Healing Gaia: Drumming
Topic: The act of continuous striking of a surface with your hand or another object to create a rhythmic sound.
Intention: To use the sound waves and vibrations from drumming to influence the outcome of a Gaianic healing session.
Framework: The choice of drums, cadence, rhythm, beats and tempo to create the best healing outcomes.
Focus: Listen to the sounds a drum creates, directing the sound waves with healing intention.
Healing Tools: Ashiko, bass, bodran, bongos, bougarabou, cajon, congas, daf, djembe, doumbek, frame, ghaval, goblet, hand, hollow logs, hoop, knog yao, marching snare, multi-tenor, pandiero, powwow, rattles, shakers, sticks, table drum, taiko, talking, tambourines, tar, tom-toms, tonbak, trap set, udu, water drum.
Suggested Reading: Hand Drums for Beginners: An Easy Beginning Method by John Marshall, A Practical Guide to Hand Drumming and Drum Circles by Shannon Ratigan.
Websites: https://drumcircles.net/ and https://drumcircles.net/circlelist.html
Movies/Videos: https://www.youtube.come/watch?v=0AJLTMBpaSl and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyQVGGrT5Ws
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oPN64M0aS8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jzWK00X51a
Think About
Drumming has been part of our lives since the dawn of our existence. Primates have been observed drumming, banging or clapping objects together to get attention, and others have pounded on their chests to establish dominance. The earliest known drums date back to 6000 BC. They have been used throughout the world in religious ceremonies, rituals and for communication. Every culture has a long record of incorporating drumming into some aspect of their lives. The earliest drums included clay pots turned upside down, animal skins stretched over carved hollowed logs and wooden frames, lengths of bamboo tapped against each other or with sticks, and virtually any two objects which when struck against each other produced a pleasant vibrant sound.
Everything that makes a repetitive sound has a rhythm, from the pounding surf, a tire from a moving bicycle, to the beat of raindrops. Everything that has life has a rhythm built into its energetic life force. Our pulse, our hearts, our breathing, when we walk, dance or run. Some of these include a cadence, tempo and certain number of beats that can be measured; and other appear to be free-form and out of sync. But the rhythm is there. When we deliberately notice and move to the rhythm, our energy responds, adjusts and supports our intention in a therapeutic manner. This is how we can use it in a Gaianic healing session. It is all about our intention, our focus and the framework we use it with.
Try This
Tap on a drum, a table top, counter, cardboard box or 5 gallon plastic pail and get a rhythm, tempo or a comfortable beat established. Continue for a few minutes and then think of a healing idea, thought, intention or goal and send it to Gaia. Sometimes this is the easiest to do in the form of a mantra that matches your tempo. Start with an easy phrase and idea and build from there.
Activities
Take a walk around your room, house, garage or property. Notice how many things can be turned into some kind of a drum or percussion instrument if you tap on them. Pay attention to the different sounds they make with a pencil, a stick, your fingers or full hand. A table, a bucket turned upside down, a cabinet, the wall and even a counter top. Drums are everywhere. You are suddenly a drummer! Play to your favorite songs and take this to the next level by playing your new drums.
Buy and inexpensive hand drum. Find a drum circle or gather a few friends who have drums and start drumming. Watch the videos posted on this topic for guidance.
Meditate with some kind of percussion instrument. It can be a drum, a rattle or a cardboard box; anything that allows you to make a repetitive, rhythmic sound. Incorporate this into your meditation and when comfortable, bring it into a Gaianic healing session.
Drum healing energy goes into the universe. Start with intentional healing thoughts, grab a drum and add rhythms, a beat, a tempo of any type. Imagine the thoughts as form and sound waves and vibrations from the drum as the propulsion engine to send them out. This feels awesome. Doing this as a group with a crystal grid is powerful.
Drum circle energy can be felt and shared. After a 15-30 minute session of heavy drumming in a group, stand close to each other in a tight circle and place your left hand out palm facing downward. Offer your right-hand palm facing up and allow them to hover a few inches above or below the person’s hand next to you. Move the hands as close a possible to the people on either side of you without actually touching their hands. Pause to let the energy flow through the circle. Feel the energy flowing? Next, bring your hands over your heart chakra and pull the group energy into your body. This feels incredible!