Certificate in Sound Therapy (C.ST) - Colour of Sound IN SOUND THERAPY- MODULE 9 ... personal...

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Certificate in Sound Therapy (C.ST)

Module 9

Shamanic Drumming

CONTENTS Page Learning outcomes for Module 9 3 Background to Native American and shamanic drums 4 How the drum is made 7 Connecting, understanding and choosing a drum 9 Cleansing and clearing your drum 10 The sounds of your drum 11 Additional techniques for playing the drum 14 Native American prayers and chants 15 Totem animal symbols of the drum 16 Additional resources for Module 9 17 Colour of Sound Institute contact details 18

CERTIFICATE IN SOUND THERAPY- MODULE 9

© Colour of Sound Institute, 2011

LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR MODULE 9:

To learn about and understand about the history/philosophy of Native American/Shamanic drums and how to incorporate them in into scared sound therapy

To experience and work with shamanic drums in meditation, individually, in groups and with partners.

To learn how to work with friends, family and on yourself for healing and personal development using mantra and vocal toning

To gain firm and secure foundations with which to develop individual skills, experience, understanding and knowledge in order to be a professional, proficient and positive sound therapy practitioner, if that is your desired outcome



BACKGROUND TO NATIVE AMERICAN AND SHAMANIC DRUMS Drums have been used throughout the world by most indigenous cultures as far back as when humans first had the ability to harness and work with earth’s resources. The creation of drums by ancient cultures was thought to be for many and varied purposes including healing, cleansing and clearing spaces, removal of evil and negative entities, connection to the spiritual realms through trance and to invoke other worldly spirits. The shamanic drum has always existed in ancient and some modern day cultures as a sacred tool that is worked with by the tribal shaman or medicine man or woman. The word ‘shaman’ is thought to mean ‘he who knows’, which indicates that this person held a special role in each tribe. It is thought that the shaman, who could be either man or woman (depending on the tribe and area of the world), had special gifts and abilities in which to harness other worldly energies. The shaman was often selected early in life either through gifts, which were seen as being passed down from one generation of shaman to the next, or through an illness, manifesting change in the individual which opened up new gifts of sight, healing and spiritual communication. The shaman of the tribe was held as being the spiritual leader and healer and one of the most important tribal members. The shaman had the ability to heal sick people, places and spaces, including the understanding of reasons behind the sickness. The shaman would be responsible for consecrating new spaces and places as well as providing guidance on the tribe’s success in hunting, wars and treaties. The shaman’s ability to connect with and communicate with other worlds, spirits, totems and planes of existence for guidance, wisdom and knowledge was seen as playing an important role in the successful continuation of the whole tribe. The shaman would also have been a significant guardian of the many rites of passage that each of the tribe members would have entered into throughout their life, and the changing of the seasons and associated celebrations throughout the year. The shaman and his or her drum were intimately linked and both the shaman and the tribe saw the drum as symbolic representations of universal life force energy. The drum, which contained the life force spirit, therefore was seen as having the ability to sustain tribal life including adequate amounts of food, clothing and shelter as well as successful marriage, birth, healing, death and battles. When the shaman played the drum, the life force contained within would be released through the vibrations and sounds emitted. The sound of the drum with its rhythmic beat could facilitate the shaman’s connection to the sustaining life force energy in order to maintain the equilibrium of the tribe. The shaman and the tribe believed that when the drum was being played it opened up a portal from the physical world to the spiritual worlds and facilitated the shaman to journey into the astral planes and connect with various life force energies, spirits and totem animals in order to manifest that which had been intended. The rhythmic and repetitive playing of the drum by the shaman induced a trance-like state and this combined with repetitive singing/chanting and often the consumption of hallucinogenic substances maintained this state of consciousness. The rhythm of the drum had an important and significant impact on the rate of the beating heart as well as the state of the brain wave



patterns; the drum being linked with those states of consciousness in the brain which are linked in with deep creativity, spiritually connectedness and healing possibilities. The beating of the drum at a rhythmic and constant rate links with innate memories of the mother’s womb. This creates feelings and memories of peace, comfort and safety and of being in the physical yet predominately connected to the spiritual realms. This feeling creates a sense of timelessness where no thoughts, fears or anxieties exist about physical survival and thus a feeling of total support is felt. These connections can also be felt and are representative of not only our time in the physical mother’s womb but also the floating in the liquid of the primordial womb and universal sea of consciousness. The Native American and shamanic drum is both a literal and symbolic vehicle to connect with the spiritual dimensions. The techniques used by the shaman to connect with these non physical realities is the journeying on the waves of sound through the rhythmic beats and sounds created as the feminine drum and masculine beater come together as one. The drum consists of one or two skins stretched over a wooden frame or hoop. The images of earth, existence and divinity painted on the skin of the drum suggest that the significance of the skin used, and totems painted on the drum, should not be overlooked. The drum is the shaman’s vehicle that transports him or her to the other worlds. The beater is the implement that connects the shaman to the drum and is an arm-like extension of the physical. The drum, which is made from elements found on Mother Earth such as the wood, skins and dyes used for the symbolic painting, is a representation or embodiment of Gia the great Mother Goddess of the Earth. The very creation, making and playing of the drum connects one with the Earth Mother and connects one with the rhythms of the earth, and through the primal rhythmic playing of the drum allows the transcendence from the physical to the spiritual from the honouring of the Earth Mother through the sacred hunt of the animal used in the creation of the drum, through to the shaman’s initiation ritual, symbolic of death and rebirth and the sacred act of making the drum, including specific symbols, skins, wood and animal totems in the creation of the drum. It is thought that the Hopi tribe believed that the very act of drumming directs life force energy from the drum down into the body of the Earth Mother and therefore causing her to come alive. The life energy is thought to be strongest at those places where sacred drumming has taken place in the past. The Native Americans see the earth itself as a drum and nature is seen as the sounds emanating from the Earth Mother drum, manifesting in weather such as storms, thunder and tornadoes or Earth movements such as earthquakes. It was thought that the sounds of Mother Earth indicated her actions and reactions to the tribe and therefore these sounds were read and understood by the shaman who would offer prayers and offerings to appease and please her. This reflection of the drum as being symbolic of the earth shows us and offers us the possibility to move from our dominant physical nature and activities of eating, sleeping, procreating and acquisition of shelter and clothing, to the spiritual realms which move us from a self-involved nature to that which is beyond the physical and which exists and is connected to everything within our divine nature.



The drum has been used for many and varied purposes including rites of passage, ceremonies, rituals, healings, cleansing and clearing spaces, invocations and consecrations. The drum, when played and incorporated into any tribal community, binds those people gathered together through the sounds and vibrations which create and manifest a state of oneness and union as each participant’s heart and brain rates become synchronised and beat and vibrate together as one in order to create a common oneness and goal. The drum was the heart of the community as it brought the community together in union and allowed feelings to be expressed through the songs and the chants, which often accompanied the drum. The drum would have been played before and after a hunt in order to aid its success and give thanks to the animals that were seen as laying down their life for the tribe’s survival. The drum would have been heard before, during and after rites of passage including births, marriages, deaths and the reaching of man/womanhood. The drum would also have played a big part in the celebrations and offerings during the turning of the wheel and the changing of the seasons. The drum is a deeply communicative therapeutic sound tool that speaks to the very heart and soul of the individual or group and this is why the drum has often been used in both ancient and recent history in wars, celebrations, communicating messages and rites of passage. The drum communicates a message that is beyond physical words; it speaks and connects to the primal and primordial natures of the physical and spiritual self. It connects one heart to the other heart and binding and weaving a rhythmic web around all who hear, play or connect with it. THE MOTHER DRUM

The drum is intrinsically linked and connected to the Earth Mother; it is deeply symbolic of the feminine energies manifest in nature and all around us on both a physical and spiritual level. The drum links with our own mother’s heartbeat that is the very first sound that we hear upon physical incarnation and it is the rhythmic beat that soothed and cared for us on a vibrational level during the nine months that we spent in our mother’s womb. The womb itself containing a mainly liquid content allowed the vibrations of our own mother’s heartbeat to travel to us effectively. There is much micro and macrocosmic symbolism hidden in the mother’s womb and the drum. The shape of the pregnant women is symbolic and can be seen both in the drum, which is pregnant with the life giving energies, and vibrations, which vibrate out from the drum as it is played with the masculine wand or beater. The womb and drum represent the Earth Mother, or Gia, who is constantly pregnant with life giving energies birthed on this planet. This drum, womb and Gia symbols represent the primordial womb of the universe that gave birth to all existence. Therefore the playing of the drum represents manifests and harnesses these divine feminine energies on both a micro and macrocosmic level.



HOW THE DRUM IS MADE

The Native American and shamanic drum which is used for healing, ceremony, ritual or rites of passage is usually hand held either with a handle at the top of the drum, usually this is found in two sided drums, or one sided drums, which are held at the back of the drum with the laces that have gathered the drum front. Larger community drums are also available and are double side drums which are laid on one end and played by at least a group of four (to represent the four directions). This type of drum is played at traditional Pow-wows and community-based gatherings. The drum is usually made of a wooden frame traditionally called a hoop, which has either been hollowed from a section of a tree, or a length of wood which is bent into a round or sometimes symmetrical shape through manipulation possible by heating the wood with steam to allow it to become movable and ultimately bendable. The surface of the drum is traditionally made from animal hide which is stretched over the hoop. When the hide is ready to be weaved onto the frame it is usually wet so it is easily pliable. When the drum becomes dry it tightens and traditionally holding the drum over a fire helps with this. If the drum becomes damp or cold it will loosen again and must be heated up before playing in order to create the wonderful deep and hollow sounds created by the Native American and Shamanic drum. When making one-sided drums the hide is secured around the drum by placing it on the drum frame. Strips of hide weaved at opposite sides of the drum are pulled together at the back of the drum and secured together in the centre to create an equal armed cross/medicine wheel mandala at the back of the drum which is used to hold the drum when playing. If the drum is double sided, two hides are placed one on either side of the frame with a long strip of hide used to weave between the two sides until both sides are made secure on the frame. A handle is created at the top of the drum by wrapping around the hide in an oval shape in order to make a secure handle for the drum. The playing of the drum is facilitated with the beater or wand which is traditionally made from a long wooden stick with a square of suede placed at the top of the stick, usually with some padding under the suede so a soft end is created, and then a strip of suede is tied around the stick to secure the padded square in place. Sometimes the beater is completely covered with suede with tassels hanging from the bottom and often feathers are attached to the drum or handle to invoke and represent specific totem animals, which the drum either represents or connects with through the shamanic journey. Different tribes used different animal hide in the creation of the drum, with different tribes having associations with different animals including hidden meaning and symbolism attached to the different animals. The Native Americans worked in harmony with animals and nature, and in the hunting of the animal for the purpose of creating a sacred drum then a special and sacred ritual and ceremony would have preceded the hunt with special prayers and offerings to the energies of the animal. The hunters would have probably dressed in the skins of the animal they were hunting and would have energetically taken the form of the animal, with the hunters



deeply connected to the animal’s archetypal energies with respect and honour. The hunters and the tribes understanding and connectedness to nature are almost beyond our modern day Western minds can ever hope to know and understand. The Native Americans believed completely that the animal laid down its life for the hunters with the knowledge that it would facilitate the creation of a sacred drum. The animal once dead would have been honoured and held in the highest esteem, often the animal would not be moved for a period of time, whilst making prayers and thanks given to the animal’s spirit. The animal once moved and prepared for the drum would have continued to be held as sacred and the act from the beginning of the hunt to the final creation of the drum would have been done at sacred times of the day, month or year and in accordance with the shaman’s guidance and wisdom. The understanding of the animal source of the drum and any animals painted upon the drum can be extremely helpful in the understanding as to what type of drum you have or what type of drum which might be appropriate to the situation, place or person you work with. The section on animal totems can offer some understanding but further research may be needed to fully understand and connect in with the specific energy of your own drum. It can be extremely beneficial to do research not only of a physical nature in terms of reading books and looking at the Internet but also that of an energetic and spiritual nature. What this means is going into nature and connecting with the archetypal nature of the land and the animal and if possible in a location where the animal is present. The contemplation and meditation upon the intention behind the archetypal nature and symbol of the animal can be extremely beneficial in the understanding of the drum in terms of its highest use, intention and how it can best serve you and your clients. The contemplation and mediation upon the drum can be more specific to your own unique drum and the reason you are its guardian. This can be far more beneficial and enlightening than reading the words of others written in a book, however spiritual the source. The words maybe connected with after the contemplation or meditation which often confirms that which has already been connected with and understood. This understanding through research, contemplation and meditation should also be done in relation to the wood used in the creation of the drum and beater as well as any additional fur, feather or beads added to the drum. The wood, feather, fur and colour of the beads used in the creation of the drum also play an important role in understanding the energy and history of the drum. Different shapes, types, colours, animals, feathers, wood and animals are associated with different Native American tribes. The understanding of the drum’s history and heritage offers some understanding as to each drum’s unique signature. There is much information that stems from ancient tribes and cultures and their ancient wisdom of drums can be accessed on all levels physically, energetically and spiritually. The deeper the understanding of the drum then the more this adds to your realisation as to why your are its guardian at this point in time and how it can best serve you and humanity for the highest good. The understanding and connection to each aspect of the drum including its source, history, sounds, vibrations, colours and symbols show respect and honour to the spirit of the drum and its maker.



CONNECTING, UNDERSTANDING AND CHOOSING A DRUM

Choosing a drum is very important and one should not rush into buying a drum on a whim but should spend time to hear, see and feel the energies and vibrations of the drum before choosing. The contemplation of the source or tribe the drum is linked to may help in the decision of the drums. Each different Native American tribe worked and lived in many different ways and had very different attitudes, totems, ceremonies and practices. Therefore the finding out of specifics about the drums is extremely important and this is usually a very personal journey with personal understanding and connections to this information, guidance and wisdom. One of the most important factors in choosing a drum is the hearing of the sounds and the feeling of the vibrations of the drum. Doing this in person is the best option where you personally spend time playing and connecting to the drum in order to decide if the drum is the right one for you. If this is not possible then hearing the drum over the telephone would be the next best option and if either of these are not possible then connecting with one’s intuition in the choosing of the drum and supplier without hearing or seeing the drum is the last resort. This option means taking some quiet time and with the understanding of the different drums available, the colours, animal, totems painted and feathers used, etc. It can be beneficial to close the eyes and take some deep breaths allowing all thoughts and feelings to pass by like waves on the ocean. Take as much time as is necessary to find the right drum for you. When you have received your drum for the first time it is important, once cleansed and cleared, to connect in with the spirit of the drum; the use of the connection exercise in the practitioner manual is excellent for this purpose. You may also wish to use a traditional Native American prayer, song or chant to invoke specific energies into your drum.



CLEANSING AND CLEARING YOUR DRUM

It is extremely important as with all the sound therapy tools that you cleanse and clear your drum when you first receive it, after each client and when you feel it is required. There are many traditional Native American herbs that have been used for many thousands of years by tribes, shamans and medicine men and women for the purpose of cleansing and clearing energies. When using traditional Native American herbs for cleansing and clearing Native American drums you are not only honouring yourself but most importantly you are honouring the spirit of the drum and the traditions of the Native American people. The traditional used of herbs by the Native American people for cleansing and clearing energies is called smudging. Sage, cedar, juniper, sweet grass and lavender are most often used. There are books available that offer a wealth of information about each of the herbs if it is so desired to have further understanding.

These traditional herbs can be used and purchased either loose or in bundles; usually called ‘smudge sticks’. When working with a smudge stick the end is lit and once ignited the flame is blown out, leaving one end of the smudge stick to smoulder and smoke to be released. The smoke should continue to flow until the smudge stick is extinguished (if the stick stops smoking it may need to be relit). The smudge stick is hand held and can be used to move the smoke around the whole drum in order to cleanse and clear the drum of old, stagnant and unhelpful energies. The stick should then be put out using a heatproof container and

then stored safely. The smudge stick will last for quite a long time when used correctly and put out at the end of use. It is traditional to open all windows in the room when smudging to let the old energies out of the rooms as well as the smoke. Loose herbs can also be used and are usually bought in small bags from spiritual or herbal suppliers (try to use good quality herbs ideally made by Native Americans). These herbs should be either placed in a traditional abalone shell, stone smudge pot or heatproof container. A small mound of the loose herbs is placed in the container and lit using a match and again once ignited the flame blown out and the smoke created is used to cleanse and clear the drum. The heatproof container can get warm so should be placed in a safe and heatproof place that will not cause damage. The drum is then taken to the container and the drum moved around in the smoke. The loose herbs will not burn for a very long time and if you have finished before they have finished burning you must not leave them unattended and or put them out with some water. All the suggestions as laid out in the section in Module 1 on cleansing and clearing therapeutic sound tools should be adhered to.



THE SOUNDS OF THE DRUM

The sound of the drum manifests a variety of energies depending upon how it is played and what intention is brought to the experience. The sound of the drum can also be linked to that which the drum has been created from as well as the symbols, which have been painted upon it. The drum is an extremely versatile therapeutic sound tool that can be incorporated into many parts of the sound therapy. Playing or listening to the drum allows one to connect in with the feminine principle. This feminine energy as experienced through the drums sounds is dualistic in nature. These opposing forces of the feminine can therefore be accessed in order to connect into and harness these energies depending upon the client, group, situation, place, space or the self. It is with the gentle playing of the drum in soothing rhythmic beats that connects in with the primordial heartbeat of the feminine that brings soothing, calming, forgiving, accepting and compassionate healing energies to be accessed. Time spent connecting to the earth and breathing and moving in harmony with the earth allows a deeper connection to this energy and allows a greater connection to be accessed through respect and honouring of her energies. This type of feminine energy is excellent to work with for those clients who find it difficult to relax, to take time for themselves, who are stressed, agitated and those who either have a difficult relationship with their own mother or feel that their mother did or does not provide them with nurturing archetypal mother energies. These sounds are also excellent for those clients have no physical mother figure to relate to. This type of drum playing helps to balance the one energy of the mother or feminine energy that may be lacking, weak or absent. The opposing feminine energy is that of a wild, independent, confident, leader who is honest with herself and others, who takes no prisoners and tells it like it is but not in an aggressive harsh way but in a completely balanced and honest manner that is not common these days. This feminine principle is like the Kali of the Hindu tradition or the Black Madonna or Diana of the ancient worlds. The divine feminine leadership quality can be accessed through the drum by invoking the energies of the primal feminine that is instinctive and protective through the quickening of the rhythmic beats through the connection to the wild feminine energies that exist within all. The movement and sounds are instinctive and unplanned they are lively and energetic they are primal and raw. This energy created from the drum is excellent for those clients either male or female who lack these qualities and would greatly benefit from having them balanced within their physical and energy bodies. The drum can be deeply soothing and enchanting through rhythmic trance induction. The slow repetitive and rhythmic beats of the drum are excellent for taking clients into a deep state of relaxation and healing. This is a space they may not have entered into for a very long time and so can allow the client to connect with deep-seated thoughts, feelings, emotions and events and bring them to the surface in a way that is balanced and impartial, like viewing these on a screen of life in order to let them go and no longer be concerned with them through non attachment. This slow rhythmic playing of the drum can also access deep states of healing and calm that the body has not felt for many years and maybe not for many lifetimes and can therefore induce states of bliss and the release of tears through the letting go of deep-seated emotions. These energies particularly in relation to the drum often relate to very physical situations in terms of illness, injury and deaths in the deep past that have been held onto by the energy body and manifest as Samkaric emotional/mental tendencies. The drum is a physical earthly vehicle that can access and release very physical reactions and dis-ease from the physical body. The drum is also an excellent tool for grounding the energies in the physical world and re-energising all aspects of the being. The drum’s sounds when played with ever increasing levels of speed and energy allows all parts of the being to be anchored and connected to the physical



reality as well as speed up the heartbeat which brings more energy to the energy chakras, body, mind and spirit. The working with the drum with this intention therefore can be incorporated into the grounding aspect of the treatment, with the use of increasing levels of sound and energy to invoke the grounding at the end of the treatment. The sounds can also be used for clients who have a lack of energy, vitality and get up and go and is excellent for clients who suffer from M.E and SAD as it brings a great deal of energy and vitality back into all aspects of the being. The movement whilst playing the drum is extremely important in this technique; as the drum is being played the player moves around the client in order to build the energies, vibrations and sounds around the person to ground, energise and revitalise the client, group, place, space or situation. When the person plays the drum with quick, ever increasing rhythm and sound this invokes these energies allowing the person’s energies to become awakened and connected deeply to the red earthly energies of the physical world. For clients who wish to become more spiritually awakened and aware, then this type of playing is also excellent. The drum can also be played in order to bind and connect the energies of a person if they have become disconnected. This is done through the sound, vibration and intention of the drum the weaving and binding of the disconnected energies together with the drum’s energies allow those things which have become unstuck, out of balance or disconnected to be realigned and harmony once again to be made manifest. This can also be used and is excellent for group situations where either a group needs binding together as one (i.e. new group coming together, community, workforce, family, etc) or where an argument, misunderstanding or mistrust is present. The drum when played creates harmonic sounds and vibrations that with the right intentions can help to bind and connect the group. Alternatively each person within the group could play a drum and as each person plays eventually a common rhythm will be found and connected with and each person will be playing in balance and harmony with each other person in the group. It is the constant rhythmic sounds that weave a vibrational web which links all those present to a common energy, objective and goal. The drum can also be extremely transformational, as the rhythms and sounds move with ever increasing energy, which can effectively shift and move the energies of the client, space or place through its dynamic energy signatures. The drum therefore is excellent for cleansing and clearing spaces, places, people and objects. The connection to the drum is extremely important as is invocations to those energies, which can assist in the process. The person, space or place can be cleansed and cleared with the drum through the rhythmic cutting sounds which emanate from the drum, which remove and transform negative, stagnant and unhelpful energies. In order to do this successfully the person performing the clearing must be healthy, confident, unafraid, centred and grounded. The clearing should be approached in a respectful manner whilst also maintaining a sense of control and firmness. The drum should be connected with, and any offerings and prayers given to the energy of the drum and the spiritual beings you wish to invoke through the clearing. When clearing a place or space then it is beneficial to begin at the threshold and work from downstairs and then up, ensuring that attention is paid to corners. The focussing and paying attention to the drum and its movement, sounds and hidden vibrations in order to take the drum and its sounds to where it is needed. This method is also relevant when working with clients, whether individually or in groups; where connecting with the client and the sounds in order to move with the sounds and allow the drum to go to where it is needed in order to remove, cleanse and transform the energy for the greater good. The drum can also be used to balance the chakras and this can be done with a client who is either laid down (front or back), sat with their spine straight in a chair or when standing. Working from the base chakra upwards, play the drum over each of the chakras, moving the drum backwards and forwards using your intuition and using the sound, rhythm and vibrations



that you intuitively feel will be right for each client. Work through each of the chakras in turn until you get to the crown chakra where you should ensure you do not get too close to the head or play too loudly near the ears. If you can reach, it can be beneficial to play the drum over the top of the head, but ensure you go gently and softly as this can be a very sensitive energy centre so check with the client and if in doubt or unsure then avoid this area. Once you have gone through each of the seven major chakras you may wish to go back to any areas where you intuitively feel further attention is needed, you may also, depending on the client, wish to play on both the front and back of body in the areas of each of the chakras. Each of the different methods can be incorporated separately into a treatment, meditation, performance or personal experience. A combination of two or more of these methods can also be worked with during the beginning, middle or end of the session. It is important as always to connect in with what is in the best interest for the client, situation and space.



ADDITIONAL TECHNIQUES FOR PLAYING THE DRUM

When working with the Native American drum it is important to connect to the drum and to start playing with the rhythm of one’s own heart. It is not necessary to use complicated rhythms or tunes although you can if it is so desired, but the simple beat of the drum whilst staying connected to one’s own heartbeat is all that is required to begin to play the Native American drum. The drum that connects to the heartbeat of our Mother Earth can be easily accessed at a deep symbolic level through the playing in harmony with your own heartbeat. The connecting to the client when working with the drum as part of the treatment is also important to the successful and beneficial drumbeat and rhythm. Playing the drum, moving with the drum, taking and playing the drum to specific parts of the client’s body, chakras or aura can be achieved in the most beneficial way by staying connected and in harmony with the client. Playing with the beat of your own heart and binding and linking your own beat to the beat of the client’s heart weaves a harmonic web that will allow the client to have the best, most positive experience. Playing the drum for a group of people whether in a meditation or performance can be extremely beautiful. It is helpful to once again connect and play with the rhythm of your own heartbeat, taking some time to connect and play in harmony, one with the other, the drum and your own heart beating as one. The weaving of the sound web around the group can be achieved with the drum and thus allow all those present to come together as one. The binding energy manifested by the drum allows all those weaved in the therapeutic sound web to be fully supported and connect to each other on a creative, universal level. First and foremost enjoy your journey with the drum play using your intuition and connect with the sound, vibration and rhythm that is beyond the physical. This can be connected with by taking the time to relax and let go of any stress or tension in the body or energy centres and slowly start to play the drum as you feel the sounds, vibrations and rhythms that the drum wishes to bring forth. Honour your drum and keep it safe and free from harm; avoid letting others use the drum as much as possible; buy or make a special case to carry or transport your drum and keep it clean, cleansed and cleared of physical and energetic debris. If you follow these guidelines you will invoke and connect to those sacred and ancient energies worked with by the shaman and medicine men and women from ancient times and sacred days. Ensure that you are completely connected and familiar with your drum before you work with another person and that you fully understand the connections and symbols within your own unique drum, what your drum’s capability is and most of all how it can help you, your clients and your surroundings for the greater good.



NATIVE AMERICAN PRAYERS AND CHANTS

Oh Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds Whose breath gives life to the world, hear me.

I am small and weak and I need your strength and wisdom May I walk in beauty.

Make my eyes behold the red and purple sunset May my hands respect the things you have made

And my ears sharp to hear your voice.

Make me wise so that I may know The things you have taught your children

The lessons you have written in every leaf and rock.

Make me strong, not to be superior to my brothers, But to fight my greatest enemy, myself.

Make me ready to come to you with straight eyes, So that when life fades as the fading sunset, My spirit may come to you without shame.

Chief Yellow Lark, Lakota 1887

Peace comes within the souls of men when they realise their relationship, Their oneness, with the universe and all its powers,

And when they realise that at the centre of the Universe dwells Wakan-tanka, And that this centre is everywhere, it is within each of us.

Black Elk, Oglala Lakota tribe

Listen to her … To our Earth, our Mother,

To what she is saying. People, listen all.

Mohawk prayer

Look, I see the Sun … He is my father

He is my beginning

Look, I see the Moon… She is my Grandmother

My guardian keeper

Look, I see the stars They are my friends, my relatives

Look, I see the universe I see myself.

High Eagle, Osage/Cherokee tribes



TOTEM ANIMAL SYMBOLS OF THE DRUM Horse: Power, travel, freedom, movement, rising above.

Coyote: Trickster, wisdom, adaptive, magic, keeper of knowledge.

Cat: Independence, magic, myth, curiosity, nine-lives, cleverness.

Dog: Loyalty, faithfulness, protection, companionship, hard working, diligence.

Bear: Introspection, awakening, healing, protection, nurturing, standing on own feet.

Turtle: Mother Earth, longevity, ancient wisdom, blessings, sturdy, protectiveness.

Raven: Magic, shape shifting, creativity, mysticism, messenger, flight, shadow self.

Wolf: Teacher, community, guardian, ritual, logic, spirit, social, nurturing.

Buffalo: Prayer, abundance, Great Spirit, hope, connectedness, mystery, prayer.

Owl: Spirit, seeker, mystery, knowledge, wisdom, silence, vision, good omen.

Eagle: Spirit, illumination, creativity, heavenly, balance, healing.

Hawk: Messenger, visionary, power, guardianship, protection.

Deer: Gentleness, innocence, purity, higher realms, imagination.

The list of animals and birds can be used in many and varied ways including:

Painting them onto your own drum or rattle.

Connecting with when choosing a drum already painted.

Invoking in a healing session, meditation and performance.

Recognising messages hidden in omens seen in our daily lives, dreams and meditations.

To connect and work with during astral travel (which should be done by those who have

been professionally trained by a knowledgeable teacher).

On the clothes or clothing that we wear for treatments, meditations and performances.

To understand past life, present karma and samkaric tendencies.



ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR MODULE 9

BOOKS AND CDs

AUTHOR

Sacred Drumming The Shamanic Drum: A Guide to Sacred Drumming

Steven Ash Michael Drake

Animal Speak

Ted Andrews

The Healing Power of the Drum A psychotherapist explores the healing power of rhythm

Robert Friedman

How to make Drums, Tomtoms & Rattles Bernard Mason Primitive percussion instruments for modern use Music and the Earth Spirit Shamanic Drumming CD Repetitive, primitive style drum sessions performed on a solitary hand drum. The CD contains 15 minute, 20 minute and 30 minute tracks, each with their own call back To purchase, go to: http://www.sacredfirecommunity.org/sfc/marketplace/shamanic-drumming

Bob Dickinson Jaki Daniels

http://www.sacredfirecommunity.org/sfc/marketplace/shamanic-drumming



COLOUR OF SOUND INSTITUTE: CONTACT DETAILS

Course Director: Tony Nec Contact address: Colour of Sound Institute 12 Polscoe Lostwithiel Cornwall PL22 0HS United Kingdom Contact telephone number: +44 (0) 1208 873 974 E-mail address: [email protected] Website address: www.colourofsound.org

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.colourofsound.org/

Certificate in Sound Therapy (C.ST) - Colour of Sound IN SOUND THERAPY- MODULE 9 ... personal...

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Transcript of Certificate in Sound Therapy (C.ST) - Colour of Sound IN SOUND THERAPY- MODULE 9 ... personal...