Shamanic Phurba From The Himalayas.

Shamanic Phurba are one of the primary ritual tools used in Himalayan Shamanism. They are both magical wand and symbolic knife used for directing energy and attention. Phurba are often worn over the heart of the Shaman and are seen as his magical protector and the container for the soul. Phurba are used to cut away negative energy in the etheric body, to pin down and destroy ghost, spirits and entities. During healing ceremonies, the Shamen will often ask the patient to hold a Phurba to protect their energy and to act as a medium through which he can observe the inner energies of the person being healed. Phurba are also sent as psychic messengers through the Tripple worlds to retrieve information about the origins of the patient's illness and sometimes to retrieve the fragmented aspects of the soul in soul retrieval. The Phurba can also be sent as a psychic weapon to destroy an enemy or the energetic source of disturbance.

Phurba are generally divided into three sections. The lower part is a three-sided blade representing past, present and future. Male, female and child or ying-yang tao. The tip of the Phurba is often covered by a forged iron point and represents the unity and transformation of these energies. On the three sides of the blade, usually two Naga (Snake Gods) crossing over each other a number of times. This represents the kundalini and the transformation of the chakras through spiritual self-realisation. This ancient symbol can be found across the Asian world and in ancient Greece. It was a symbol for the kudicious, the staff of Apollo and as such has become the modern-day symbol for medicine. Sometimes the paired snakes have a third snake in the middle and flanked by a Sun on the right and Moon on the left and a star on the back. This represents the central energy channel and two side channel of the spine. The sun, moon and star are also seen in Shivic symbolism representing the unity of Shiva shakti or male and female energy transformed as creative flow. The Trishul or trident symbol is often depicted on the Phurba and also Represents Shiva and the triple energy channels. The lower portion also often depicts Ganesh holding a snake as a staff. Sometimes Ganesh is abstracted and his trunk is represented by a spiral. He is also sometimes combined with Garuda and may have wings on his back or a beak at the top of the trunk. This combination of creatures is similar to the Macara that appears on Tibitian Phurbas and Macara sometimes appear on Shamanic Phurba particularly amongst those tribal groups with Tibetan origins. Gurung, Tamana, Sherpa, Limbu and Magar. The middle section of the Phurba usually takes the form of a vadra flanked by two never-ending knots. The vadra is a thunderbolt representing limitless energy and the unity of opposites. The never-ending knot is unity in diversity and the process of staying true to one's path.

The top part of the Phurba represents the heavens and transcendent powers. It usually has three gods with a different facial expression which represent both the Hindu trinity Bramaha, Vishnu and Shiva and also a trinity of ancient gods representing rivers, mountains and forest. Above the godheads are various totemic power animals and spirit guides. Sometimes representations of the Shamen riding a tigers, horses, monkeys or leopards.
Some Phurbas take a different form with the triple blades at the bottom and the guru figure at the top. These Phurba represent the teaching wisdom of the ancestors, Banjhakri (Wild Shamen) or Shamanic guru figure. In this video, I describe the detailed symbolism and symbols on about fifty Phurba gathered for over a number of years. For more information look Paul Wilkinson or email me at [email protected].