Shaman S Drum

Many people in today's world are being called by spirit to become shamans. A yearning exists deep within many of us to reconnect to the natural world. It is a call to a life lived in balance with awareness of nature, of spirit, and of self. In his third drum guide, Shamanic Drumming: Calling the Spirits, Michael Drake recounts his journey into shamanic practice and explores what someone should do if they feel the call to become a shaman. Following up on his definitive handbook on shamanic drumming, The Shamanic Drum, the author provides a new series of exercises and lessons that allow for a deeper understanding and utilization of this core shamanic practice. He has written a guide to becoming a shamanic healer that encompasses the power of the drum, of community, and of the accountability inherent in authentic shamanic practice.

In the popular imagination, shamans and drums go together like bread and butter.No-one knows the historical origin of drums, but they have certainly been made and played by people for thousands of years. Part of the way animal skins are prepared for eventual use as clothing or other things, is to stretch them on a frame so they dry flat, and if you tap such a skin drying on its frame, it sounds like a drum. I suspect these drying skins were probably the first drums ever made, and eventually the stretching frame became the drum frame.It is now fairly-well known that the word shaman comes from Siberia, and it is in this vast geographical area that shamanism proper is still to be found.Nowadays the word 'shamanism' has become a rather general word, applied to all sorts of practices - many of which are unrelated to the word's original meaning. Alongside this, many of the spiritual practices of the world's 'first-nations' have also become labeled as 'shamanic, ' although some anthropologists do not consider real shamanism to be found anywhere outside of Siberia. But if we allow a much wider definition of shamanism, and say that many forms of shamanic spirituality occur across the planet, we would still have to admit that many of them do not use drums at all in their shamanism, and those that do, don't use them like the shamans of Central Asia and Siberia, as these people have an unique understanding of the sacred role of the spirit of the drum.Indeed, the drum is so important to Siberian shamanism, that beginning in 1929 the Soviet clamp-down on shamanism - and the turning of shamans from figures of social importance to 'enemies of the people, ' was achieved largely by the destruction or confiscation of their drums. The same thing was done to the Sami shamans of Finland by the Christian Lutheran Church in the previous century. The Church had a habit of burning the drums, although a few - together with some of the Siberian drums taken by the Communists - were kept and put into museums.All the drums used in Siberian shamanism are the type known as 'frame drums.' A frame drum is made by stretching an animal skin over a frame of wood. This frame is generally made from a long thin strip of wood, bent into a rough circle - the two ends of the plank being joined together in some way to keep the hoop closed and firmly fixed.However, wood does not have to be the only material for drum frames. A traditional shaman's drum from Manchuria in Northern China has a thin metal frame with metal jingles attached to it. But whether of metal, or wood, or even plastic - as found on some modern drums - these type of drums are all known as frame drums. Frame drums occur all over the world, from the shaman's drums of Siberia, to the bodhran of Ireland, the bendir of North Africa and the daf of Persia. They are probably the oldest form of drum on earth. Frame drums like this also occur amongst the native peoples of America. - no doubt related to the shamanic drums of their ancestral homelands on the steppes of Central Asia, where the people lived before they migrated across the land bridge that once connected the two continents. However the 'medicine' drums of North America do not have the same degree of sacred lore as their Siberian cousins have.

In response to the phenomenal resurgence of the drum nationwide, Michael has completely revised and expanded the 1991 edition for all those folks discovering the power of drumming. This useful book reveals profound teachings about shamanic drumming, which is a time-honored method of healing and helping others. Trained as a ceremonial drummer in the Mongolian and Native American shamanic traditions, Michael presents the first practical guide to applying this ancient healing art to our modern lives. Through a series of simple exercises, lessons, and rituals, he teaches you the basic shamanic methods of drumming. The focus is on creating sacred space, journeying, power practice, power animals, geomancy, drum therapy, drum harmonics, drum circle dynamics, and the universal rhythmic phenomena that come into play whenever we drum. The techniques are simple and powerful. Whether you are an accomplished percussionist or a total beginner, this user-friendly book will help you harness the power of drumming.

Papers from the Symposium on the Saami Shaman Drum (Abo, Finland, August 19-20 1988), discussing the significance of the drum in religion, archaeology, rock paintings, and knowledge of astronomy, within the material culture of northern Scandinavia.

Indigenous shamanic peoples of diverse cultures have gathered in community drumming circles for thousands of years. Although most of us did not grow up in an indigenous shamanic tradition, we can still tap into the healing power of shamanic drumming. Drawing upon twenty-five years of experience, shamanic practitioner Michael Drake has written a step-by-step guide to shamanic circling. In Shamanic Drumming Circles Guide, Drake offers some guidelines for anyone considering forming a shamanic drumming circle. The guidelines are also meant to help established drumming circles go deeper and become more effective. For anyone searching for a drumming circle, this guide can help you find the right circle for you.

Shaman's Drum is a Spiritual Guide bringing a timely message of an ancient healing practice for our contemporary world. Caroline shares real stories of her clients Shamanic Healing journeys; healing the root cause of trauma and the resulting anxiety and illness caused when emotions are repressed. During shamanic healing, Caroline works with vision and vibrational energy healing to clear and realign your energy centers and your connection to the Earth. While listening to the sound of the drum, you journey beyond ordinary reality inside yourself, where you find the answers to your life. You are empowered as you experience transformation; becoming one with Source, you receive life force energy. Shamanism is a pathway to learn to work with the Oneness of Life; working within sacred space, with your Spirit guides, Spirit Animals, and all our relations, you learn an expansive worldview. When you face the darkness and go through it, you will find the Light and freedom on the other side. Shamanism is a journey to heal yourself and find your passion for life and share it with the world. Shamanism is based on experience, a calling received through Vision and Initiation that requires commitment, willingness to answer the call, and a passion to help heal suffering humanity.

This classic on shamanism pioneered the modern shamanic renaissance. It is the foremost resource and reference on shamanism. Now, with a new introduction and a guide to current resources, anthropologist Michael Harner provides the definitive handbook on practical shamanism – what it is, where it came from, how you can participate. "Wonderful, fascinating… Harner really knows what he's talking about." CARLOS CASTANEDA "An intimate and practical guide to the art of shamanic healing and the technology of the sacred. Michael Harner is not just an anthropologist who has studied shamanism; he is an authentic white shaman." STANILAV GROF, author of 'The Adventure Of Self Discovery' "Harner has impeccable credentials, both as an academic and as a practising shaman. Without doubt (since the recent death of Mircea Eliade) the world's leading authority on shamanism." NEVILL DRURY, author of 'The Elements of Shamanism' Michael Harner, Ph.D., has practised shamanism and shamanic healing for more than a quarter of a century. He is the founder and director of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Singing Story, Healing Drumexplores the shamanic practices, oral traditions, and music of the Turkic Republics of Tuva and Khakassia in south Siberia. Based on extensive field-work, it includes folktales, legends, and shamanic poems that illuminate spiritual traditions, as well as descriptions of rituals practised by the people of this region. Kira Van Deusen's travels and her acquaintance with scholars, shamans, and storytellers who have been active in reviving traditional culture give her a unique perspective that allows her to present views from inside and outside the culture. Lively personal accounts are combined with scholarly research to show the importance of oral literature and music in connection with shamanism.Singing Story, Healing Drumhelps the reader find a way through the often confusing phenomena of the "shamanic revival," both in Russia and abroad.