09-16-2002, 12:00 AM
For ages, humans have used music and dance to enter into the mystic world of the great unknown. The use of trance-like beats and rhythms in drumming can be traced back as far as glyphs painted on rocks by our ancient ancestors. The melodies of the flute have been used by the native inhabitants of every geographic region to add an airy, flowing quality to their music. Dance has been used to honor the animals we worship and connect with the spiritual flow of our hearts. This practice of music and dance is alive and well in modern times; the only thing that has changed is the selection of instruments. Today, with communication being easy as logging into the internet, music from all regions of the globe are now accessible and defy cultural boundaries. The technology of modern times allows us to take music to new levels never before imagined, and allow us to express our innermost spirit and present it to the masses.
Many people have read about using music in a spiritual context as a way to reach altered states of consciousness, but have difficulty doing so. The pulsing rhythm of the drum is a common way to reach a state of trance, and has been used for centuries by shaman, mystics, and healers during ceremonial or magical practices. A person need not be a trained musician to accomplish this state, they merely need to be able to listen to their heart. For those trained in the art of music, they may be called upon as rhythmic guides to others during shamanic journey and meditations. Now, let us discuss the uses of drumming and music in the practice of the magical arts.
I have spoken to many people over the years who can play the drum with quite a bit of skill, and are considered trained musicians, but they still have a problem using their skill to achieve trance. I have also spoken to those who do not know anything about drumming, and out of fear, cannot use it effectively as a magical tool. The truth of the matter is that both groups of people are quite capable of using the drum as a most powerful tool in the art of magic.
The first step of drumming in ritual is starting a rhythm. I always prefer to start very simple a straight 4/4 tap, usually a bass of some sort. This means hit the drum once on every beat nothing complex, just tap evenly like you tap your foot when listening to music. Anyone who can tap their foot to music can easily do this.
The simple tap-tap-tap of the drum is all that is needed to go into a trance. Even the most intricate drum beats boil down to this simple beat, and this is what the spirit locks onto when going into trance. This practice is called riding the beat in many circles. We will cover more on this later for now lets talk about enhancing the rhythm.
After a bass beat is established, you can optionally add more complimentary rhythms. This will start to shape the feel of the music. By feel, I mean does the beat feel like a march, a Latin feel, or a triplet-like Congo feel? It might feel like a jazzy swing feel, or a techno-like dance groove. The possibilities are endless. When drumming with a group, you might have a second drummer add a very fast-paced layer on the simple bass, and add yet another layer of accents using a high pitched drum. If every drummer keeps a consistent rhythm going, and fills in a solo one at a time, the overall effect can be exhilarating. When drumming, the mood and connection to fellow drummers is key to making it a powerful tool. If there are dancers, keeping an eye on them can determine the changes in the beat. Try to remember, the drumming techniques are not as important as keeping a steady beat. If it comes down to an interesting fill-in, or the steady beat, always choose the steady beat.
To connect with the other drummers and dancers in a group is key to making an effective ritual. To do this, I usually like to close my eyes while keeping the basic rhythm going, and just feel the beat flow through me. The vibrations of the drums quickly fill my body and mind everything else - all thoughts, worries, and physical sensations become washed away by the beat. Sometimes this my take a while, depending on my state of mind before I start, but eventually I will reach a state of peace internally. After mind my is cleared and filled only with the beat, my body will quickly follow. The vibrations, especially the bass, starts to vibrate in my stomach, spreading to my legs, chest, and finally everywhere. The higher pitch drums keep my mind focused with clarity, and the bass synchronizes my body with my mind. From that point, I start to feel the other drummers, dancers, and people around me. As each of the other members of the circle reach their own internal place of serenity, I instantly feel their energies blend with mine it radiates of them like the heat from a fire. As the moods of the group change, they synchronize together and it reflects in the music. At this point, the dancers will respond to the subtle shifts, and a certain harmony will flow through the group. When I feel this harmony, I slowly open my eyes and can see the aura emanating from everyone in the circle. At this point, I am ready for trance.
Most drummers and non-drummers alike have the same problem the drumming may be great or maybe just average but either way trance seems out of reach. The common reasons for this are; one, concentration on the drumming overtakes concentration on trance or; two, the non-drummers fear loosing the beat, or sounding lousy.
While drumming, start of with a conscious effort to get a good, steady beat going and hold it for a while. Try not to get fancy, or change anything drastically just concentrate on the steadiness of the beat. After it is held for a while, you will no longer need to concentrate on it. This seems to be the big stumbling block for most drummers, especially experienced drummers. The rhythms may sound spectacular, but that is not the point of the drumming while in ritual. It should sound good, but doesnt need to be spectacular and intricate. Many drummers have the problem of worrying about the technical aspect of the drumming trying to add movements, changes, dramatic fills, and volume control. If you are experienced, let an easy to play beat that you can keep steady flow from you, and dont alter it too much if possible. When it gets to intricate, other drummers will have a hard time extracting the basic beat from what you are playing, and will go out of sync, especially if the drum you are playing is loud. Once this happens, it is sometimes called a train wreck, because as soon as one or two drums go out of beat, the rest are sure to follow, it sometimes it needs to be paused or stopped to re-sync. This stopping will cause the ritual to basically start over again anyone that was halfway to a state of trance will probably be thrown right back to square one. After the rhythm is established, and the group has been in sync for a while, you can enter trance. The fills and interesting rhythms will flow naturally out of you without any effort or thought, so try to forget about them. They will be expressions of your journey.
The best bet to keep the group together is to have a heavy bass drum playing a simple, loud rhythm. Let the bass drum be the loudest, and follow his or her lead for tempo and feel. This way, if you happen to go out of sync, the other drummers shouldnt be effected. You can even pause for a second and jump back in, and the pulse will not be interrupted.
For the non-experienced drummers, the biggest problem I have seen is the fear of throwing the group out of sync, or sounding silly. In any drumming circle, usually an experienced drummer with a steady feel for rhythm is chosen to play the bass, and play it loud. The other drummers accompany and set the mood around the beat. Many new drummers get intimidated by the experienced drummers, and mouse away. The trick to getting around this is to relax, and start off playing softly. If you simply add a couple of accents in here in there, in beat, it will enhance the overall feeling tremendously. A simple clicking of two sticks together now and again makes a beautiful accent, and should always remain very simple. If the clicking of sticks, or tapping of a bell becomes constant and intricate, the effectiveness of it is lost. This is usually ideal for the new drummer, or non-musically inclined. If you are playing a drum, just tap some occasional hits in a repetitive rhythm, and you will be contributing more than you might imagine. Dont be intimidated by the expert drummers in a group normally they will greatly appreciate the added accents and lightly played additions. Those accents are necessary, but the expert drummers never want to play them, instead they would rather concentrate on the more involved rhythms. If you still cant sync with the group, or have a hard time keeping a steady rhythm, then you can still participate by chanting or dancing. If these things are still not your forte, than tending to the fire, or meditating or even humming will add to the ritual. Any participation is good participation.
Once the group is in sync, and the mind is cleared, the act of entering trance can begin. There are several ways to do this.
This method is perhaps the most common, and the easiest for most people some refer to it as astral projection, though I hate to use that term due to the many connotations. For those who have had trouble in the past, or havent done shamanic journeys before (using a drum, anyway), I would recommend starting here. The other methods are usually considered harder and more advanced some people, however will find them easier and more natural and can use them as a starting point. It is all preference.
To start the journey, you should first have some idea what you wish to accomplish with the journey first, before you even start. It may be just to familiarize yourself with the other worlds, or to find your power animal, or honor your power animal. It may be more involved, such as a healing journey, for yourself or for another. Other reasons include helping to guide the recently deceased into their flight into the otherworlds, or soul recovery, or divination the reasons are endless, but you should have one in mind. Sometimes, the journey will shift halfway through and you will end up with information or actions you did not expect dont fight it, just go with it.
When you are deep into the drumming, you will find that the rhythm cleans your mind of debris, and starts to relax your body. Usually, the first steps towards journey and connecting your mind and body with your spirit. To do this, make sure that when you start the drumming, you are in a very comfortable position that you can hold for a long time. Also make sure that your drum or instrument is placed firmly and will not get away from you while you are playing (such as a shoulder strap or stand).
Close your eyes, and stop thinking about the drumming itself. Trust your body and nerves to maintain the rhythm, and let them do their own thing without your attention. This make take a while, so let it come naturally, dont rush it or it will not happen. Start thinking about your feet instead. Let all the muscles relax, and feel the bright light or energy start to emanate from them, and then move your attention towards your ankles. Let every muscle in your ankles relax, then continue this process all through your body until you are completely relaxed. For your arms and hands, which are doing the drumming, just be aware of them, and the heat coming from them, since they cannot relax without stopping.
When you are done, visualize yourself as a mere passenger in your body, similar to when you drive a car. You control what direction it takes, but it does everything by itself. Try to detach yourself from what your body is doing. Notice how your breathing doesnt require you to think about it, your heart pumps blood while unattended, and your arms and hands know what to do by themselves. You are merely along for the ride at this point. Observe your body objectively while it does its thing, and feel the beat of the drums flow through you. This beat connects your body and mind like an umbilical cord, and it is very long. Start to drift up from your body, and observe it from the outside. This may take a bit of imagination and visualization, so dont worry about it to much. At this point, use your imagination to see yourself from the outside imagine what you look like. Drift farther away, and try to see everyone around you the other drummers, the dancers, the singers, or whoever may be with you. If you are doing this in solitary, see the room you are in, or the space around you. Visualize what the beat coming from the drum looks like try to see the pulses. With a group of drummers and dancers, see the pulses as they connect to each other, from each drummer, from each drum, and from each dancer. The dancers usually project waves with the movements of their bodies, like a stone dropped into still water. After you are comfortable with your view, turn your back an look out to the sky. If you are indoors, look through the roof into the sky. You will see the pulses of the drums shooting out into the sky, going so far out that you cant see the furthest ones. Float with them in any direction you choose, imagine flying into one of the pulses, and traveling with it, as if you were sitting on top of a wave in the ocean. From here, travel to where you are going to start your journey or meditation.
When you are finished with your meditation, ride one or several of the drum pulses back to your body. The pulses go in both directions, it works like the illusion of a car wheel the way the wheel looks like it is spinning backwards when it reaches a certain speed. The trip back will usually be much faster than the one going. You will come up to your body, and see it is still drumming unattended and functioning the way you left it. Only now you should have a clearer image of the scene this time you are not using your imagination, instead you are using your inner-eye.
When entering back into the body, I always end up diving back in, like diving into a swimming pool. It is quick and precise, very sudden. Some people ease back into their body it is usually different for everyone. At any rate, once you are back, you do not come back empty handed you come back with new knowledge, wisdom, and the energies that you interacted with. The next few seconds should be assimilating the new information and energies back into your body and getting your bearings. Slowly open your eyes, and feel the beats of the rest of the group. Youll be ale to tell if they are still in a journey or not. If they are, keep drumming until everyone is done if everyone is done, the group will somehow come to a stop.
The open eye techniques are quite a bit different from the closed eye techniques. The method for journey or divination, or whatever magic you are doing in this example is using auras as your vehicle. For those whom are not comfortable seeing auras, or dont know how, this may not be an appropriate method. For those who see auras easily, and are comfortable with them, this can be an extremely powerful technique, especially when using the drumming for healing purposes.
The way that I use aura healing and vision seeking while drumming starts with a closed eye relaxation meditation. It actually starts the exact same way as mentioned above, with a slight difference. I mentally visualize a bright, hot light surround each part of my body that I have relaxed, and usually a hotter, more red color light coming from my arms and hands. When I feel myself completely enclosed in light, I slowly open my eyes, and will more vividly see the auras on everything around me. The people and the plants are the brightest, the rocks and inanimate objects will be less bright. I start by seeing a dull white light around everything, then eventually the white starts to turns into different hues of color. I let my eyes move slowly, giving them time to adjust to the new auras in my visual range. There is a distinct, pulsing light coming from each drum, expanding in the shape of a sphere. Where the spheres collide, they seems to dance with each other, then merge into one more powerful pulse. Each drum has a unique color, and it will vary from ritual to ritual, depending on the air quality, moisture, attitude of the drummers, the beat being played, and the mood of the drum itself.
Each person will also have a unique base color, and it will vary across their body. People in good moods, who are feeling spiritually powerful will tend to have very bright, saturated, colorful auras. People who are down, sick, or emotionally damaged will tend to have dim or colorless auras usually leaning towards the grayer part of the spectrum. Places where people are physically injured with usually be quite noticeable, places were unwanted energies reside (some call them negative energies, I just dont happen to view these things as negative and positive) will usually appear as black regions that absorb light instead of radiate light. Sometimes these dark regions are spotted, or streaky, sometimes they are below another color, and can only vaguely be seen. People who are feeling hostile tend to have very static looking auras, like a TV station that doesnt come in very good sometimes it looks as though there are little electric arcs shooting from them.
As you start to see each persons aura, you will start to see their extended aura, the one that interacts with the environment. The pulses of the drums will interact with the auras and sync them to a degree sometimes when people are close on an emotional level, their auras will connect. The hostile looking auras will keep zapping the things and people around them. There are some people who will look like vortexs, and have a steady feed of external energy coming into them, usually from all the people around them. These are generally the leaches in the group, who tend to rely on draining the energy of people around them to maintain status-quo. On a physical level, these are usually the people who make fun of others, and use guilt trips often to obtain their energies. Be wary of these people, and notice if you are giving them your own energy without realizing it. When looking at auras, there should be an equal exchange between yourself and everyone else. They will be getting energy from you, as well as giving energy to you this is visible through the streams coming from the aura. When you see a person getting energy from you, and it seems like a lot, and they are not returning any to you, make a conscious effort to break your connection to them. Your will can change the flow between you and any other object.
When you plan on using your aura to heal with, it is usually best to take a few practice runs on energy exchange. First, try sending some energy to a plant using your will you should see the aura of the plant expand. Do this a few times until it becomes easy, and then try a more focused approach target a single leaf on the plant. I tend to see my energy come from my chest or from my eyes some work better with their hands (this can be difficult while drumming though). Do this a few times until it also becomes easy then move on to redirecting energy. As you look around, you will notice that the ground gives off a great deal of energy, as well as the trees, the sun, the moon, or even a fire. If you are indoors, a great stream of energy comes in through windows, walls, and any openings, such as fireplaces, doors, skylights, and everything metal (especially sinks and electrical outlets). These are all great sources of energy to re-direct. Try gathering energy from one of these sources, conducting it through your body, and projecting it to a plant. After you are comfortable doing this, you are ready to do your aura healing.
Do the healing in any fashion you are comfortable with I prefer to clean out any dark spots around an injury by pulling the energy off of it and all around it, and re-directing it to the ground, then taking fresh energy from the ground and replenishing it to the dark spot. I will do this a few times until it looks right. For hostile people and leaches, the energy healing process becomes very involved. That will be a whole different article, though. To use the drum itself for the healing, like to have the target person lay down, and I hold my drum over them. I put it very close to the troubled spots and use the powerful energies coming from the drum to clear and replenish the area. Experiment with different beats and rhythms for various ailments and areas.
When you have completed whatever task it was that you set out to do, ground your own energies by cycling your entire aura into and out of the earth several times. I usually feel like Im in a waterfall when I do this, and use this as my visual. During this process, I slowly close my eyes, and soften the beat, and keep softening it until it goes out. Then I open my eyes slowly, and return to an ordinary state of consciousness. Many times I need additional grounding, and use food and drink to come all the way back down.
Ive recently come across this drumming technique of using the motions of the hands and arms while drumming to achieve good results during drumming rituals. The best time I found to use this technique is while honoring the spirit or animal guides. It is very simple, and doesnt involve any deep trance. This technique could be effective for the more experienced drummers who have trouble going into trance it is very simple, yet effective.
Basically, it involves changing the motions your arms and hands make while striking the head of the drum. It can be done using mallets or bare hand drumming. When honoring an animal guide or spirit guide, usually some form of mimicking the animal is done. Traditionally, this is done by dancing like the animal moves, but can also be done with the drums. The purpose of the mimicking is so that the spirit may temporarily co-exist with you in your body, and experience your world through your eyes. It can be though of as your animal or spirit guide journeying and using your body as their vehicle. It also allow you to see through there eyes, and become closer to them, though empathic means. After all, only the coyote knows what it is to be a coyote.
Lets use an example of an animal guide say a bird, or a falcon to be precise. While drumming to honor the falcon, let your arms soar while drumming take longer pauses between beats, and let your arms fly over your head, and back down to the drum, as if you were flapping powerful wings to gain flight. While gracefully soaring, keep your hands closer to the drum, and take short, graceful strokes keep the beat light and airy. Visualize the falcon in flight while you drum, and try to imagine being a falcon. Fly through the air, see from high up, feel the wind through your feathers. Smell the air, and be aware of the prey running on the ground. Taste the air, the taste of the water in the clouds. Hear the air rush past you, and the sound of distant drums playing down on the ground. Let yourself go, and enjoy the experience. After a while, your hands and arms will know what to do.
This technique can be used for a variety of other things, and different animals. You can also look at the shape of the blur your hands or mallets make while in motion try altering the arc of descent to change to shape. These shapes can be used as symbols, which you can dynamically modify. The possibilities are endless.
Another method of using magic in a ritual drumming circle is by reading the movements of the dancers. (this is assuming that you have a fairly large drum circle going and there are people dancing) As you establish a rhythm people will start to get up and dance. At first, the dancing is more premeditated and intentional. After a while, both the drumming and dancing become free-form, and moods and whims take over. Everyone will slip into at least a very light trance both the drummers and the dancers. I personally find it more effective to do this at night with a fire.
As you are drumming, the beats will naturally change and flow as it does, the dancers movements will also change and flow accordingly. As you drum, notice the changes taking place with the dancing feel the rhythm in your heart, and also connect with the dancers. As you change rhythms and beats, feel the changes in mood. Thing about the magical goal you have in mind, or question you are divining for. With that goal in mind, observe the dancers as symbols that relate to that goal or question. This is similar to divination using a mirror, or smoke, or reading tea leaves. For more information on reading and divination, look up anything previously mentioned. The techniques are all the same. I find this to be more powerful than tea leaves or reading the patterns in smoke it is much more interactive, and is all on a human level. As you play, your thoughts project to the dancers directly through the pulsing drum. They are receptive to this, and will respond on a spiritual level.
This method is a bit abstract, and will take a bit of practice once you learn how to read the symbols the dancers represent, you will have a powerful method of performing magic. After the dancers are associated with symbols, you can make changes to those symbols by modifying the rhythm. The pieces of your world view that you symbolize through the dancers will also change in harmony with them. Say, one dancer appears to dance in a fluid motion with her hands swaying over her head, and she is aloof from the other dancers this may represent a person you know who is drifting away from something. As you modify the tempo, she changes her dance, and integrates more with the other dancers. The person she represents may then be able to see the reason for drifting away, and also see the way to go back. This is very subjective, so each time you use this method will be very different.
Lone Wolf
Many people have read about using music in a spiritual context as a way to reach altered states of consciousness, but have difficulty doing so. The pulsing rhythm of the drum is a common way to reach a state of trance, and has been used for centuries by shaman, mystics, and healers during ceremonial or magical practices. A person need not be a trained musician to accomplish this state, they merely need to be able to listen to their heart. For those trained in the art of music, they may be called upon as rhythmic guides to others during shamanic journey and meditations. Now, let us discuss the uses of drumming and music in the practice of the magical arts.
I have spoken to many people over the years who can play the drum with quite a bit of skill, and are considered trained musicians, but they still have a problem using their skill to achieve trance. I have also spoken to those who do not know anything about drumming, and out of fear, cannot use it effectively as a magical tool. The truth of the matter is that both groups of people are quite capable of using the drum as a most powerful tool in the art of magic.
The first step of drumming in ritual is starting a rhythm. I always prefer to start very simple a straight 4/4 tap, usually a bass of some sort. This means hit the drum once on every beat nothing complex, just tap evenly like you tap your foot when listening to music. Anyone who can tap their foot to music can easily do this.
The simple tap-tap-tap of the drum is all that is needed to go into a trance. Even the most intricate drum beats boil down to this simple beat, and this is what the spirit locks onto when going into trance. This practice is called riding the beat in many circles. We will cover more on this later for now lets talk about enhancing the rhythm.
After a bass beat is established, you can optionally add more complimentary rhythms. This will start to shape the feel of the music. By feel, I mean does the beat feel like a march, a Latin feel, or a triplet-like Congo feel? It might feel like a jazzy swing feel, or a techno-like dance groove. The possibilities are endless. When drumming with a group, you might have a second drummer add a very fast-paced layer on the simple bass, and add yet another layer of accents using a high pitched drum. If every drummer keeps a consistent rhythm going, and fills in a solo one at a time, the overall effect can be exhilarating. When drumming, the mood and connection to fellow drummers is key to making it a powerful tool. If there are dancers, keeping an eye on them can determine the changes in the beat. Try to remember, the drumming techniques are not as important as keeping a steady beat. If it comes down to an interesting fill-in, or the steady beat, always choose the steady beat.
To connect with the other drummers and dancers in a group is key to making an effective ritual. To do this, I usually like to close my eyes while keeping the basic rhythm going, and just feel the beat flow through me. The vibrations of the drums quickly fill my body and mind everything else - all thoughts, worries, and physical sensations become washed away by the beat. Sometimes this my take a while, depending on my state of mind before I start, but eventually I will reach a state of peace internally. After mind my is cleared and filled only with the beat, my body will quickly follow. The vibrations, especially the bass, starts to vibrate in my stomach, spreading to my legs, chest, and finally everywhere. The higher pitch drums keep my mind focused with clarity, and the bass synchronizes my body with my mind. From that point, I start to feel the other drummers, dancers, and people around me. As each of the other members of the circle reach their own internal place of serenity, I instantly feel their energies blend with mine it radiates of them like the heat from a fire. As the moods of the group change, they synchronize together and it reflects in the music. At this point, the dancers will respond to the subtle shifts, and a certain harmony will flow through the group. When I feel this harmony, I slowly open my eyes and can see the aura emanating from everyone in the circle. At this point, I am ready for trance.
Most drummers and non-drummers alike have the same problem the drumming may be great or maybe just average but either way trance seems out of reach. The common reasons for this are; one, concentration on the drumming overtakes concentration on trance or; two, the non-drummers fear loosing the beat, or sounding lousy.
While drumming, start of with a conscious effort to get a good, steady beat going and hold it for a while. Try not to get fancy, or change anything drastically just concentrate on the steadiness of the beat. After it is held for a while, you will no longer need to concentrate on it. This seems to be the big stumbling block for most drummers, especially experienced drummers. The rhythms may sound spectacular, but that is not the point of the drumming while in ritual. It should sound good, but doesnt need to be spectacular and intricate. Many drummers have the problem of worrying about the technical aspect of the drumming trying to add movements, changes, dramatic fills, and volume control. If you are experienced, let an easy to play beat that you can keep steady flow from you, and dont alter it too much if possible. When it gets to intricate, other drummers will have a hard time extracting the basic beat from what you are playing, and will go out of sync, especially if the drum you are playing is loud. Once this happens, it is sometimes called a train wreck, because as soon as one or two drums go out of beat, the rest are sure to follow, it sometimes it needs to be paused or stopped to re-sync. This stopping will cause the ritual to basically start over again anyone that was halfway to a state of trance will probably be thrown right back to square one. After the rhythm is established, and the group has been in sync for a while, you can enter trance. The fills and interesting rhythms will flow naturally out of you without any effort or thought, so try to forget about them. They will be expressions of your journey.
The best bet to keep the group together is to have a heavy bass drum playing a simple, loud rhythm. Let the bass drum be the loudest, and follow his or her lead for tempo and feel. This way, if you happen to go out of sync, the other drummers shouldnt be effected. You can even pause for a second and jump back in, and the pulse will not be interrupted.
For the non-experienced drummers, the biggest problem I have seen is the fear of throwing the group out of sync, or sounding silly. In any drumming circle, usually an experienced drummer with a steady feel for rhythm is chosen to play the bass, and play it loud. The other drummers accompany and set the mood around the beat. Many new drummers get intimidated by the experienced drummers, and mouse away. The trick to getting around this is to relax, and start off playing softly. If you simply add a couple of accents in here in there, in beat, it will enhance the overall feeling tremendously. A simple clicking of two sticks together now and again makes a beautiful accent, and should always remain very simple. If the clicking of sticks, or tapping of a bell becomes constant and intricate, the effectiveness of it is lost. This is usually ideal for the new drummer, or non-musically inclined. If you are playing a drum, just tap some occasional hits in a repetitive rhythm, and you will be contributing more than you might imagine. Dont be intimidated by the expert drummers in a group normally they will greatly appreciate the added accents and lightly played additions. Those accents are necessary, but the expert drummers never want to play them, instead they would rather concentrate on the more involved rhythms. If you still cant sync with the group, or have a hard time keeping a steady rhythm, then you can still participate by chanting or dancing. If these things are still not your forte, than tending to the fire, or meditating or even humming will add to the ritual. Any participation is good participation.
Once the group is in sync, and the mind is cleared, the act of entering trance can begin. There are several ways to do this.
This method is perhaps the most common, and the easiest for most people some refer to it as astral projection, though I hate to use that term due to the many connotations. For those who have had trouble in the past, or havent done shamanic journeys before (using a drum, anyway), I would recommend starting here. The other methods are usually considered harder and more advanced some people, however will find them easier and more natural and can use them as a starting point. It is all preference.
To start the journey, you should first have some idea what you wish to accomplish with the journey first, before you even start. It may be just to familiarize yourself with the other worlds, or to find your power animal, or honor your power animal. It may be more involved, such as a healing journey, for yourself or for another. Other reasons include helping to guide the recently deceased into their flight into the otherworlds, or soul recovery, or divination the reasons are endless, but you should have one in mind. Sometimes, the journey will shift halfway through and you will end up with information or actions you did not expect dont fight it, just go with it.
When you are deep into the drumming, you will find that the rhythm cleans your mind of debris, and starts to relax your body. Usually, the first steps towards journey and connecting your mind and body with your spirit. To do this, make sure that when you start the drumming, you are in a very comfortable position that you can hold for a long time. Also make sure that your drum or instrument is placed firmly and will not get away from you while you are playing (such as a shoulder strap or stand).
Close your eyes, and stop thinking about the drumming itself. Trust your body and nerves to maintain the rhythm, and let them do their own thing without your attention. This make take a while, so let it come naturally, dont rush it or it will not happen. Start thinking about your feet instead. Let all the muscles relax, and feel the bright light or energy start to emanate from them, and then move your attention towards your ankles. Let every muscle in your ankles relax, then continue this process all through your body until you are completely relaxed. For your arms and hands, which are doing the drumming, just be aware of them, and the heat coming from them, since they cannot relax without stopping.
When you are done, visualize yourself as a mere passenger in your body, similar to when you drive a car. You control what direction it takes, but it does everything by itself. Try to detach yourself from what your body is doing. Notice how your breathing doesnt require you to think about it, your heart pumps blood while unattended, and your arms and hands know what to do by themselves. You are merely along for the ride at this point. Observe your body objectively while it does its thing, and feel the beat of the drums flow through you. This beat connects your body and mind like an umbilical cord, and it is very long. Start to drift up from your body, and observe it from the outside. This may take a bit of imagination and visualization, so dont worry about it to much. At this point, use your imagination to see yourself from the outside imagine what you look like. Drift farther away, and try to see everyone around you the other drummers, the dancers, the singers, or whoever may be with you. If you are doing this in solitary, see the room you are in, or the space around you. Visualize what the beat coming from the drum looks like try to see the pulses. With a group of drummers and dancers, see the pulses as they connect to each other, from each drummer, from each drum, and from each dancer. The dancers usually project waves with the movements of their bodies, like a stone dropped into still water. After you are comfortable with your view, turn your back an look out to the sky. If you are indoors, look through the roof into the sky. You will see the pulses of the drums shooting out into the sky, going so far out that you cant see the furthest ones. Float with them in any direction you choose, imagine flying into one of the pulses, and traveling with it, as if you were sitting on top of a wave in the ocean. From here, travel to where you are going to start your journey or meditation.
When you are finished with your meditation, ride one or several of the drum pulses back to your body. The pulses go in both directions, it works like the illusion of a car wheel the way the wheel looks like it is spinning backwards when it reaches a certain speed. The trip back will usually be much faster than the one going. You will come up to your body, and see it is still drumming unattended and functioning the way you left it. Only now you should have a clearer image of the scene this time you are not using your imagination, instead you are using your inner-eye.
When entering back into the body, I always end up diving back in, like diving into a swimming pool. It is quick and precise, very sudden. Some people ease back into their body it is usually different for everyone. At any rate, once you are back, you do not come back empty handed you come back with new knowledge, wisdom, and the energies that you interacted with. The next few seconds should be assimilating the new information and energies back into your body and getting your bearings. Slowly open your eyes, and feel the beats of the rest of the group. Youll be ale to tell if they are still in a journey or not. If they are, keep drumming until everyone is done if everyone is done, the group will somehow come to a stop.
The open eye techniques are quite a bit different from the closed eye techniques. The method for journey or divination, or whatever magic you are doing in this example is using auras as your vehicle. For those whom are not comfortable seeing auras, or dont know how, this may not be an appropriate method. For those who see auras easily, and are comfortable with them, this can be an extremely powerful technique, especially when using the drumming for healing purposes.
The way that I use aura healing and vision seeking while drumming starts with a closed eye relaxation meditation. It actually starts the exact same way as mentioned above, with a slight difference. I mentally visualize a bright, hot light surround each part of my body that I have relaxed, and usually a hotter, more red color light coming from my arms and hands. When I feel myself completely enclosed in light, I slowly open my eyes, and will more vividly see the auras on everything around me. The people and the plants are the brightest, the rocks and inanimate objects will be less bright. I start by seeing a dull white light around everything, then eventually the white starts to turns into different hues of color. I let my eyes move slowly, giving them time to adjust to the new auras in my visual range. There is a distinct, pulsing light coming from each drum, expanding in the shape of a sphere. Where the spheres collide, they seems to dance with each other, then merge into one more powerful pulse. Each drum has a unique color, and it will vary from ritual to ritual, depending on the air quality, moisture, attitude of the drummers, the beat being played, and the mood of the drum itself.
Each person will also have a unique base color, and it will vary across their body. People in good moods, who are feeling spiritually powerful will tend to have very bright, saturated, colorful auras. People who are down, sick, or emotionally damaged will tend to have dim or colorless auras usually leaning towards the grayer part of the spectrum. Places where people are physically injured with usually be quite noticeable, places were unwanted energies reside (some call them negative energies, I just dont happen to view these things as negative and positive) will usually appear as black regions that absorb light instead of radiate light. Sometimes these dark regions are spotted, or streaky, sometimes they are below another color, and can only vaguely be seen. People who are feeling hostile tend to have very static looking auras, like a TV station that doesnt come in very good sometimes it looks as though there are little electric arcs shooting from them.
As you start to see each persons aura, you will start to see their extended aura, the one that interacts with the environment. The pulses of the drums will interact with the auras and sync them to a degree sometimes when people are close on an emotional level, their auras will connect. The hostile looking auras will keep zapping the things and people around them. There are some people who will look like vortexs, and have a steady feed of external energy coming into them, usually from all the people around them. These are generally the leaches in the group, who tend to rely on draining the energy of people around them to maintain status-quo. On a physical level, these are usually the people who make fun of others, and use guilt trips often to obtain their energies. Be wary of these people, and notice if you are giving them your own energy without realizing it. When looking at auras, there should be an equal exchange between yourself and everyone else. They will be getting energy from you, as well as giving energy to you this is visible through the streams coming from the aura. When you see a person getting energy from you, and it seems like a lot, and they are not returning any to you, make a conscious effort to break your connection to them. Your will can change the flow between you and any other object.
When you plan on using your aura to heal with, it is usually best to take a few practice runs on energy exchange. First, try sending some energy to a plant using your will you should see the aura of the plant expand. Do this a few times until it becomes easy, and then try a more focused approach target a single leaf on the plant. I tend to see my energy come from my chest or from my eyes some work better with their hands (this can be difficult while drumming though). Do this a few times until it also becomes easy then move on to redirecting energy. As you look around, you will notice that the ground gives off a great deal of energy, as well as the trees, the sun, the moon, or even a fire. If you are indoors, a great stream of energy comes in through windows, walls, and any openings, such as fireplaces, doors, skylights, and everything metal (especially sinks and electrical outlets). These are all great sources of energy to re-direct. Try gathering energy from one of these sources, conducting it through your body, and projecting it to a plant. After you are comfortable doing this, you are ready to do your aura healing.
Do the healing in any fashion you are comfortable with I prefer to clean out any dark spots around an injury by pulling the energy off of it and all around it, and re-directing it to the ground, then taking fresh energy from the ground and replenishing it to the dark spot. I will do this a few times until it looks right. For hostile people and leaches, the energy healing process becomes very involved. That will be a whole different article, though. To use the drum itself for the healing, like to have the target person lay down, and I hold my drum over them. I put it very close to the troubled spots and use the powerful energies coming from the drum to clear and replenish the area. Experiment with different beats and rhythms for various ailments and areas.
When you have completed whatever task it was that you set out to do, ground your own energies by cycling your entire aura into and out of the earth several times. I usually feel like Im in a waterfall when I do this, and use this as my visual. During this process, I slowly close my eyes, and soften the beat, and keep softening it until it goes out. Then I open my eyes slowly, and return to an ordinary state of consciousness. Many times I need additional grounding, and use food and drink to come all the way back down.
Ive recently come across this drumming technique of using the motions of the hands and arms while drumming to achieve good results during drumming rituals. The best time I found to use this technique is while honoring the spirit or animal guides. It is very simple, and doesnt involve any deep trance. This technique could be effective for the more experienced drummers who have trouble going into trance it is very simple, yet effective.
Basically, it involves changing the motions your arms and hands make while striking the head of the drum. It can be done using mallets or bare hand drumming. When honoring an animal guide or spirit guide, usually some form of mimicking the animal is done. Traditionally, this is done by dancing like the animal moves, but can also be done with the drums. The purpose of the mimicking is so that the spirit may temporarily co-exist with you in your body, and experience your world through your eyes. It can be though of as your animal or spirit guide journeying and using your body as their vehicle. It also allow you to see through there eyes, and become closer to them, though empathic means. After all, only the coyote knows what it is to be a coyote.
Lets use an example of an animal guide say a bird, or a falcon to be precise. While drumming to honor the falcon, let your arms soar while drumming take longer pauses between beats, and let your arms fly over your head, and back down to the drum, as if you were flapping powerful wings to gain flight. While gracefully soaring, keep your hands closer to the drum, and take short, graceful strokes keep the beat light and airy. Visualize the falcon in flight while you drum, and try to imagine being a falcon. Fly through the air, see from high up, feel the wind through your feathers. Smell the air, and be aware of the prey running on the ground. Taste the air, the taste of the water in the clouds. Hear the air rush past you, and the sound of distant drums playing down on the ground. Let yourself go, and enjoy the experience. After a while, your hands and arms will know what to do.
This technique can be used for a variety of other things, and different animals. You can also look at the shape of the blur your hands or mallets make while in motion try altering the arc of descent to change to shape. These shapes can be used as symbols, which you can dynamically modify. The possibilities are endless.
Another method of using magic in a ritual drumming circle is by reading the movements of the dancers. (this is assuming that you have a fairly large drum circle going and there are people dancing) As you establish a rhythm people will start to get up and dance. At first, the dancing is more premeditated and intentional. After a while, both the drumming and dancing become free-form, and moods and whims take over. Everyone will slip into at least a very light trance both the drummers and the dancers. I personally find it more effective to do this at night with a fire.
As you are drumming, the beats will naturally change and flow as it does, the dancers movements will also change and flow accordingly. As you drum, notice the changes taking place with the dancing feel the rhythm in your heart, and also connect with the dancers. As you change rhythms and beats, feel the changes in mood. Thing about the magical goal you have in mind, or question you are divining for. With that goal in mind, observe the dancers as symbols that relate to that goal or question. This is similar to divination using a mirror, or smoke, or reading tea leaves. For more information on reading and divination, look up anything previously mentioned. The techniques are all the same. I find this to be more powerful than tea leaves or reading the patterns in smoke it is much more interactive, and is all on a human level. As you play, your thoughts project to the dancers directly through the pulsing drum. They are receptive to this, and will respond on a spiritual level.
This method is a bit abstract, and will take a bit of practice once you learn how to read the symbols the dancers represent, you will have a powerful method of performing magic. After the dancers are associated with symbols, you can make changes to those symbols by modifying the rhythm. The pieces of your world view that you symbolize through the dancers will also change in harmony with them. Say, one dancer appears to dance in a fluid motion with her hands swaying over her head, and she is aloof from the other dancers this may represent a person you know who is drifting away from something. As you modify the tempo, she changes her dance, and integrates more with the other dancers. The person she represents may then be able to see the reason for drifting away, and also see the way to go back. This is very subjective, so each time you use this method will be very different.
Lone Wolf