I have two bacula in my bone set. A baculum is the penis bone found in some mammals.  One is a raccoon baculum. When I bought it, it was described to me as representing the qualities of a good man – faithful, someone who will respect you,  look out for you and take care of you. The kind of man that can be counted on to come straight home from work every night and to love, honor and cherish you. This meaning is based in part on folklore from the Southern United States where a “coon dong” was given as a token of love and affection.

Raccoon Baculum

Raccoon Baculum

I also purchased a coyote baculum to represent the “bad boy” who is often so much more fun the the good, responsible man. A member of the dog family, the coyote brings some of the less savory qualities of the canine species to its interpretation.  Coyote in folklore is often viewed as a trickster. But there is more to coyote than that. Here in Southern California coyotes are fairly common. Usually viewed as pests with a heartbreaking taste for pet cats and small dogs, they have figured out how to survive urbanization to a large degree. They are highly adaptable creatures who live by their wits right alongside their biggest enemy – us. So depending on the context I usually interpret the coyote baculum as either the guy your mother warned you about, a trickster or trickster energy, or as someone who is able to live on the margins and survive despite adversity. While I have been using “man,” “boy,” and “guy” the same qualities can be applied to women. If either these bones were sitting atop or close to a piece that represents a woman I would adjust the meaning accordingly.

Coyote Baculum

Coyote Baculum

In case you are wondering “where can I get bacula?” I got mine at Lucky Mojo, but surprisingly you can order both of these bones from Amazon.

 

Happy Bone Reading!