~ by Ruth West
Tum-TUM-tum-TUM-tum-TUM - Baby wakes just a bit, and then sighing, turns over. It is Mother’s heart-beat – so comforting, and familiar.
Then Baby grows into Toddler. Bang, Bang, Bang, BANG – pots and pans make the most wonderful, thunderous boom!
Off to Kindergarten. Wow, Ta-Bump, Ta-bump, Ta-Bumpity Bump. I can tramp and play my drum.
Marching Band – how exciting - Tha-Rump, Tha-Rump, tat, tat, tat, thump – Mark time, Mark time, Mark time!
Drumming has been part of civilization since our inception. The pulse-beat of Mother Earth, echoes in our own steady rhythms within. To honor Her, our Ancestors covered the ends of hollow logs with skins and began to thump upon them, in time with their own heartbeats. The Voice of the Drum carries the Voices of our Ancestors to us across time and space.
In early times, tribesmen communicated across many miles, on the vibrational waves of the drum. It could transmit warnings, invitations, and community information. Shamans used its rhythms to help release emotional charges from their patients.
Today, the Drum dictates the tempo of music. It sets the cadence for oarsmen. It can mark time, and act as a metronome to soothe us into relaxation, or meditation. The drum-beat can entertain, or take us on a journey to another place. Drumming still brings Ceremony to life. It can connect us to the Sacred, or the Secular.
The roundness of the Drum represents the Circle of Life. The Circle has no beginning and no end, and only one true center. The drum and drumstick can be left natural and simple, or adorned with beads, feathers, paint, or gifts from our natural living relatives – the trees, plants, seeds and more. “Marching to the beat of a different Drummer,” is a metaphor for picking our own destiny and listening to our unique rhythm and mandate.
May your drumming bring you Healing, connection to others, or Just Plain Joy
~ Crone