Lyric discussion by donutbandit 

Cover art for Talisman lyrics by Guess Who, The

I think it's a look back at the past, and how science exploded the old views about magic. The narrators opines about such things as "the non-existent soul of John Smith" and then falls back on the familiar...

Talisman, talisman grace my hand...."

The thing about the purple berries seems to indicate a new settler who is depending upon the natives to stay alive.

At any rate, it's a brilliant song, and indicative of where the Guess Who were going before Randy Bachman was fired/quit.