Our Heartbeat is our Drum

When we hear a drumbeat, we are not experiencing something new new. We are responding to the beat we have heard from the beginning of our life.

The entire time we were in the womb, we heard the heartbeat. And heartbeat is what drummers always start off with in drumming circles, the drum beat that mimics the heartbeat. The drum became humankind's first instrument.

That is why when doing drumming meditations, for journeying, heartbeat is a place to start. Heartbeats are used in healing sessions.

Breath was our first drummer. With every breath, breath plays our drum again. The drumbeat accompanies us from our first to last moments in this life. We know these things, but do we listen?

Hearing is our last sense to go when we go. That is why our sense most closely connected to spirit is hearing.

That is why the heartbeat can lead us on valuable inner journeys, using nothing but a heartbeat. Every healing has a rhythm.

When we measure a person's chakras to see how they are flowing, we know which ones need more attention. Similarly, there are different rhythms and tones that can help heal different people.

So certain tones and rhythms bring your energies into sync with a sense of timing that brings you backing into harmony. You know how sometimes you just get the feeling like this is the perfect time to make that call, see this person, or stop in this place, and everything works? You get what you need and it flows with your schedule, and the rhythm of your life is in sync, and agreement with others flows easily.

Rhythm. Flow. Now the aura is the other fluid, visible measure of how we are doing. Some will see the aura around a person. That is what aura cameras can show you. Some people feel the space around a person which either keeps them further away or welcomes them in. The rhythm of your life colors your aura. Different rhythms have different vibrations, creating different colors. When life is in sync, it becomes visible and tangible to others. Our perceptions sharpen and we pick up more signals.

Sometimes we sense that aura in other ways when we say that a person is glowing, or that they have fire in the belly. That is the light drawing attention to you, drawing energy to you. People are drawn to people who they sense are open. That is your gut instinct guiding you. Your gut instinct is one of the ways your spirit guides give you signs.

Rhythms. Feel the rhythms? You know when something is right for you because it flows with your rhythms. You feel in sync.

One time, Babatunde Olatunji, the great Nigerian djembe master, was teaching a group of new students to drum, and they just weren't getting the hang of it. So he told them to keep on drumming the way they were and told some of the drummers to leave their drums to get up and try and dance to what their classmates were playing. That's what it took for them to learn their lesson that day.

Our heartbeat is our drum. What is your heart telling you? The beat wants you to move. When we do, we flow into the rhythm easily and our heart sings.

We hear it in our own words. What would you really like to do? We sense that something is really calling to us and yet we allow reasons not to follow our heart turn our thoughts in other directions, and we lose the beat. We are not dancing any more.

Did you ever picture your moving through life, engaging in daily routines, as your dance?

Know this. When you are listening to another drummer, it is your hearing that helps you find your way into the sound, and merge with it, not watching other drummers' hands. You immediately feel when the beats fit together well.

Malidoma Some, a great drummer and spiritual teacher, said that "Anyone who has trouble with drumming has trouble with listening."

So in celebration of the Summer Solstice, this coming Sunday, light a candle and think about all the people who bring light into your life.

A great time to thank your spirit guides for all the enlightenment you have received through them.

Especially when we are going through difficulties and challenging times, we welcome in any new ideas, guidance, or advice that spirit will bring us to help us find solutions. What new information comes to light that encourages us to go forward? Outside on the Solstice, as you enjoy the rays, thank your spirit guides for bringing you the information you need to make wise decisions and give you encouragement.

This is the rhythm of the longest day of the year. A time when many of our herbs are ready for their first harvest. The setting of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream.

Harmonizing our energies with nature, our higher self and our spirit guides. Basking in the light and letting our light shine. Celebrate the light in your life and whatever and whoever brings light into your life. Let your drumbeat resonate on this longest day!

 

Lessons from the garden

Gardening offers gentle prompts in the most subtle ways. Life lessons and messages from spirit are everywhere when we keep our eyes and ears open.

For example, when we were planting the garden, a hawk perched up in the tree and watched us for a couple hours. Hawks remind us to stay focused on our goals. Use that long range vision to look ahead.

The gnome is enjoying the columbine that I thought had died during the winter, but it came back. He is getting a kick out of that. Before we tear something out and start over, we should always be certain that we are done with it before clearing it out. Plants with good roots will keep on coming back even after the freezing and droughts. Same thing with some of our business plans, and personal plans. We should take a good look so that we see everything clearly before we take action.

Garden snakes always startle us when they suddenly cross our path, but now we are used to seeing them and we know they are helping to keep mice and insects out of the garden. We don't try and harm them. As soon as they see us, they crawl back into hiding. Sometimes things that are unexpected can be very helpful. We might even like those unexpected developments.

Look at all the different physical arrangements we make so that plants will have the light, shade or water they need. Sometimes just moving a plant a few feet will inspire growth.

Then there are companion plants. Plants grow best when they are near plants they get along with. If they are not, they will suffer and fail. The same is true for people. When we are with great companions, we flourish. When we are not, we struggle and fail.

Yesterday while we were working in the garden, we watched a pair of woodpeckers nesting in the maple tree. There are a pair of towhees in the pine. The woodpeckers are all about persistence, continuous effort combined with intuition. They break through barriers to get to hidden opportunities.

Towhees are ground feeders and so they remind us to stay grounded, having respect for the natural world. They hop backwards to kick up leaves and see what is underneath. They can navigate dense, tangled underbrush. They look a lot like a Robin with white speckles on its wings and the bright burst of red/orange color on its breast grabs our attention and prompts attention to awakening passion and vigor.

When I saw the bees drinking out of the bird bath, the bees using the bee house I mounted on the pine, and see them visiting each of the flowers, I see a good omen for this year's garden. Lots of bees, lots of growth, fresh leaves and first flowers. We are efficient with our use of water, since we are aware that we have a drought. Drought doesn't mean you can't garden. It means you need to garden more carefully.

When we notice a change in a plant's behavior or color, we look at what we need to do. Change companion plants? Shade it more? More sun? Add fertilizer? Water more? Water less? Does it need protection from bugs, birds or squirrels?

Do we look at all the factors affecting our growth, health and happiness?

Working with the plants is a pleasure while making daily mental notes about what is working and what needs to be done brings a lot of joy even before they produce vegetables, fruits and herbs. A way to meditate right in your backyard.