I experienced my first drumming circle last week and it was a moment of profound learning. If you have the chance to participate in one, I highly recommend it.
In the space of 60 minutes I gained a deeper connection to those around me and disovered a portal into my heart that I had not known was there. There is something uniquely healing about finding your rhythm through the rhythm of others. I wouldn’t be surprised if our hearts had actually begun sharing a beat.
The session was made more powerful by one of the participants who brought the drum of her deceased friend and by our skilled facilitator who both led and followed our playing. We rounded out our time together by literally sitting in the round, five at a time, while the others drummed over our heads and across our bodies. It was a gift of love and healing between strangers who owed each other nothing but gave it anyway.
The whole experience brought intense healing. My messy head transported me back to the farm where I was raised. There I walked through sweetgrass made fragrant by the rain, feeling entirely peaceful and loved. I haven’t been to that place within myself in a very long time. I sensed the power of the beating drum in my chest and the serenity of the small silences in between. I connected with parts of my past that were beautiful, and felt no longing in their loss, only gratitude in having been gifted them by a loving higher power.
And then it was over. I left with my emotions and my spirit intact which is not how I arrived. I hope to do another drum circle and this time bring my boys with me. In the time between then and now, I will love and appreciate the small silent spaces in my life … and the pulsing beat of my heart.
Cover photo by Stephen Niemeier from Pexels
in my messy head 