The handles on these rattles have story medicine, so I hope you don't mind me sharing it as it relates both to the water element/emotional body, flexibility, fluid form, and flow (healing water attributes). It also puts context on why the handles on these rattles are seaweed and shares insights into how I intuitively co-create ritual tools by listening and doing on Spirit's time, not mine. Here are my notes from that day:

'While back in Ireland this Autumn I found myself wandering by water alot. Specifically along the north shores of Bantry Bay, where I grew up and my family still lives. On this particular morning I felt drawn to pull a MOONCARD as a prayer focus for the day, and 'Growth' is what came forward as the intention. I didn't really go into it further and trusted it would reveal itself. I then packed us all up in the car with the intention of driving to my most favourite stone circle - I wanted to spread some of Mister Murphy's ashes there as he loved the place too. At the top of the valley, I decided to drive to the north shore of the bay instead of going south. Just like that. I ended up in the area I was at last year for the Coastwatch Seaweed Survey, and spent almost 6 hrs adventuring the northern bay. Once we arrived there it was clear what I needed to work on water, aka the emotional body, and there at my feet were the largest clear quartz crystals I have ever seen in the bay. 

Their formation in the rock looked like crystalline sutures. I was reminded of connection being infinite (growth within) and how incredibly blessed I am to be held so close by nature. Home. This home is everywhere that I am. I ended up pondering all this and adventuring the realms of ‘belonging’, abandonment, separation that exist in humanity and the crystalline sutures that are available to us all to assist us heal our emotional wounds, our waters. It was interesting that I was here, because this is one of the areas of the bay that our community is fighting to protect against the mechanical harvesting of an underwater kelp forest. The 'Growth' MOONCARD reminded me of how the community has grown together too through this action over the last few years (growth throughout).

While in this little cove, I was deeply inspired and without knowing what I would create, gathered these Kelp stipes that had been washed up on the shore with their holdfasts still attached, and dried them. I was touched by these pieces of Kelp for two reasons - the first reference being the Kelp Campaign slogan is #holdfast which represents both the anatomical anchor in Kelp and also the community's resilience and endeavour to protect the sacred. What I had gathered were stipes with the holdfast still attached. The second reference was more of a holistic one - these holdfasts had surrendered to the element of water and washed ashore due to a storm. Overlaid on emotional wellBEing and life’s challenges, I found it a graceful reminder of the heART of letting go. The natural cycles of life and death. These kelp stipe rattle handles are in fact, the bones of what was once part of this underwater rainforest and I find this most poignant to ponder upon, especially where potential and new beginnings are concerned through the heART of transformation! Through this letting go, growth and transformation is gifted, and in this case, new life and form is given to the Kelp I gathered, as meaningful ritual tools. The 'Growth' MOONCARD is in the Air Element section of the MOON WHEEL, and the attributes of inspiration, clarity, insight and vision certainly came through today.'

So now you know it, the handle on each rattle is a Kelp stipe with holdfast, and as you can see, they are the most wondrously shaped, wild, ocean handles! Now you know the significance and why I wanted to honour them in this way, for it integrates the water element, wild art, my passion for sustainability, community support, and in many ways, political activism, in one. In working with these I feel it makes a statement of the need to gather and protect the sacred, and honouring them in their new form as green ritual tools very much speaks volumes in itself. For all of these reasons, and more, I feel strongly that these rattles would be of incredible service as planetary healing tools too.