A reminder that this coming Sunday, the 19th, we will be having our monthly group drum circle. This month, we will NOT be meeting in the Brown Pusey Poplar Suite upstairs, but INSTEAD we have rented a room in the annex building of the Brown Pusey House, 128 North Main Street in Elizabethtown. The side door to the rear of the annex building will be unlocked: follow the signs that will lead you to the large annex room upstairs. You may park in the big municipal lot beside the Brown Pusey House to easily access the annex back/side door. We will have some extra drums for those who don’t have them.

There is no kitchen in the room we have rented this month, so bring some food to share that doesn’t require a stove or refrigerator, and bring your own beverage. We will drum from 3-4 PM and socialize from 4-5 PM. Donations to help cover cost of renting the facility are welcomed. We are so very excited and are looking forward to seeing you!

Aho & Namaste,
Bob
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I invite you to join our circle for the next entry level Shaman Training Course, which will begin soon. Class size is limited to four people so that each student receives a lot of care and attention as we explore the beautiful spiritual healing methods handed down from our honored ancestors. And by ancestors, I mean those from various cultures, all of whom knew and understood the intricacies of sacred, natural ways to help a wounded soul recover and prosper.

Given that most religions limit the concept of the soul to that rather nebulous part of us in need of "redemption," and that modern science fails to properly recognize the existence of your soul as the most vital component of your health, it rests with the shamanic way to properly understand the soul and to then cooperate with it in aiding healing. From there it is important to learn about the dynamics of natural forces and of how the shaman can interact with them on behalf of someone who suffers or who is in need of answers through access to the greater reality via the shamanic journey and interaction with spirit helpers.

It is not complicated, but it is intricate, this fine tapestry that depicts the beautiful unity available to those who commit to what the Lakota refer to as chante ishta, or seeing with "the eye of the heart."

There are currently three people signed up for the start of the next class, and should you feel the immediate call of spirit, I invite you to join with us. We are still deciding on a proper start date, so it's not too late to step forward. You will find my contact info and more information about the course here on the Thunder Valley Drums Website.

Classes form on a regular basis, so you can join in the future, too.

Become the healer you were meant to be. << MORE >>

It is inevitable in shamanic work: you must initiate action. How else can one be of service to help others?

The shamanic wand is like a conductor's baton, used to initiate action, to set its rhythm and to apply emphasis on certain movements. In fact, long before there were orchestras and conductors, a shaman's wand was often referred to as a baton. Unlike conducting an orchestra, however, the use of the shaman's wand more often than not results in the orchestra of Spirit conducting energy and movement through the wand to the user. In other words, the orchestra leads the conductor! If you've never used such a wand, you will find this to be true.

The ancestors of different global tribes taught the use of the wand as a drumstick, divination tool, extraction aide, and intercessor with the spirits among many other uses. It was considered to be a vital partner for healing and exploration. (It is my feeling that its concept was later appropriated (hijacked) by most modern religions, as one will see deities and church leaders depicted as holding a wand or staff.)

Yet, to the logical mind, this is a stick of wood, just as a drum is a circle of wood and some rawhide. These only become special when you infuse them with sacred purpose and ceremony. << MORE >>

Our great friend Andy commented on the prior post (new window) about the two women who made their own rattles, then suggested it was time for him to take up his drum in a similar way of connecting with Spirit. Well, he made good on his promise and has now sent along a wonderful photo of his recent foray into the English countryside with his Hummingbird Drum. Beautiful!

Like so many others who have written to me over the past month or so, Andy is joyful to connect with Spirit in nature, now that winter is passing. When once we stayed indoors to avoid winter's bite, we are now free— and always invited by Mother Earth— to return to the green meadows and lush forests to sound our drums in the quickening pulse of Spring!

Here in the U.S., forecasters are calling for a snowstorm in the Upper Midwest to arrive later this week, so step out now with your drum while you can to enjoy the fresh air and new growth. While we all relish the changing seasons and the cycles of life, there is one season that is constant— it's always Drum Season! The promise of new life and healing awaits.

Many thanks to Andy for sharing a breath of Spring!

Aho & Namaste,
Bob
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There is nothing like making your own sacred helper instruments. I've said this countless times here on the blog and on the Thunder Valley Drums Website. But until you see proof of it, you could remain skeptical.

Well, behold the proof!

Katherine (left) and Rosemary set aside a special day to make rattles for their shamanic practice, then shared this wonderful photo of their success.

Katherine writes, "Thought you might enjoy seeing this photo of Rosemary and me. We made our rattles this past Sunday and I think we were both pleased to have shared in making our first sacred tool together Your manual was very helpful in terms of helping me know what to gather for the rattle and how to see the whole process as sacred."

Katherine said they are waiting to complete decorating their rattles (even though I think the rattles are beautiful now—along with their makers, of course!) until they find inspiration during their next shamanism class out in nature in New York state. A wise choice, indeed.

There are other benefits, too, to making your own gourd rattle. For example, you end up with a handful of gourd seeds, so you can grow more gourd rattles for life and to share! << MORE >>

It was a wonderful drum circle yesterday, with a dozen beautiful hearts celebrating, building the medicine power of the circle, and focusing the power on healing. Many others from around the world joined in to sound their drums and to set their intentions for healing, too. What a way to usher in Earth Day!

This circle will grow even stronger over the coming months as we continue to anchor it deep into the Earth and high into the sky like a perpetual dynamo of service and healing...and JOY!

If you've never attended a circle, this can seem rather mysterious. Yet, should you participate in one someday, you will realize just how powerful it can be when you move beyond the self and into the collective, where people from many different backgrounds with many different life experiences and outlooks all come together to celebrate what they have in common. It is love, pure and simple. The old saying, "Love makes the world go 'round," is aptly magnified around the drum circle.

When we initially start, some are timid, and others have a bit of trouble following the rhythm. But as the lead drummer persists with a steady beat, everyone eventually finds it— and magic happens. << MORE >>

At long last! To answer popular demand as well as the love of our hearts, there will be a Sacred Drum Circle and social on April 21st from 3-5 PM here in Elizabethtown. All are welcomed to attend, but even if you live too far away, you can still join the circle and sound your drum wherever you are. We will begin shortly after 3 PM.

We will meet upstairs in the Poplar Suite at the historic Brown-Pusey House (link opens in new window to brownpuseyhouse.org). Access to the suite is from the Poplar Street entrance. It's a beautiful setting overlooking the enchanting garden, and is convenient to the free municipal parking lot next door to the property.

Bring a favorite dish of food to share, as our social hour will start at about 4 PM, following the drum circle.

Donations by participants are requested, to cover the cost of space rental. Any type of drum will do, as we will be concentrating on Native American-type rhythms. I will have a few extra drums available in case you don't have one. << MORE >>

Many thanks to @LadyKoprivA on Twitter!

I absolutely love this eclectic group, DakhaBrakha. Such energy and creativity! And naturally, I love the drum they use in this video, too! << MORE >>

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In Washington, DC, the theater known as the American Congress is making one giant mess of our country. The current fuss, over a term known as "sequestration" and which reflected a dumb deal to begin with, has already blown up a lot of the hope we all had when the last election ended and when there seemed a chance for our leaders to actually do the nation's bidding.

Now we know that the whole sequestration thing is smoke and mirrors. The reality is that Congress and the President are corporately owned and sponsored. They have continually passed legislation to grant profitable corporations tax breaks, so that hardly any large corporation in America pays tax, and that many actually received rebates over the past several years! The politicians have lavished defense contracts worth billions on corporations to make and stockpile terrible weapons like drones and other new technological nightmares capable of killing thousands or more, while complaining about the cost of caring for our own citizens who may need simple health care or a stable Social Security system. The Supreme Court has granted corporations the rights of citizenship and person-hood. The takeover to re-brand our country as the United States of America, Inc. is nearly complete. << MORE >>