The Sacred Art of Birthing A Shamanic Drum
I experienced my first drum birthing around 9 years ago. Before this, I had been working with a vegan shamanic frame drum for around 20 years quite happily. Once I birthed my own, a profound connection to this new drum that I birthed into being rocked my world!
My shamanic practice took off exponentially. My shamanic consciousness evolved dramatically. This drum had the power to guide me into altered states of consciousness much faster and helped me to drum my dreams into being, as I connected to the ancient practice of shamanic drumming in a new way. I was so blown away by the power of this experience I knew I wanted to help others birth their dream drums too.
At first, I called in the best authentic shamanic drum birth teachers I could find to host the drum birthing events, and I have been blessed to work with a few different drum birthing teachers. Each taught me different birthing techniques, and different rituals to connect and activate the shamanic power of the drum.
I have birthed 1 or 2 drums for myself each year since that first year, and after several years of training with Northern European Shamans and Native American Lakota lineage teachers, including the Grandson of the infamous Black Elk Wallace, I was ready to teach the sacred art of shamanic drum birthing.
Helping others birth drums is intensely rewarding. It can also be kinda exhausting birthing drums, as I hold space for so many new drum babies being born in both a physical and spiritual sense. It takes a lot of preparation, spiritually and physically and a few days to recover after the event too, a little bit like giving birth. And it is so worth the energy and effort we all collectively put in. I get to help others on their path of healing, and spiritual awakening, which is what I live for! The love I see flowing between the drum birthers and their drums is incredibly intimate, profound and powerful. The drums, which begin as rawhide and wood become living beings, allies, spiritual guides, healers and teachers. The animal and tree that are physically no longer in living form are re-birthed into being as a shamanic drum.
I struggle to find words to express how divine, profound, and healing drum birthing is. When you birth a drum, it is not just a drum, it is your spiritual ally and a gift for life! Yes, you can buy beautiful hand-crafted shamanic drums online - but honestly, it is not the same - not even close.
My Drum Birthing workshops integrate the very best of the teachings and traditions I have learnt over the years into a 2-day course that will help you connect powerfully and practically to your shamanic drum. The ceremony itself helps to heal our wounds, to bring the drum to life, and to awaken its healing potential. I offer drum birthing courses with specific animals and tree beings each time, so we can work with skins in an ethical and respectful way. Honouring the animal and tree we are rebirthing into being, and welcoming them into our lives as an ally for life.
All drums are unique in their gifts and potential, and the relationship you build with your drum is also unique. Each of my drums has a special name, the name offers a symbolic reference to their gifts and healing qualities. The names are not chosen by us, the drums tell us their names, as we are birthing them, as we discover their healing gifts and connect in our own distinctive way with this powerful spiritual ally.
To help you feel into the potential gifts of shamanic drums, let me introduce you to some of my drums.
MESMER, horse hide - trance states and journeying
Mesmer - named after Franz Mesmer. This German physician theorised the existence of a process of natural energy transference occurring between all animate and inanimate objects. Now the term is used as a synonym for hypnotism. To mesmerise someone is to hypnotise them, or to place them in a trance state of consciousness.
Horsehide is quite tough to work with, and can be hard to create a good quality sounding tight drum. You need strong hands and arms to birth a horse drum. This Horse hide drum is my firstborn drum baby. It was a tough birth for me. This particular drum doesn't like to be shared, she is a monogamous drum, and she also teaches respect - you can look but not touch.
She likes me to use her to guide people on shamanic journeys. The spirit of Horse helps us journey into the spirit realm, she helps us to reach trance states that can help us see with our third eye, to vision and sense with our extra sensory perceptions.
EGON, water buffalo - release and cleansing
EGON - means ‘sword’s edge’ or ‘strong with sword’, and like my first drum ‘Mesmer’, this name has a German origin.
Egon is made from water buffalo hide, very flexible and soft when in water, and easy to birth.
I birthed this drum with a set intention, as a drum to share with others, and to help release people from whatever is holding them back, and so when she told me her name, and I realised how perfectly aligned this meaning is, I was very excited to begin work with her. She helps me when I do releasing work, mostly helping people release beliefs and stories that are holding them back, and in healing the epigenetic wounds we carry for our ancestors. She is very much a healing drum.
DARK STAR, stag hide - leadership and power
DARK STAR is a protector, he keeps us safe as we work, and I use him in both healing and journeying work. He teaches me that if we wish to expand our hearts, we need healthy boundaries, we need to feel safe to be open-hearted and compassionate. He helps us to be brave, feel protected and to open our hearts a little bit more.
The name Dark Star also relates to the theory of dark matter. Dark stars helped the light stars during the creation of the universe, they supported them and helped them grow larger. This drum, helps us to expand our light in a spiritual sense, to be more confident, shine brighter, trust in our power and stay grounded.
Dark Star is made with stag hide, a pyrite crystal embedded in the handle and a buzzard feather attached. The pyrite represents protection, clarity, focus, and attracting abundance. The Buzzard feather represents rising above negativity and staying focused on your path.
The stag represents leadership and protection in many cultures. It is a graceful, confident and resilient animal. And also symbolises the soul’s journey towards enlightenment and obtaining mystical knowledge and spiritual insights.
Dark Star is the drum I use most often in group shamanic ceremonies, as it offer us both the protective vibration and also the ability to gracefully and confidently explore the depths of our consciousness and connection to the spirit realms.
RAINBOW TREE, deer skin - heart chakra activator
I wanted to birth a drum that would help me specifically with cacao ceremonies. A heart chakra activator. Deer is the perfect spirit animal to work with.
Deer spirit offers us a sense of peace within, gentleness and increased sensitivity. She can carry messages from spirit to us, guiding us with love, opening our hearts and fostering our connection to spirit. She can help us to develop greater self awareness and a deeper connection with the landscape and beings around us. She encourages us to trust the journey we are on, and live in harmony, to see the beauty of the path we walk, embracing life with an open heart full of love.
Rainbow tree shares a softening energy, and I always take her to my cacao healing drum circles for other to play. She loves to be shared and to be in community.
KOKAPELLI, buffalo hide - creativity and self belief
Kokopelli symbolises fertility and creativity. Kokopelli teaches that the magic lies within us, he helps us to shift away from limiting beliefs and move forward. Trust in our abilities, our gifts and our personal power. To begin!
Buffalo spirit teaches us that abundance lies in not just physical wealth but in our community, our relationships, and in the natural world. Buffalo teaches gratitude and resilience, courage and respect.
I currently use this drum for my personal rituals, when I want to tune into spirit and call in inspiration for the path ahead. To manifest, in harmony with all my relations - to remember I am the creator of my own reality, to remember my core values that I am here to honour and protect this sacred earth. And also, to remember to not take life too seriously, to enjoy the journey! As she is small she is quiet this is another reason I use her just for me, and not for an audience.
OCEANE - an ocean drum, Deer hide and made with 405 stones
This drum is called an Inipi lodge drum. It is a double-sided healing drum. One side represents the player’s heart, the other side represents the receiver’s heart. As we play, it connects us - heartbeat to heartbeat.
I can play this drum as a healing frame drum or as an ocean drum. The 405 small stones contained within represent the 405 spirit guides that are available to me. This is a traditional way the Lakota teach us to work with our spirit guides, as I play this drum I am calling in the medicine of my 405 spirit guides. I also have a rattle made in the same way, and I use this for my healing practices as well.
The hide is from deer, a spirit animal with powerful heart-healing properties.
SHANAYA - A vegan drum - Buffalo Remo. She helps us find our light.
Shanaya means ‘ray of sun or light’ in both the Hebrew and Sanskrit languages.
Shanaya is a vegan drum, therefore not made from an animal hide or attached to a specific animal spirit. When I travelled to meet her spirit I was delighted that she shared her gifts and intentions as a healing drum with me just like the other drums did.
I love to carry a vegan drum with me wherever I travel as they are very consistent, and do not change their sound in different weather conditions as animal hide drums do. She has a deep tone, and everyone she works with loves her sound. Although it is my preference, whenever possible, to work with one of my animal drums, this drum never fails me when I need her.
I choose her when I need a drum to work in difficult weather conditions. She is 16”, which is a good size for group work. I have 2 smaller vegan drums I bring to my drum circles, and these are wonderful for 1-2-1 and small group sessions, and these larger drums are best when working with larger groups in larger spaces.
Drum Birthing Workshops
If you are interested in joining me for a drum birthing workshop, I am hosting 2 more weekend workshops this year.
Buffalo and Oak Shamanic Drum Birthing
September 21st & 22nd, for Autumn Equinox, I am hosting a Buffalo and Oak drum birthing event, which connects us with their gifts and themes of strength and leadership, truth and liberation. In this workshop I will also be sharing the art of shamanic rattle making.
Reindeer and Rosewood Shamanic Drum Birthing
December 7th & 8th, for Winter Solstice, I am hosting a Reindeer and Rosewood drum birthing event, which connects us with their gifts and themes of balancing the masculine and feminine energies within us, endurance, self love, connection to our inner divinity and staying true to our path.
Drum Circles
Step into the Sacred Circle
If you would like to learn more about shamanic drumming and explore different healing rhythms, and techniques I host a monthly ‘Sacred Drum & Cacao Healing Circle’, at the ARK Cultural Centre in Margate. On the Sunday afternoon closest to the Full Moon. This coming month’s event is on the 18th of August 3 pm to 5 pm.
I have many drums to share, or bring your own - Djembes and other types of drums are also welcome!
Shamanic Drum and Crystal Healing Workshop
DRUM & CRYSTAL HEALING
This is an in-depth 2-day workshop where I teach you the art of healing others with drums. This is a workshop which will help you to integrate shamanic drumming into your healing practice if you are already a healer, or begin working as a healer in a shamanic way that is both gentle and safe, yet powerful.
This year’s course is already sold out, but we have a course planned for 2025, May 19th & 20th, which you can book if you are called to.
Places are limited at all events, ensuring I can give you my full and focused attention. Please do book early to secure your place, and get in touch if you have any questions. I am always happy to talk to anyone about the work I do, I want you to have the knowledge and power to make an informed choice about your investment in this healing journey.
Healing with shamanic drums is my passion, and I consider it an honour to help others love and connect with the sacred art of shamanic drumming as much as I do!
