Sacred Beat

“This book reminds us that all of creation speaks to us through the rhythmic voice of the drum.” —Evelyn C. Rysdvk, author of Modern Shamanic Living

The beat is universal drumming as a way of communicating with other people, spirits, and self—existing around the world and throughout time. In Sacred Beat, Patricia Telesco and Don Two Eagles Waterhawk tell the history of drums and drumming circles and the myths, superstitions, and religions that have grown up around drumming.

From West Africa to Tibet, from Siberia to England, from Vietnam to Apache territory—where Fox gave the people drums along with fire—come stories about drums, their invention, and their use up until contemporary times where people engage in drumming from Native American PowWows to Goddess gatherings to community centers. People respond almost universally and profoundly to drums to relieve stress, to communicate, to move in rhythm with the universe, to praise their gods.

Sacred Beat reveals ideas for finding a drum and other rhythmic tools that are right for your personal vision. You will learn how to care for and decorate your instrument, understand drum etiquette, and discover the elements of a good drum circle to help you create drumming magic all your own, with meditations, prayers, and divinations to develop overall wellbeing and spiritual awareness with drums. The voice of the drum combines with the voice of the Ancestors, the voice of Spirit, and the voice of our own soul to create a powerful and transformational partnership. By working with the drum, a person can support this partnership, reach out to the community, touch the earth, and nurture their own spirit.