Journey of the Drum
By Peter Bowden
What is the correct way of healing for ourselves? How can I grow spiritually? What is the right way or correct path for me? Nobody has the answer to these questions except you. As light workers, teachers, healers, guides, people, all we can do is honour the person that we truly are, by giving thanks and being truly humble for the gifts and talents that we own. Our journeys in life starts with ourselves, our healing starts with ourselves, our forgiveness starts with ourselves. Too many of us forget these things. We need to respect and honour who we truly are. We need to walk our path with beauty by being humble and compassionate with ourselves and all other beings.
In this day and age our lives are so busy that many of us have forgotten who we are, why we are here and the connectedness that we have with all living things. Life is forever changing. The cycle of life, day to night, night to day, season to season, year to year, birth to death, are ever changing. When do we take the time to see the beauty in a flower or the sun setting over this land? We need to come back to the grounding of ourselves and the honouring of Creator, Mother Earth, Father Sky, and all that dwells on this beautiful planet and in this vast universe of ours.
I would like to share a little of my healing and the journey the drum has taken me on. This way of healing has worked for me, it may not work for everyone but it has helped me along my path of self discovery.
My journey to find out who I was began in the early to mid 80’s. I always felt that there was more to life than being a part of this material world. I have done many things in this life, sharing meditation, teaching Reiki, counselling, reading cards, sitting under a tree contemplating my navel, all these things have brought me to a place of understanding of who I am. It has brought me to a place of wanting to now share the Earth Medicine Teachings, the Shamanic way that I now understand is the connectedness that we have to all living beings. Ever since I can remember I always had an interest in wanting to learn more about the Native American Tradition. Over the years I have learnt teachings from the Amerindians, some Cree, some Apache and some Lakota. It was in the late 80’s that I made my first traditional Medicine Drum and I have done many journeys of healing and self discovery since then. I have now been teaching the way of the drum for about 19 years and hold workshops for people to make their own drum or journeying with the drum.
Years ago, when I was first starting to grow spiritually I sat with 2 other friends in meditation. To set the scene, it was night, the lights where off and we had a few candles burning, with very quite music in the background. After we finished the meditation we started to discuss what we each felt and saw. Then one of my friends turned to me and said that there was someone there to meet me. As we sat in the dim light I saw my friends face change shape 4 times. I saw an old wise man with long white hair, I saw an old Aboriginal elder, I saw a Native American Indian man and a Buddhist monk. Back then I questioned what I saw but felt that these faces would have meaning for me over the years.
As I developed spiritually I learnt that these faces where guides and teachers that wanted to share with me. With the Drum I have journeyed with them all at different occasions. I now know each of them individually, there names and why they had come into my life.
In April 1996 year I was invited to partake in 5 days of ceremony after have done my first 4 day vision quest. My Aboriginal guide came to me and shared a journey with me through this Quest. It was an amazing powerful experience. A couple of months after this I was draw to a place that had a waterfall just outside of Nambour on the Sunshine Coast Qld. I took my drum with me and in this place I sat and drummed for about an hour and a half. My aboriginal guide came in and shared a vision of this place to me and why I was there. It was an amazing drumming experience and a wonderful vision.
Journeying with the drum can be exciting and self discovering. We can take journeys to the Lower, Middle and Upper Worlds. We can journey to meet our Guides and Teachers, our Ancestors and our Spirit Animals. Journeying with the drum is endless. It is also empowering as we can ask questions of our guides and teachers, we can ask for direction with our life’s journey, our life’s purpose, our correct spiritual path and much more. All questions will be answered provided we ask with respect and honour, with clear intent and a pure heart. All journey work starts with an open heart.
Today, it is so exciting to now see so many brothers and sisters, both young and old, opening their hearts to Spirit and using their Medicine Drums for healing, sharing and self discovery. Honour yourselves, honour your Drum and have a wonderful journey of self discovery.
Walk with beauty in your heart.
Ahoh! Mitakuye Oyasin! Ahoh!
