Alexander Rey ♥ Shamanic Healer & Holistic Therapist

Shamanism

Benefits of shamanic drumming & making your own drum

October 16, 2020 2743Views

The drum is a very important instrument in shamanism that allows us to carry out the “shamanic journey” and connect with a heightened state of consciousness. The relationship between the instrument and the person is very important to know how to listen to your deepest part.

Indigenous communities establish ancestral connections in shamanic journeys in search of balance and harmony. An itinerary through planes of reality hidden in the middle of a state of consciousness enhanced by the sound beat.

I am convinced that we must do something that connects us to a different way of facing our time. We are used to the vertigo of a world that is too fast. Instead, tribes and indigenous peoples perceive the daily reality from the enjoyment of the present. For many of us, a luxury that many times we cannot afford

Each vibration, each wave, tunes our interior with the abyssal roots of the Earth. That is why the drum is an instrument of ancestral use in the communication of the human being with the Pachamama (Mother Earth), to the point that numerous scientific studies have investigated and verified that its frequencies act in our brain favoring the entry into states of deep relaxation accompanied by a whole symbolic cosmogony, full of aboriginal and atavistic metaphors.

The tribes know for a fact the power of the drum, they have never let go of its influence and they learn to listen to it with the intention of transforming the individual who is preparing to hear himself and self-knowledge, establishing a vital link that will grow with the passage of time.

Practiced in diverse cultures around the planet,  from Mongolia, Samis, Celts to all the Shamanic lineages along  South America.  Muiscas, Amazon Tribes, Shipibos, Mapuches, etc.

This drum method is strikingly similar to the world over. Shamanic drumming uses a repetitive rhythm that begins slowly and then gradually builds in intensity to a tempo of three to seven beats per second. The ascending tempo will induce light to deep trance states, and facilitate the shamanic techniques of journeying, shapeshifting, and divination.

The person may progress through a series of trance states until they reach the level that is necessary for healing to occur.

When ready to exit the trance state, the person simply slows the tempo of drumming, drawing consciousness back to normal. Shamanic drumming continues to offer today what it has offered for thousands of years: namely, a simple and effective technique of ecstasy.

MAKING THE DRUM

As each one of us, each drum is unique and unrepeatable. Unlike an instrument not made by yourself, each constructive stage adds value to the creative process. As a result, you will get your own shamanic drum.

Putting the purpose and intention in the construction process, using the elements of the earth and thanking nature for its generosity, makes us connect with the instrument, with its sound and vibration. Each drum is unique and unrepeatable, as well as each one of us.

To carry out the shamanic drum construction workshop I provide you with all the necessary materials and tools, you will be supported and guided in each of the steps. Using the knowledge on how to treat leather, the various forms of tensioning, and decoration, the entire construction process gives added value to this creative process, which does not have an instrument not made by yourself.



SHAMANIC CIRCLES


A shamanic drumming circle is a place for shamanic practitioners or people interested  to get together for learning, healing, and the direct revelation of spiritual guidance.


It is essentially a modern adaptation to an ancient form of cultural expression attributed to indigenous shamanic peoples. People have gathered in circles since the beginning of humankind for a very good reason.


The circle is a container for building community and celebrating life. A drumming circle provides an opportunity to connect with your own spirit at a deeper level, and also to connect with a group of other like-minded people. I


In a society in which traditional family and community-based systems of support have become increasingly fragmented, drumming circles provide a sense of connectedness with others and interpersonal support.


Research reviews indicate that drumming enhances recovery through inducing relaxation and enhancing theta-wave production and brain-wave synchronization. Drumming produces pleasurable experiences, enhanced awareness of preconscious dynamics, the release of emotional trauma, and reintegration of self. Drumming alleviates self-centeredness, isolation, and alienation, creating a sense of connectedness with self and others. Drumming provides a secular approach to accessing a higher power and applying spiritual perspectives.


Drumming circles have applications as complementary addiction therapy, particularly for repeated relapse and when other counseling modalities have failed. (Am J Public Health. 2003;93:647-651)


Michael Drake, a nationally recognized author, rhythms, and shaman