Medicine drum
birthing ceremony
Have you also heard the call of the Drum?
The call of the Drum is getting louder. A calling of connection and oneness. More and more people are hearing it. It is reaching further, broader and deeper.
I think it is human evolution. The Drum is the oldest instrument, every culture, ancient or new has some sort of percussion. It is the heartbeat of our Earthmother. It unites us and connects us to creation. It dissolves the illusion of separation. In times like these Gaia is calling us back home. She wants to re-connect us through her Heartbeat as we are ALL “native” children of the Earth and it is time we show up in that knowing, answering that primal call, something more, something beyond, deeper, bigger….
I believe the calling to birth your own medicine drum is a calling of our Earth Mother summoning her children back home. Back to RE-membrance and organic timelines. Essentially a birthing of thy Self, bearing witness to the unraveling and re-weaving of your heart-song and spirit path.
The drumbirthing ceremony is a day filled with beauty, love and a nurturing of our Spirits. Connecting us back to the one heartbeat. This is the frequency that will be channeled through our hands into the drums being birthed, as making a medicine drum is an alchemical process that sets a new pattern of connection and respect for creation itself.
I will share the drum teachings of the Ojibwe elders as well as those ancient ones who speak and work uniquely through me from other realms. My intention is to create an atmosphere outside of time and space to deeply understand the magic of coming together and support one another to heal and awaken. To empower each individual, and allow them to find their own voice, medicine and gifts. Connected, empowered and creative. Empower the circle as a whole to bring back the principle that we are not alone and together we are strong and powerful… gifting us the opportunity to be fully in the moment, stepping out of our thinking minds and leading from our heart-space with Presence. Love. Flow. Trust.
Raising the collective vibration of the planet.
The medicine drums I assist in birthing will carry your own rhythm and vibration as well as those of Pachamama, our Earthstar. By playing them you will connect to her heartbeat. In their creation, we will only use carefully selected natural, raw or recycled materials with respect and reverence for the animals and trees provided by Creator. I personally cut all drumheads and lacing by hand, always from the same animal hide as to not have opposing energies/personalities in the drum. The frames are handmade to order in British Columbia using salvaged Yellow Cedar wood.
Much awareness, love and blessings go into the preparation of the materials for these sacred instruments which translates into the powerful medicine tools they become.
As a final passage, I drum over each newly born drum to pass on a transmission that was gifted to me by the Original Mother of Drums, the original spark of creation. Holding light codes for a New time.
These drums are made to last for generations. If well taken care of and respected for what they are, the next seven generations will be beating to the heartbeat of the Earth on the drum you created and brought into being. Imagine the power of that!
The new drums coming through are holding a new eagerness… I can feel their desire to be of service!!!! It’s wild.
The medicine drum is a shamanic tool used for healing and transformation since ancient times. Drumming has the power to synchronize brain hemispheres and create altered states of consciousness in which healing and wisdom from the higher self can be obtained.
Rhythm is a primordial vibration that pulses through our bodies with the beating of our hearts. Before we had ears to hear we felt the beat of our mother’s heart pulsing through our cellular bodies. Rhythm through vibration is an ancient force since the beginning of time, a beating of life-force that connects all things.
As a side note, men are always welcome, as we, the collective, are waiting and ready for your presence!
There is a 24 hour cancelation policy as the hide for each person is soaked the day before and cannot be re-used.
If you are ready to deepen your connection with the Earth and your own heart, I invite you to heed that calling.
A POEM BY STUDENT&HOST ANDONIA
A piece of hide—once moving, breathing—now becoming something new.
You soak it.
It softens.
It opens.
You place it over the frame—and for a moment, it’s all possibility.
Then the lacing begins.
Threading.
Pulling.
Finding a rhythm with your hands.
You start to feel how tension shapes the sound.
How every pull matters. How the drum is already forming before you ever hear it. Different hides create different sounds and feeling.
Buffalo tends to be deep and grounding.
Deer can feel lighter, more responsive.
Horse is different.
The horse is connected to movement, stamina, direction.
And when horse hide becomes a drum, that quality doesn’t disappear.
It translates into the sound.
That’s why horse hide drums carry such a steady, resonant tone—
a rhythm you can settle into, a beat that carries over time.
In some traditions, the drum itself is spoken of as a kind of horse—
something that carries you.
Not just through sound,
but through rhythm, memory, prayer, presence.
There is a shared understanding that when the animal gives its body, its essence continues through the drum.
So every beat becomes communication.
.
A living pulse of our aliveness and co creation - the drumbeat is often described as the heartbeat—
of the Earth,
of the people,
of life moving through all things.
And once you feel this, it stays with you.
- Andonia
The nature of natural hide
Rawhide as it is a living material and comes from wild animals, it will not be uniform in thickness or perfect in looks. There will be scarring, cut marks, and occasionally a hole near the edge of the round. Know that these imperfections do not compromise the voice of your drum. Consider any tiny flaws to be the spirit and story of that particular animal. This is their spirit voice speaking once again. The vibration, energy and sound is what holds the powerful medicine they offer.
Hides are a byproduct; no animal is ever killed for the rawhide.
Find out what others are saying about their experience here.
“Honestly the most incredible experience I’ve ever had bringing my drum into this world. It’s been an honor and such a blessing finding my authentic voice again! Hope to see you again soon! This class with you was life changing for me!”
-Kathryn