Drumming and healing

“There's a moon in my body, but I can't see it!
A moon and a sun.
A drum never touched by hands, beating, and I can't hear it!” Kabir

This quote is actually about one's heart/heartbeat and soul...and some will tell you that a drum was considered to be a heartbeat of the earth. That is more a fairy tale passed down, than a real belief, but it has a nice ring to it. (or it has a nice beat and you can dance to it).

 

What is one of the first things we do as children? Beat our hands in the air, and then on something, anything. When we find pots and pans that make even louder noise, watch out world!

It is a natural thing to do . Drums were used to excite, not to calm with Mom's heartbeat. They were used first to send messages (usually warnings that camp was being invaded), and then to send messages along battle lines at war. Different beats sent different messages, as it was hard to shout instructions to thousands of men at the same time. The drum then became an encourager to get the men moving , and sometimes to scare the enemy (til the bagpipes came along,then they were the best at scaring the enemy).

 

The drum also inspired people to move in dance. Quicker drumming brings more exciting dancing and inspires the dancers to  move when they may be too tired to do so. I was a dancer and taught for many years. Dancing to just one instrument can only be done in two instances for me, the piano , and the drum. It is really hard to take a piano everywhere, so the drum became a dancer's best inspiration. It provides the beat and backbone.

 

I mistakenly thought that drums were frequently used in healing, but after reading up on about 20 of the world's leading shaman and Native American healers, I found that none of them use a drum, ever. It is interesting the things that we believe that are totally false, but the drum is only used "officially" in "reiki healing" as the healing channel. So called "shamanic drumming" is a new invention, not a tradition of Shaman. The man who developed reiki drumming  was a musical drummer, and took his talents to the next level. This doesn't mean that drumming, or being around a healing drum won't heal or make you feel better. It simply means that the traditions of the Shaman were not to sit around and drum all day long to heal people, nor to journey to find the answers for the healing.

Some also believe that the Shaman and other healers used to drum to go into a trance. Not one of them do. They use, heat, starvation, drugs, exhaustion or self hypnosis to go to another place. They didn't sit on one spot and drum themselves into another place. Some of the concoctions they drink would most likely kill us, not to mention heat stroke and such, but true Shaman put their lives, spirits and souls on the line for those they are healing.

 

The drum however can make you feel uplifted, and that is a job it does well. That may be expressed in dance, song, or just tapping your feet, but it is hard to be unhappy around a good, steady, solid, strong, quick drum beat. It is impossible to be unhappy while dancing to an upbeat pace. Slower beats calm, faster beats uplift.

Native American drums contain a spirit that heals, enlightens,  teaches, and uplifts. This is also true in other cultures. There are different songs for different things, and the song is what channels that drum energy to do something specific.  The spirit of that drum is to be highly respected and honored. When we drum around our big drum, some magic happens....it doesn't really matter how it happens, but it does. The drum was made in the right way, with the right intent, and the right materials, prayers, and blessings, and that makes such a wonderful difference. You can pick up a pot and a wooden spoon though and still get a wonderful feeling, although the tone may get to you and your neighbors after a short while.

Drumming can be just plain fun, or powerful and life changing. I have seen the drum do some awesome things to people. 

I learned something new about drums and healing by researching....see what you can learn today. When you stop learning, you stop growing, and you die a death of the spirit!

Learn, teach, grow!

Research, in the right manner, and really LEARN!

The beginner scorns criticism.

The wise soul carefully weighs it.

And the Master says, "But, of course!"

Mike Dooley

 

Peshaui Wequashimese

(C)2011 Dr. R M Wolf. May not be used, copied or reproduced without prior written permission.