Native American Medicine Drum 

The Medicine Drum reminds us of the first sound we ever heard, our heartbeat and then our Mothers.

One of the first primal instruments created (you can just imagine a caveman with a leg bone and skin, stretched over a hollow log, beating away) it grounds our connection with Mother Earth. 

 

The rhythms of the drum can induce altered states of consciousness from this trance state one can receive insights and healing energy and commune with the spirit world in ways not available to our everyday mind. This is why it is used for healings, ceremonies and shamanic journeys, today and throughout history. Shamans would refer to the drum as a 'canoe' or 'horse' that transported them to the spirit world to receive this guidance, while the rhythm of the drum also anchored them in the physical world to come back. The drummer seen as the gatekeeper between the two worlds - the beater represents the masculine, Father Sky, and the circle of the drum represents the feminine, Mother Earth. The skin of the animal considered an honoured gift. The Native Americans and I believe that the spirit of the animal and the tree that make the drum, live within it and is part of it's medicine. 

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There are many different options of skins available these days and sizes too. Some Northeastern tribes had water in their pow-wow drums which makes a really unique sound! 

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The drum speaks to us about our own rhythms and how we navigate through life. Are you always rushing, at a fast pace? Do you slow down to a steady beat? Do you honour your natural cycles and rhythms of waking and sleeping? 

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The drum is such a powerful healing instrument with many facets to explore from science to shamanism which we'll delve deeper into in an upcoming Sound Healing Workshop.