Drum Circles Stimulate Natural High, Spirits Too
Drumming Removes Stress While Tapping into the Spirit World
Sep 4, 2009
An article by San Francisco Examiner staff writer Mike Aldax, dated Aug. 23, 2009, states: "Drum circles are emerging as an effective and respected treatment method for conditions such as stress and anxiety, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, which endorsed the practice in a recent agency report."
Drumming Circles Reduce Angst and Lower Blood Pressure
August John Cardinale, who for years has been leading drumming circles in Westchester County, N.Y. and surrounding areas, agrees that drumming produces a natural high that reduces angst and lowers blood pressure.
The type of drum played doesn't matter and the drummer can be any age and one doesn't need talent to play, he said during a recent phone interview. The typical drums come from Senegal and Ghana, and cost between $100 to $250. The bigger the drum, the more expensive it will be.
At his drum circles, August Cardinale starts drumming slowly, making sure participants keep up with him. "You want to take people into this experience by understanding what they are capable of doing. You educate them and help them have a good experience. This is about them and not about you."
Most people feel really relaxed and their whole body tingles, he says. "That's the energy. The drumming session creates the energy, the vibration from banging on the drum." By putting people into a meditative state or an occasional trance, he explains, it helps the body repair by eliminating the stresses of everyday life. "It's almost like an escape. Some people escape by drumming."
Drumming Can Propel One into a Spirit Realm
And sometimes group drumming, akin to Native American tradition, can lead to even more. Drumming together, says August Cardinale, creates a very focused energy that helps propel one into a spirit realm. And even if an individual drums alone, he notes, she can reach that higher state. For Cardinale, that higher state occurred some years back when he brought his drum into a cave in England. Something impelled him, he says, to want to drum in that cave,
Alone and perched on a ledge in the cave, he proceeded to drum, little expecting what would occur next. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he saw a fierce-looking small black creature with pointy ears gazing at him. "I decided whatever my drumming was doing, it evoked a connection with spirits - I didn't know if it was good or bad." Continuing to drum, he felt the creature was a positive manifestation. "I kept drumming; he kept watching. It seemed to affect the little guy, and it looked like he was smiling."
He looked away for a second, and the creature was gone. But next, the drummer saw a beautiful woman in a white tunic with a black cloak over her shoulders. He kept on drumming. She said nothing, but continued looking towards him, over his shoulder. She stayed for a good five minutes, he recalls.
Later, he found out from spiritual friends that the black creature is called a hobgoblin. And the woman, he learned from a book on goddesses, is called the Goddess of Sovereign or the Triple Goddess. She takes on three different forms, a maiden, a middle-aged woman/mother, and an old woman. The vision Cardinale had seen was the mother image, "the most gorgeous woman," he says, "I had ever seen in my life."
"When they appeared, I can't tell you what a shock it was," he says. "I grew up as a Roman Catholic altar boy." Still, he believes without doubt that the three-dimensional figures in the cave were spirits.
Often in drumming circles, people say they hear chanting or other things like animal sounds, he notes. They may not have seen something, but they will connect with spirits. Once in a while they will get lucky and see something. "When you open your mind to that and receive, you want to make sure you receive something good."
That's why at drumming circles, he explains, they light a white candle and burn sage to get rid of any negativity and bring in as much positive energy as possible.
Drum leader Burns a Fistful of Sage to Cleanse and Protect
At a recent drumming circle led by August Cardinale at the Stern Chiropractic and Wellness Center in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., the drum leader began by igniting a fistful of sage in a bowl. "When we burn sage, we cleanse the drums and the people," he says. By getting rid of what we don't want, it frees all the open space for us to take in the good stuff. It's all about cleansing and protecting." Walking around the circle with the burning sage, he asked each participant to "grab" a bit of smoke as an element of self-protection. This is part of Native American tradition, he explains.
As to the drumming, as long as everyone in the circle follows a certain rhythm and it's not scattered, the energy is concentrated and it becomes a sort of vortex, he says. As you drum, you go into a meditative state. You don't worry if you're playing the right tone; you just drum to get out of your mind, relax and enjoy what you're doing. "Somewhere along the line, you'll connect in other ways."
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