Heartbeat

Sometimes we are attracted to a medicine drum and just have to have one. Sometimes it is the drums voice that calls us or spirit pointing us to a tool that we know will work for us. But once we have found our drum or have been presented with one we are at a loss as what to do now?

Little Hawk first met a medicine drum while partaking in a Medicine wheel ceremony with Medicine woman Maree Mathews at a down to earth festival in 1993. This was little hawks first big step onto her spiritual path. This was a huge ceremony with close to 100 people participating, when Maree asked for representatives for each of the four directions and for the centre little hawks heart leapt, she had always felt fearful at participating in something so spiritual with all that energy present as she was well aware of the uncomfortable feelings with connecting to too many energies all at once, but not this time, spirit urged her on. She wasn't expecting to be chosen as so many others wanted to also volunteer and she was on the very outer edge of the group, but spirit pushed her forward enough that Maree picked her for the centre of the circle. Little Hawk absorbed every word Maree said about the magic of the medicine wheel and when Maree started calling (drumming) in the directions all trepidation and fear slipped away, the drum was taking her home, she had never felt so safe or so at peace when she had participated in any spiritual work before as she did at the first beat of Marees drum. That drums voice carried her to so many places and when the wheel was finally set Maree asked if Little Hawk had anything to share with everyone present which she did but she was so in awe of where she had journeyed and how, when she looked at someone their faces changed to those of animals, she was stumped and speechless. From that day little hawk knew that she needed a drum. She asked Maree where she had gotten her drum from and if she knew where she could purchase one, Marees drum was a gift from the United states and no she didn't know where she could get one but she had a tape with drumming from her drum recorded on it. So Little hawk purchased a tape and listened and journeyed with it for a few years until she learnt how to make her own drum. Little Hawk thought that once she had her drum she would be able to journey as she had with Marees drum but it wasn't until she totally welcomed her drum into her heart and gave her drum its own honouring ceremony that she truly did begin journeying and healing with her drum.

I'm sure we have all felt that magic and wondered why it does not come from our sacred tools once purchased or made. We have to learn how to activate the spirit of our sacred tools, to become one, to dance and sing together as one, our own sacred marriage, to our own sacred partners that will walk our path with us.

Heartbeat is a workshop and ceremony for doing just that. You will embrace and honour the spirit and magic of your sacred tool, be it drum, rattle, talking stick or feather, spirit stick or dream catcher or just you and the spirit of mother earth and father sky, this will be your marriage ceremony, a recognition of union, respect and universal love.

A Heartbeat workshop takes two hours and is usually held outside. For the workshop you will need to bring along your sacred tool and a sacred herb if you have one, a rug cushion or chair to sit on and sun protection.