Hunting Magick

acrylic on panel – 40″ X 30″
© 2022 Sandra Ware

Lift up your arms in prayer
Lift up your heart to Great Mystery
Be thankful for your blessings
That they might multiply

© 2022 Sandra Ware

The pictographs in the painting were inspired by rock art from the Great Murals of Sierra de San Francisco in Baja, California. The murals are believed to have been painted up to 7,500 years ago. And while there is no expert agreement as to their meaning, prevailing theories revolve around ancestor veneration and shamanistic practices such as the hunting magick that is the theme of the painting.

Horned anthropomorphs are generally accepted as representing shamans. Here the shamanic and attendant figures lift their arms in ritual prayer to secure that the next day’s hunt will be a successful one — symbolized by the two deer-like figures flanking the group.

Hunting rituals are still practiced today. And though they vary from tribe to tribe, universal is the attitude of reverence and gratitude. There are rituals, often complex, leading up to the hunt. And after a kill, a prayer will be said to the animal in thanksgiving for the sacrifice of its life; and a prayer to Great Mystery for the gift of the game animals that provide sustenance for the people.