The Role of the Drum

The drum has a role of first importance to the shaman, for its rhythm develops an oneness of feeling and purpose with the rhythms of the universe. Everything in the universe, from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest star, vibrates with rhythmic motion. All things are born of rhythm and it is rhythm that holds them in form. Rhythm is the heartbeat of life. Every living thing has a unique song, a pulsing rhythm that belongs only to it. Within the heart of each of us, there exists a silent pulse of perfect rhythm that connects us to the totality of a dynamic, interrelated universe. The drum's beat unites the shaman with all life forms into a single being, a single heartbeat. The drum reconciles all of the disparate and discordant aspects of nature. It promotes individual and planetary resonance and restores harmony and balance.     
 

The drum's sonorous voice expresses the basic rhythm patterns man has observed over and over in nature: the tides, the phases of the moon, the changing seasons, and the myriad cycles of life. Rhythm and resonance order the natural world. Dissonance and disharmony arise only when we limit our capacity to resonate totally and completely with the rhythms of life. Rhythm is a universal vibrational language. We respond to rhythm whenever we sense it and seek it out when it is not present, for it is invariably pleasant.
 

Drumming affects aurally generated emotion more than any other musical instrument. Drum rhythms cover the whole range of human feeling. Whatever the emotion, the drum seems to compensate and offer satisfying expression. Drumming provides solace, relief from anger, courage when afraid, or even ecstasy.
 

Ecstasy is defined as a mystic, prophetic, or poetic trance. It is a trance-like state of exaltation in which the mind is fixed on what it contemplates or conceives. The drum serves as a concentration device, enhancing the shaman's capacity to focus attention inward. It stills the incessant chatter of the mind, enabling the shaman to enter a subtle or light-trance state. It is an inward spiritual journey of rapture in which the shaman performs his or her mysterious work.
 

In his classic work, Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy, eminent religious scholar Mircea Eliade concluded that the ecstatic experience does not belong exclusively to the shaman, but "is a timeless primary phenomenon." All people, therefore, are capable of flights of rapture. Ecstasy is a frequency within each of us. Like tuning a radio to the desired frequency, the drum attunes one to ecstasy. 

Eliade defined shamanism as a technique of ecstasy. Shamanism is based on the principle that the spiritual world may be contacted through the inner senses in ecstatic trance. It is a great emotional adventure open to whoever wishes to transcend their normal, ordinary definition of reality. The shaman is able to contact and utilize an ordinarily hidden reality in order to acquire knowledge and power and to help others. He or she gains access to a new, yet familiarly mythic universe.

Rhythm Healing

The key to understanding the shaman's world is to realize that the universe is made of vibrational energy. According to quantum physics, everything in the universe, from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest star, has an inherent vibrational pattern. The entire universe is created through vibration and can be influenced through the healing vibrations of shamanic drumming. The shamanic drum is a tool for altering the vibrational state of the shaman and/or the healee or a particular situation in the community. To put it simply, shamanic drumming is an ancient form of rhythm healing.

Rhythm healing is an approach that uses therapeutic rhythm techniques to promote health and well-being. Rhythm healing employs specialized rhythmic drumming patterns designed to influence the internal rhythmic patterns of the individual and harmonize those which are thought to be causing the illness or imbalance. When administered correctly, specific rhythms may be used to accelerate physical healing, stimulate the release of emotional trauma and produce deeper self-awareness. This technique has been used for thousands of years by indigenous cultures around the planet to treat a variety of conditions.

Rhythm healing relies on the natural laws of resonance and entrainment to restore the vibrational integrity of body, mind and spirit. In resonance, the sound waves produced by the drum impart their energy to the resonating systems of the body, mind and spirit, making them vibrate in sympathy. When we drum, our living flesh, brainwaves and auric energy field entrain to the sound waves and rhythms. This sympathetic resonance forms new harmonic alignments, opens the body's energy meridians, releases blocked emotional patterns, promotes healing, and helps connect us to our core, enhancing our sense of empowerment and stimulating our creative expression. A single-headed frame or hoop drum works best for rhythm healing -- the larger the drum, the greater the resonance.

Finding the right rhythm

A rhythm healer may have a repertory of established rhythms or improvise a new rhythm, uniquely indicated for the situation. Determining the right rhythm in each case is a highly individual matter. No predetermined formulas are given. The rhythmist needs to create a dialogue between the sounds he/she produces and the responses of the person being treated. The drumming is not restricted to a regular tempo, but may pause, speed up or slow down with irregular accents. The practitioner may stop playing altogether, or suddenly hoist the drum skyward and bang it violently, throwing the disease into the heavens, returning it to the spirit world.

Tuvan shamans, for example, often improvise sounds, rhythms and chants in order to converse with both the spirit world and the healee. The sounds produced by the shaman and the drum go out and certain frequencies and overtones are then reflected back. Information is generally received as subtle vibrations, which the shaman then interprets as sounds, images or as rhythms.

To find the right rhythm, invoke the spirit of your drum, and ask it to come to you and become your ally. State your intention -- what you desire or expect to accomplish -- in a clear and concise manner, and then sit and meditate with your drum for a few minutes. By stilling the mind, you will be able to connect with the spirit of the drum. When you feel ready, pick up your drumstick and begin to play whatever feels appropriate. When you focus on the spiritual intention or the energy of what is being played, it allows the music to become very loose, spontaneous and innovative.

I learned that when I trust my intuition to play the appropriate rhythm, which I do not know in advance, I cannot go wrong. I know that when I open up and play what I feel, the drumming is fresh, different and spontaneous each time. Rhythmic improvisation is a musical expression of the soul. It is a way to let spirit work through you for the purpose of healing and helping others.

Rhythm healing is about finding the right rhythm. Rhythm and resonance order the natural world. Dissonance and disharmony arise only when we limit our capacity to resonate completely with the rhythms of life. The origin of the word rhythm is Greek meaning "to flow." We can learn to flow with the rhythms of life by simply learning to feel the beat or pulse while drumming. It is a way of bringing the essential self into accord with the flow of a boundless, interrelated universe, helping us feel connected rather than isolated and estranged. To learn more, look inside The Shamanic Drum: A Guide to Sacred Drumming.

"Sacred Art - A Hollow Bone for Spirit"

Sacred Art - A Hollow Bone for Spirit: Where Art Meets Shamanism by Imelda Almqvist is a truly inspiring book that takes readers on a journey through art history from stone age rock art to modern day fine art. It is a journey that shows how art, religion, science, alchemy and cosmology were all once interwoven and how they became disconnected in our need to analyze and break things down into constituent parts. As the title suggests, this is a book about sacred art, however, it doesn't have any images in it. Instead, the book invites its readers to use their imagination to visualize what sacred art is. Imagination is our portal to the spirit world. Internal imagery enables us to perceive and connect with the inner realms. Making sacred art means stepping outside the realm of the ego to become a hollow bone for spirit so that the artist becomes a channel for higher consciousness.
 

The shaman has sometimes been described as being a hollow bone, one who can enter an altered state of consciousness without their personal ego. This non-ego hollowness makes a way for spirit to use them as a healing instrument. In this way, the shaman is a channel for higher consciousness. Like the shaman, by "hollowing out" or emptying ourselves of limiting beliefs, we remove all obstructions to the flow of source energy. The magic of the hollow bone lies in allowing the divine source to work through us, rather than resisting it with our learned limitations. When we can move our ego and rational mind out of the way to channel the divine power of the universe through us, our creative potential is unlimited.
 

While shamanism is the focus of the book, you don't need to be on that path to benefit from reading it. As you weave your way through the book and suggested activities, you will begin to look at art and the world around you in a whole new way. As someone who trained as a fine artist and has worked with art in various capacities for many years, the author knows a great deal about art. She's also been practicing shamanism for a long time, and is well qualified to speak about the role of art in a shamanic context. I urge you to fully immerse yourself in this book, to become a hollow bone unleashing your inner artist to create your own masterpiece.