Drumming
Drumming is a common shamanic method used to open a Connection to Consciousness. It is used in many ancient indigenous societies,[1] as well as in modern shamanic practice.
List of Connection Practices
Notes
An early study by Neher demonstrated the impact on drumming on brainwave patterns.[2]. Neher called the phenomenon Auditory Driving.
Neher notes that in some ceremonies, drums become louder and the beats accelerated as Connection ("trance") is achieved.[3]
Neher also points out many indigenous drumming includes polyrhythms, and other forms of stimulation (tactile/kinesthetic) [4]
Harner suggests that a steady rhythm of 205 to 220 BPM is enough to "change consciousness." [5]
- This Youtube video contains drum beats of the appropriate speed, and without the somnambulistic distractions of flute.
"the Turks and the Uigur regarded the drum as a " celestial bridge" (rainbow) over which the shaman made his ascent. This idea forms part of the complex symbolism of the drum and the bridge, each of which represents a different formula for the same ecstatic experience: celestial ascent. It is through the musical magic of the drum that the shaman can reach the highest heaven."[6]
Michael Drake presents drumming as a practice capable of inducing a "transcendent state of unity consciousness" where one becomes a Hollow Bone, an individual who has or can enter a trance state "without their personal ego. This non-ego hollowness makes a way for Spirit to use them as a healing tool. In this way, the shaman is a channel for higher consciousness."[7]
Michael Drake suggests a tempo of three to four beats per second. "Focus your attention on the sound of the drum, thereby stilling the chatter in your mind. Allow the drum to empty you - become one with the drum."[8]
Clearly, shamanic drumming facilitates Channeling, specifically Trance Channeling, a disconnected form of Intramonadic Communication. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, but the long term goal is not Trance Connection but Perfected Connection.
Tibetan Pau (Shamans) use drums, bells, and chanting "The pau are wild because they enter trance by simultaneously and loudly playing a small two-sided, hourglass-shaped dharu11 (hand drum) and shang [gshang] (flat bell), one in each hand, sometimes for an hour or longer."[9]
Drumming is called the Shaman's horse.[10]
"Worldwide, it appeared that the most common vehicle for the shaman’s journey was auditory driving in the form of simple, monotonous percussion sound. Although this was usually produced by the drum, in some places other percussion instruments were used, such as click sticks used by most Aboriginal peoples of Australia. In the wet tropics of Southeast Asia, shamans normally used gongs and metal bangles instead of drums."[11] Harner provides an extensive list of cultures who use drumming to induce Connection.
Researchers are beginning to discover the significance of "rhythm" and how it alters brain function[12] in a way that facilitates connection.
Footnotes
- ↑ Rogers, Spencer L. The Shaman: His Symbols and His Healing Power. Illinois: Charles Thomas Publishers, 1982.
- ↑ Neher, Andrew. “Auditory Driving Observed with Scalp Electrodes in Normal Subjects.” Electroencephalography & Clinical Neurophysiology 13 (1961): 449–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/0013-4694(61)90014-1.
- ↑ Neher, Andrew. “A Physiological Explanation of Unusual Behavior in Ceremonies Involving Drums.” Human Biology 34, no. 2 (1962): 151.
- ↑ Neher, Andrew. “A Physiological Explanation of Unusual Behavior in Ceremonies Involving Drums.” Human Biology 34, no. 2 (1962): 151.
- ↑ Harner, Michael. Cave and Cosmos: Shamanic Encounters with Another Reality. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 2013.
- ↑ Eliade, Mircea. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. New York: Penguin Books, 1989. p. 135.
- ↑ Drake, Michael. "Drumming the Hollow Bone." Sacred Hoop Magazine 2012. https://shamanicdrumming.com/drumming-the-hollow-bone.html
- ↑ Drake, Michael. "Drumming the Hollow Bone." Sacred Hoop Magazine 2012.
- ↑ Peters, Larry. Tibetan Shamanism: Ecstasy and Healing. California: North Atlantic Books, 2016.
- ↑ Harner, Michael. Cave and Cosmos: Shamanic Encounters with Another Reality. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 2013
- ↑ Harner, Michael. Cave and Cosmos: Shamanic Encounters with Another Reality. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 2013
- ↑ Hamilton, Jon. “Scientists Say A Mind-Bending Rhythm In The Brain Can Act Like Ketamine.” NPR.org, 2020. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/09/16/913565163/scientists-discover-way-to-induce-altered-state-of-mind-without-drugs.
