Sound Magic: Chanting, Drumming, and Meditation
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| Djembe hand drume - image by Leo_65 from Pixabay |
“Shamanism begins as a personal revelation and inner healing, then evolves into a striving to bring balance and healing into the immediate surrounding and to the Earth herself.”
- D. J. Conway, By Oak, Ash & Thorn
Drum song can be used as a tool of liberation, community building, healing, and personal joy. Dance and monotonous sounds, such as drumming or chanting, can also be used to induce the trance-like ecstatic states that the shaman puts himself into before visiting the spirit world. Chanting is a form of rhythmic sound that can help induce a trance-like state prior to conducting your shamanic rituals.
At the beginning of 2004, I met a group of local pagans called The Circle of Silver Light. We meet once or twice a month for classes and once or twice a month for drumming. I had never drummed or even saw a drum circle prior to meeting this group. I find drumming an easy way to put myself into a meditative state and shortly after I was introduced to drumming I purchased 3 small drums to start practicing on.
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| Incorporate drum song into your meditation practice. Image by contact857 from Pixabay |
Dance to the Beat of Your Own Drum
For Mother's Day my husband, son, and daughter gave me a brand new Djembe drum. A djembe is a goblet-shaped drum, most often made of wood and having a goatskin drumhead, that is believed to have originated in West Africa and may date back to 500 AD. Djembes were traditionally used as sacred drums in a variety of healing ceremonies, rites of passage, ancestral worship, warrior rituals, and social dances.
Other common types of drums used in drum circles and played by shamans include doumbeks, bongos, congas, ashikos, and bodhrans. My drum head is 12" in diameter and the drum is 24" tall. My husband got my big Djembe at a local music store. You're really supposed to go see your drum in person and play it before purchasing one. But I like all the drums I have so far.
The only problem with the drums I have which all have natural heads (i.e. either goat hide or cowhide) is that they have a tendency to stretch out especially in hot Florida. But the remedy is to briefly hold them over an open fire or use a hairdryer on them for a few seconds. This tightens the drum head right up. My friend has a gas stove but I have an electric one so I use the blow dryer method.
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| A selection of djembes, doumbeks, and other wooden musical instruments. |
Chanting, Drumming, and Sound Meditation
A variety of instruments such as flutes, handbells, tambourines, woodblocks, cowbells, rain bells, and chimes can be played as a wonderful accompaniment to the hypnotic sound of drum music. Drumming is a fantastic way to place yourself into a meditative state. Once in the meditative state, you may contact your spirit guides to help you on your shamanic journeys.
You can also get synthetic head drums but I don't like the sound as much as the natural head ones. My friends that are REALLY into drumming have both natural and synthetic head drums. I just purchased two wonderful CDs featuring African drum music. They are both great to listen to and try to play along with. I hope that someday I can be as an accomplished drummer as the musicians featured on the CDs.
Peace, love, and light;
The White Witch, AKA Lynn Smythe
Founder of Craft of the Wise, Essential Survivalist, and The Creative Cottage