Drum Circle Consciousness

From the video and book, “ Guide to Endrummingment”
Published by Interworld Music

by Arthur Hull

Drum circle consciousness is a group vision manifest in sound, an attitude of giving of yourself and integrating yourself into a group to create a song. You become a part of a whole that is more than the sum of its parts.

When we come together and drum, the power of the rhythm moves us to a place where we all share the same space, time, and music together. We are focusing our attention to create a song. In that moment, we are not necessarily hitting the same note at the same time, but we are intimately sharing that rhythmical moment. Anyone can do this, even if you’ve never drummed before in your life! You don’t have to be a shaman or a professional musician to experience the magic of the drum circle. When you play with a group that wants to go to that place and create the magic of being in the same place at the same time, together you create that natural phenomenon called “entrainment.” You are in rhythmical alignment with each other.

When we are there, thoughts stop. When thoughts stop, time stops and healing starts. We connect beyond our intellects, in a primal kinesthetic dance that is expressed using sound, and by doing so we facilitate the bonding of our spirit connections in the circle.

We cut through all racial, cultural, and gender boundaries, to the core of who we are as human animals on the planet. That’s why the drum is a tool for unity. It grounds us to our primal relationship with each other, mother earth and the natural laws that govern the universe. Drumming under the full moon around a fire on top of a hill is an emotional, spiritual experience that is available to anyone, whether you know each other or not, with or without formal spiritual training, technical drum training or new age personal growth consciousness training. We come together to share ourselves in music and rhythm and to give and get an intimate rhythmical massage, a massage that goes deeper than the vibration of the drums, going through our skin and muscles to our bones. The vibration of the rhythms goes to those stuck places in our lives, in our hearts, in our souls, and massages them back into movement and health. Lack of the movement of energy creates disease. Movement of energy facilitates healing. When a group of people come together in a circle with focused intent, they facilitate the flow of the power that makes things happen. When you add drums as a vehicle for that focus the drums enhance the power to improve our health, our lives, and the very essence of our beings.