"Image of the day: Shaman by Simone Ludeman"

Simone Ludeman is an illustration student at the University of Westminster. She has created a powerful series of contemporary shamanic images. In a recent interview with Computer Arts Magazine, Simone had this to say about her art: "I’ve always been interested in different cultures, so I set myself a brief inspired by indigenous tribes. All the images represent health issues: for example, fertility, insomnia, death and the image of the day is the shaman. I was interested in shamanism because of how different the processes of healing is to our own.  I’m generally drawn to subjects of a spiritual or surreal nature. My inspiration comes from experience. I feel it’s something you subconsciously absorb. I tend to include a lot of pattern and embellishment within my illustrations." Read more.

Michael Harner's "Cave and Cosmos"

Michael Harner blazed the trail for the worldwide revival of shamanism and shamanic drumming with his 1980 seminal classic The Way of the Shaman (over 600,000 sold). His long-awaited sequel, Cave and Cosmos: Shamanic Encounters with Another Reality, sold out of its first print run in advance of the April 9 release and is now into a second printing. It is #1 on Amazon's Paganism bestsellers list and #3 on the Shamanism list. Written by one of the leading authorities on shamanism, Cave and Cosmos, provides new evidence of the reality of the heavenly or "Upper World" realm. It is a must-read not only for those interested in shamanism, but also for those interested in spirituality, comparative religion, near-death experiences, healing, consciousness, anthropology, and the nature of reality. 

The Tao of the Shaman

The roots of Taoism, like many other spiritual belief systems, can be traced back to shamanic practices from the earliest tribal civilizations. The Chinese word for shaman or "wu" was first recorded during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), but it is believed that these traditions date back to the very origins of Chinese culture. In fact, many of the stories surrounding Fu Hsi, the mythological founder of Chinese civilization (about 5,000 years ago), have a distinctly shamanic feel to them. For instance, Fu Hsi is considered the creator of the I Ching, the basis of all Chinese philosophy. According to the legend, he discovered the I Ching in the arrangement of markings on the back of a turtle that emerged from a river. This is a classic shamanic tale that marries nature and divination, resulting in the attainment of profound knowledge. 

Thunder Magic

Taoism Five Thunder Drum

Weather Magic is practiced in many cultures around the world, however, Chinese Taoism seems to have the most well documented rituals. The chief purpose of Taoist Thunder Magic is to seek intervention when the weather is detrimental to human survival. For example, droughts and floods are such problems that can endanger the well-being of agrarian communities. Other purposes include protection, exorcism of evil spirits, and healing. Drums, like the "Taoism Five Thunder Drum," are often used for calling rain and performing Thunder rituals. The Chinese character for "thunder" is written on the face of the drum. Read more.

Corn Woman - Goddess of Nourishment

In my book, Shamanic Drumming, I describe the shamanic journey in which I met the spirit guide who became my mentor in the ways of the spirit world. Known as Corn Woman, or Corn Mother, she is an important deity archetype in Pueblo mythology. She represents fertility, life, and the feminine aspects of this world. The importance of corn deities in Pueblo mythology reflects the importance of corn in the Pueblo diet. The ritual corn dance is performed to honor Corn Woman and pray for rain, growth, and fertility. A drummer and a chorus of chanting men support the lines of dancers who move in a continually changing zigzag pattern. The dancers make gestures to indicate their requests to Corn Woman: lowering the arms depicts the lowering clouds, moving the arms in a zigzag motion denotes lightning, lowering the palms signifies rain, and lifting the hands symbolizes the growing stalks of corn. Read more.

Crafting a Slit Drum

by Chris Bittner

Slit drums are a fascinating and ancient percussion instrument, common to cultures around the world. The basic design of a slit drum is quite simple; a section of log or tree branch with a long slit carved along its length, through which the middle of the log is hollowed out. The slit stops short of reaching the ends of the log, so that the ends are left intact. The drummer will play the slit drum with two sticks, striking near the center of the log, and on either side of the slit. Generally, one "playing area" has been carved thinner on the underside, giving that side a lower tone than the other side. Slit drums vary in size from quite small (a foot long and four inches in diameter) to full size logs.

I have been fortunate to see a few large slit drums in museums which were beautifully crafted. One that I remember in particular was carved over its entire surface with carvings of animals. This slit drum was African. At the ends of the slit on the top of the drum were fair sized square holes that probably serve to enhance resonance as well as giving the carver greater access for the hollowing process.

A few years back, my friend and teacher Dan Trevino visited Guinea and brought back a set of three "krins." These were small slit drums, one each small, medium and large, with the largest perhaps 20 inches long. The krins were to be played by three different drummers, each playing a different part, therefore playing specific songs. The krins were carved with three slits: one wide one in the middle, and two narrower ones on each side of the wide one. The wide slit allows access to the middle of the log for hollowing, while the two outer slits create two separate "tone bars." Additionally, one of the narrower slits is shorter on one end than the other two slits, giving its tone bar a higher pitch. The ends of the log are also used. In fact, the sticks tap out a continuous steady beat, and whichever musical spaces are not being played on the two tone bars are being played on the "side notes," as we called them. As you can imagine, it takes some practice to coordinate the continuous left-right-left-right pattern with the proper notes of the song.

Making a Slit Drum

After playing krin music for some time, I made several krins. The first krin I made was from a piece of Elmwood, fresh-cut from a living tree that was taken down. It was about 15 inches long and 4 inches in diameter. I know from my carving experience that green wood is softer and easier to carve than dried wood. Of course, it is also true that the carved green piece is likely to crack, to some degree, as it dries. As you may know, wood shrinks as it dries. As the outer portions of the wood dry faster than the inner portions, stresses develop, and cracks open up to relieve the stresses. But I decided to carve the krin from green wood, reasoning that I may get lucky and have few cracks develop, and that I could always dry some wood and try dry wood later. 

It is worth noting here that the subject of drying wood without cracks is quite involved. But if this task is before you, you are well advised to read what you can about it to increase your chances of success. An excellent resource is Understanding Wood by R. Bruce Hoadley, considered by many to be the most comprehensive book on the subject. It becomes very scientific at times, but is very friendly to the novice (myself included).

I brought the piece of elm into my workshop and debarked it. I chose the side that I wanted to carve the slits on and marked the outlines of the 3 slits. The middle slit would be about 1 inch wide and stopping about 2 inches from the ends. The second slit would be 3/8ths of an inch wide, and the same length as the middle slit. The third slit would also be 3/8ths of an inch wide, but shorter on one end than the first two slits by about 2 inches. The tone bar on this side will be the higher note of the finished krin.

The task is to carve out the three slits and the entire inside of the log piece, creating two tone bars and a resonation chamber. I began by drilling holes along the slits, the same size as the width of the slits. I went maybe halfway into the log. Then I continued with carving gouges until I had the slits basic shape opened up. Carving gouges are a straight handled tool with a "U" shaped cutting edge, used by pushing or tapping with a mallet. They come in all sizes. I continued using the gouges and the drill to remove wood from the middle of the log, working through the large, middle slot. As you can imagine, this is rather difficult. One thing that will help is to secure the log to a workbench. I did this by wrapping a rope around the ends of the log, and putting the two rope ends through holes in the workbench, one hole at each end of the krin. I tied the two rope ends (from one end of the krin) together to form a loop, then put a stout piece of stick through the loop, then twisted the stick to pull the krin down ever tighter against the workbench. I pounded a nail into the table to secure the stick. Repeat for the other end. Now the krin wouldn't move as I carved it.

Eventually the inside was carved out to my satisfaction. I put the krin in a relatively humid place to try to allow it to dry slowly, to avoid cracks. But as it turned out, the krin split wide open radially from the middle slit to the pith of the log. Interestingly, the krin sounds fine anyway! But it sure doesn't look good.

For my second krin, I tried using a piece of sycamore wood, larger than the first krin. I drilled a hole into each end of the krin, straight into the pith. I reasoned that this would help to remove some of the stresses that cause cracks. Then I carved the krin as before. When finished, I put a hose clamp around each end of the krin, maybe one inch from the ends, and tightened them down very hard. I hoped that this would physically stop the cracks from opening. I noticed that it was necessary to tighten the hose-clamps everyday to maintain tightness, since the wood was drying and shrinking continuously. In the end, it worked! I dried it without any cracks, and finished it beautifully with oil finish and paste wax. Several more krins were completed with good results this way.

All of this causes one to wonder how they're made in Africa. Although certainly the carvers there don't have all the same tools I have access to, I'm sure their methods are simpler. I believe that it is also true that some woods are more susceptible to cracking than others.

I enjoy working big. It occurred to me awhile back that I could make a similar instrument by cutting a large log section in half straight down the length of the log, then carving this piece out on the inside, leaving a sort of a "half-cylinder". I imagined mounting this half-cylinder on a thick board to create a base for it. Then I would carve the slits, and finish the drum. Then it came to pass that I cut down a dead walnut tree. When the tree fell, it was revealed that the tree was hollow in a four-foot section at the base of the tree. Normally, this section would have become an ashiko-type drum, but this section had split in two in the course of the tree's falling. So there I had my two half-cylinder pieces, having come right to me! I have dried the two pieces and begun work on them. I'm sure they will make fine slit drums.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my slit drum adventures! I hope you will be inclined to make your own percussion instruments. Enjoy, Chris Bittner 

Chris Bittner developed an appreciation of wood at an early age, as well as a talent for working with it. Later in life he learned the joys of rhythm and community drumming. In 1999, Chris made his first djembe, when it became magically apparent to him that drum making could be his full time endeavor. And so, DrumWorks was born, in an effort to work at what he loves, and to provide people with the instruments so that they could enjoy rhythm as much as he does.

Joseph Rael's "Song of Peace"

Joseph Rael, whose name, Tslew-teh-koyeh, means "Beautiful Painted Arrow," is widely regarded as one of the great Native American holy men of our time. While leading a dance in Australia in 2006, Joseph had a vision of a Horn of Plenty in the sky, pouring blessings on the Earth. According to Joseph, "The message of the Horn of Plenty is that we humans have fooled around long enough, and God is going to take over. From now on, we are going to get plenty of everything we focus on and act on. If we focus on conflict, we will get more conflict. However, if we focus on peace we will get plenty of peace. As soon as we focus on a goal, the universe will take us in that direction. That is why I have sent out the link to a Song of Peace and asked that you join in focusing on peace. I want to thank you for becoming part of this Peace Group. We are changing humanity on the planet as we participate in the community of peace." -- Joseph Rael 

Turtle Medicine - To Shake the Earth

Turtle is an ancient symbol for the earth. Many Native Americans refer to North America as Turtle Island because when the earth was once covered with water, Turtle journeyed to the bottom of the ocean, bringing earth up on its back so that animals and people could have a home. The turtle rattle heard on the soundtrack of "Turtle Medicine" is an ancient symbol of Turtle Island. According to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), when the turtle rattle is shaken, "the earth stops to listen." When Mother Earth hears the sound of the turtle rattle, all of creation awakens and moves to its shaking beat. "To Shake the Earth" is a metaphor often used in Iroquoian communities to describe the purpose of the turtle rattle. Turtle asks us to honor and respect the reciprocal cycle of give and take. Be mindful of returning to the earth what she has given you. Mother Earth provides everything we need to live and flourish. Express your gratitude through prayer and offerings.

Equinox 2013 Drum Song

The Great Drum

The circle of the Earth

is the head of a great drum.

With the day,

it moves upward--booming.

With the night,

it moves downward--booming.

The day and the night are its song.

I am very small,

as I dance upon the drumhead.

I am like a particle of dust,

as I dance upon the drumhead.

Above me in the sky

is the shining ball of the drumstick.

I dance upward with the day.

I dance downward with the night.

Some day I shall dance afar

into space like a particle of dust.

Who is the Drummer who

beats upon the Earth-drum?

Who is the Drummer who

makes me to dance his song?

--Ojibwa

Hartley Alexander, "American Indian Myth Poems," Scribner's Magazine, Vol. 71, Jan 1922, p. 113. 

The Shamanic Drum by Michael Drake - Book Trailer

Shamanic drumming is a form of repetitive rhythmic drumming. Its purpose is to induce ecstatic trance states in order to access innate wisdom and guidance. The essence of shamanism is the experience of direct revelation from within. Shamanism is about remembering, exploring and developing the true self. Shamanic practice heightens the ability of perception and enables you to see into the deeper realms of the self. Once connected with your inner self, you can find help, healing and a continual source of guidance. To practice shamanism is to reconnect with your deepest core values and your highest vision of who you are and why you are here.

Drawing from 30 years of shamanic practice and teaching, Michael presents the first practical guide to applying this ancient healing art to our modern lives. Through a series of simple exercises and lessons, he teaches the basic shamanic methods of drumming. The focus is on creating sacred space, journeying, power practice, power animals, drum circles and the therapeutic effects of drumming. There are no prerequisites to learning shamanic drumming. Whether you are an accomplished percussionist or a total beginner, this user-friendly book will help you harness the power of drumming.

 

The Shamanic Drum: A Guide to Sacred Drumming Reviews:

"This book is a valuable, well-researched, and well-written treatment of all aspects of shamanic drumming. The author weaves together both ancient and modern lore, from oral shamanic chants to modern physics and biology, along with personal experiences to illuminate the practice of sacred drumming. Included are step-by-step exercises, analysis of different beats and tempos, and chapters on cosmology, journeying, power practice, and healing the earth. Recommended to anyone seeking to connect deeply with the drum as a tool for personal, interpersonal, or group spiritual and healing work."

--Nowick Gray, Alternative Culture Magazine

"A clear and practical work."

--Julia Cameron, author of The Vein of Gold and The Artist's Way

"Apprenticeship would be the ideal way to learn shamanic drumming, however most of us will never be fortunate enough to have this experience. This book is definitely the next best thing."
  --Lisa DiPlacido, review editor for Friend's Review

"How to Resurrect Lost Species"

by Brian Switek

Will we ever see a woolly mammoth again? What about the striped Tasmanian tiger, once-prolific passenger pigeon, or the imposing wild cattle called aurochs? Our species has played a role in the extinction of these and many other species. But now some scientists are proposing a radical turn of the tables: Bringing lost species back from the dead. Three main methods for "de-extinction" have been proposed. Cloning gets the most attention, thanks in part to the science fiction of Jurassic Park. We probably won't ever see a Tyrannosaurus -- despite the discovery of degraded soft-tissue remnants in fossilized dinosaur bone, no one has ever found non-avian dinosaur DNA -- but cloning is plausible for less ancient creatures whose genomes can be reconstructed. Read more.

"In Like a Lion"

by Nan Moss and David Corbin

There’s something about March, with its winds and wild swings of temperature. Winter storms, floods, tornados – last year record heat, this year record snow…

Change is in the air, the trees are waking up, the birds are on the move (just saw a crow flying by dangling a strand of last summer’s straw from its beak!)

Even the storms now seem to rapidly switch up their presentations as they swirl by – first snow, then rain, back to snow, now ice, all topped off – glazed by wind.

Read more of "Weather Thor's Day."

Meditation and Shamanism

by Matthew Cosgrove, author of Artisans of the New Earth

Probably the single most important way to establish direction in our work and lives is to have a daily practice. Begin with some physical exercise, breath work, or yoga to open the channels. Starting in the very early morning, clearing the mind and re-directing ourselves before we re-imprint with troubled thought, allows the light of the rising sun to illuminate and activate our higher purpose. It is at this crucial time of the day, just as we are coming out of deep sleep into the dream state, that we choose which reality we will empower.  It is at this time, when the subconscious is trying to clear itself through dream, that we can consciously steer the course of our day and our lives. Read more.

Free eBook - The Mountain Chant

The Mountain Chant: A Navajo Ceremony
by Washington Matthews

 

Among the Navajo Indians of Arizona, the nine-day Mountain Chant marks a transition in the seasons. It takes place in late winter, at the end of the thunderstorms but before the spring winds arrive. The chant is also considered a healing ceremony, performed not only for individuals who are sick but to restore order and balance in human relationships. Matthews, an army major and one of the earliest Anglo recorders of Navajo culture, describes not only procedures and objects used, but emphasizes the ceremony's vision of humankind's place in a broader scheme. 

 

The ceremony centers around a recitation of a cycle of myths about a Navajo culture hero, Dsilyídje Qaçàl. His journey takes him to the land of the gods and goddesses, where he learns powerful magic. The narrative is compelling and compares well with the Homeric Odyssey, which it resembles both thematically and stylistically. The ceremony incorporates dance, song, prayer, sand-painting, drama, sculpture, conjuring, and even a bit of farce.

Navajo cures are targeted at body, mind, and spirit, calling on the patient, his kin, singer, and divine people to restore his harmony with the world. Before a singer, or medicine man (they are seldom women), is called, a hand trembler, or ndilniihii (often a woman), will diagnose the source of illness. Through prayer, concentration, and sprinkling of sacred pollen, her hand will tremble and pinpoint the cause, which then determines the proper ceremonial cure. Then a medicine man, or hataałii, meaning "singer," who knows the proper ceremony is called and preparations are set in motion.

There are nearly 100 Navajo chants of varying range and intricacy. Originating from the Creation Story, they are so nuanced and complex that a medicine man learns only one or two ways over many years of apprenticeship. Ceremonies last anywhere from one to nine days (the Mountain Way Chant lasts nine days) and include chants, songs, prayers, lectures, dances, sweat baths, prayer sticks, and sand paintings. In order for a ceremony to be effective, everything must be done as prescribed in the legends. Download The Mountain Chant.epub.

Terence McKenna's Time Wave Theory

I discovered Terence McKenna's 1975 book, The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens and the I Ching while researching my 1997 book, I Ching: The Tao of Drumming. I was fascinated by McKenna's theory that the I Ching's King Wen sequence of the 64 hexagrams represents a wave model of time. I spent hours trying to decipher the complexities of the "Time Wave Theory" in order to write about it in my own book. Simply put, the King Wen sequence is a symbolic blueprint of the unfolding continuum of time in which events and situations recur on many different scales of duration. Each hexagram represents a unique yet integral wave cycle within the continuum. Many reputable scientists and physicists have embraced it. It has broken the barriers between esoteric philosophy and pragmatism. And, as you will see, its discovery is predicted within the theory itself. Read more.

Free Podcast of First Sami Drum Joik

 "About My Cousin" by Piera Jovnna Somby

In this first Sami Joik podcast, Sami musician Piera Jovnna Somby, accompanied by Ingebrigt Pedersen on sunshaped traditional drum, perform a special joik dedicated to Piera’s cousin. Discover this talented musician and an old traditional Sami vocal art. A joik is more than a song. One's joik, is one's way. One's way of doing things, one's way of living and singing and making music. Click here to download the first Sami Joik podcast in HTML5 of "About My Cousin" by Piera Jovnna Somby. This app is the first of 8 web-guides dedicated to the immense natural and cultural heritage of Iceland by World On Communications.

"The Time of the Black Jaguar"

Arkan Lushwala is an indigenous shaman from Peru who has traveled across the globe sharing his insights, focused on teaching what we can do, what we can learn, and how we can restore balance to the planet. Like most indigenous shamans, Arkan believes that we humans have all the necessary talents to be reciprocal caretakers of Mother Earth. In his recently published book, The Time of the Black Jaguar: An Offering of Indigenous Wisdom for the Continuity of Life on Earth, Arkan reveals our true capacities in a strong and clear way, offering the reader not only information, but a genuine opportunity to participate in the healing work that needs to be done to save our planet. I highly recommend this book to all people who are awake and ready to engage in the real shamanic work of our time.

"On Magic, Shamanism, and Listening"

"Cosmic Unconscious" by Gary Abrams

The Collective Unconscious of C.G. Jung

by Bonnie Bright

.... if we open our eyes, if we open our minds, if we open our hearts, we will find that this world is a magical place.  It is magical not because it tricks us or changes unexpectedly into something else, but because it can be so vividly and brilliantly. - Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

"Our ancestors had far more contact with magic. They lived life closer to nature, a force larger than life. They saw themselves as an intrinsic part of a pattern that happened around them and to them and in them and through them, an ongoing dialogue with equals. Rather than placing themselves above the objects we see as inanimate, everything they saw and experienced in the physical world was endowed with the life force of something akin to a brother, sister, father, or grandmother." Read more.

Experience a Shamanic Journey

Shamanic drumming is drumming for the purpose of shamanic journeying. Researchers have found that when a drum is played at an even tempo of three to four beats per second, most people can journey successfully even on their first attempt. Shamanic journey drumming awakens your innate ability to commune with your inner self and retrieve information. Your inner self is in constant communication with all aspects of your environment, seen and unseen. You need only journey within to find answers to your questions. Click on the following video to experience a shamanic journey.

Guinea Music

"Guinea Music" - Photos by Len Mackey; Music by Mamoudou "Delmundo" Keita. Guinea is a West African nation, composed of several ethnic groups. Of these, the music of the Mande has been particularly popular and internationally well-known, even outside of West Africa. Mande music is strongly influenced by the jelis, West Africa’s hereditary praise singer-historians. The traditional Mande drum ensemble includes the cylindrical dunun paired with the goblet shaped djembe. In Guinea, the typical Mande patterns have been combined with other rhythms, resulting in a distinctive national style. The late, great dunun player Mamoudou "Delmundo" Keita, who taught in the Hamana-style from Upper Guinea, made one CD "House of Roots."