Rattling the Bones

Lately I’ve received a few e-mails and letters from people asking questions about drums and rattles. I don’t think I’ve written a blog on this topic yet. JB wrote in his e-mail: “I often read that Drums are connected to Shamanism and often the tool of choice for Shamans. How do Shamans use drums differently than anyone else who’s in Shamanism?” I thought it was a great question. For starters, one of the reasons why a drum is an interesting tool in Shamanism is because it can mimic a heartbeat and induce a state of trance. A rapid heartbeat can trigger nervousness, excitement and even aggression. A very slow heartbeat can help in relaxation, sleep and dreaming. Every rhythm can inspire an emotion and can bring about the memory of a past experience or a parallel reality. In Shamanic circles the drum can be instrumental in healing, teaching, ceremony or ritual, expansion of consciousness as well as dreaming and journeying. Almost a decade ago I participated in a Mohawk namin...

On Saturday, JZ and I were waiting in the car while GP ran into a store to get some pasta. The parking lot was busy with people. For a little while we watched in silence until JZ asked:” What are you thinking?” I chuckled at first noticing how dark my thoughts had been. I pointed to a few individuals and explained how some of their behaviours translated cultural or religious programming. I showed JZ how most of us wear our insecurities, our fears and our lack of self-confidence on our sleeves. He seemed fascinated as well as impressed with how much I could read from a facial expression and a simple demeanour or posture. Ironically what disappointed me the most was how little affection people showed each other. In the city you can literally get lost in a crowd. It’s rare to see perfect strangers acknowledging each other. If you’ve ever eavesdropped on other people’s conversations you can easily validate the fact that people constantly repeat the same complaints and tell ea...