake of obtaining something (like the bones, or just the antlers like many sport hunters do and aren’t worried about using the rest of it). I believe wholeheartedly that anything, if not almost everything, that is ever and has ever been sacrificed in any culture or religion, was used and should be used. It was not sacrificed, then thrown away. It was eaten, the bones used for varies things, etc. And I think this is important. Also, “sacrifice" can be done with anything, not just a living being (but this is what most people relate it to). Not everyone can do it, or should, but I think that it deserves healthy research and consideration of a spiritual and achedemic sort. That it shouldn’t just be tossed aside or shunned because of stereotypes/misconceptions, etc. And thank you for your input :)