Shamanic Drums - some benefits and uses

During my Shamanic practice and Shamanic training years, the shamanic drum became the number one tool, ally, familiar spirit and portal to another realm. And when I’m making a drum, that’s how I see it, the evolution and birthing of a new spirit, but it can also be embraced in a host of ways.

The drum is one of if not the oldest, most primitive tools and instruments from all over the world. Having a deep history is many different, vibrant and rich cultures. The Siberian Shamanic drum, the African Djembe, Peruvian Cajon, Japanese Taiko, to name just a few in a long list of iconic drums. For thousands of years these drums have been used in ritual, dance, communication, celebration, spiritual insight and shamanic journeying.

In a modern day context, especially in Western culture, the shamanic drum is now used in a variety of ways, often interchanging its use depending on circumstances or occasion. They are one of the most portable, user friendly and most easily accessible drums for beginners to pick up and enjoy. 

 

Shamanic

Traditionally used with a beater (a stick, often with some form of padding on the active end) with which to strike the drum. The drum is played not so much with a complex rhythm, but with a repetitive trance like beat of roughly four beats per second. That rhythm, or tempo, helps align the brain into what’s known as Theta brain state, associated with deep meditation and REM sleep. It is here we can drop into an altered state of conciseness for shamanic journeys and the exploration of alternative realities.

Rhythm, Dance & Community

Of course the shamanic drum isn’t necessarily restricted to that steady beat. Variations of the shamanic beat can be explored whilst journeying. I have explored this and personally find several rhythms that do not brake my Theta state. Perhaps there’s non more effective than the basic shamanic drum beat, which is where I always start. 

You may find that playing with this stimulates your brain in a different way and inspires or activates the desire to self express through dance and movement for example. It can feel a very primal, raw and earthly expression dancing to or dancing with a drum. There is still something connecting us to our ancestors perhaps, yet unlike shamanic journeying we are more in our bodies, alive with nature and each other . As with any of these suggestions this can be explored for healing on your own or with others in community, perhaps around fire.

So the rhythms of a shamanic drum can take us into various places and spaces. Inner journeys and outwardly expressive. They can sit very comfortably in your lap which also gives opportunity to leave the beater to the side and explore more intricate rhythms with our hands, really getting involved in a more tactile way. Finger tapping techniques are becoming more and more popular and, with practice, sound mightily impressive.

There are lots of drumming circles out there these days. Different types of circles have a different intention or focus, but a Shamanic drum is never out of place.

 

Quick round up

To summarise, Shamanic drums are versatile tools or instruments. They are really user friendly and can be enjoyed in lots of different ways. I personally have several Shamanic drums I tend to use or dedicate for different occasions but they are broadly speaking, the same thing and inevitably get used differently on occasion. Have fun, explore.