Shamanic Drum Birthing Workshop

It was up bright and early today to head into the wilds of Kent to attend a Shamanic Drum Birthing Workshop run by Jonathan Weekes of Heron Drums. A good mood was set with a beautiful sky as we made our way there.

We started off with smudging, opening ceremony and some drumming around a very nice altar.

The group was split into two halves for the drumming so some got to play while the others got to feel the energies and then we swapped round to go the other way. A beautiful energy was created during all of this that set the tone for the rest of the day.

Jonathan then proceeded to show us the basic steps to making a drum. This is the one that he made as part of that session: 

 After a break for lunch it was then time for the sixteen of us to knuckle down and carry out the process ourselves. We were all provided with a hoop and then had to select our hide. Toni and I opted for stag.

Hoop:

Hide for drum skin:

Hide cut for lacing:

The next couple of hours (I think) was spent with all of us building our drums. It was such a wonderful experience watching everything take shape.

It was such a thrilling moment to finally finish and give birth to my drum :) The only down side is that I can't play it for at least week while it dries out properly.

After the birthing we all did a drum meditation to connect with the spirit of our drums. This was quite an overwhelming experience but was very positive.

Here is the group with our new family :)

This was a fantastic day out and when I would highly recommend to anyone who has an interest in shamanic drums. It's one thing owning one but quite another building your very own. Jonathan Weekes is a fantastic teacher and made this such a fun experience.