Feb 6 – 9, 2020: Shamanic Medicine Drum Making Retreat

 Birdsong Retreat & Sanctuary presents

Wildheart Shamanic Medicine Drum Making Retreat

with Chalice Malcom

Birdsong Retreat is excited to host a medicine drum making workshop & retreat by Chalice Malcolm of Wildheart Medicine/Auckland.    Chalice is a shamanic practitioner, chocolatier, and medicine drum maker.   Initiated into this Native American drum making tradition, our three day retreat allows for a deep exploration and communion with making one’s own medicine drum.

The format of the retreat is as follows:

Thursday afternoon (3pm):   Arrival; settling in; shared meal; evening opening ceremony  (please bring an offering: words, song, a poem, whatever feels right for you);  creation of the medicine wheel (you may be called to bring something for the altar); sacred circle; sharing with rakau; journey to our power animal; all held in Birdsong’s Temple of Venus

Friday (9:30 – 5:30):  Journey to the drum ancestors; meeting the rims; working with the tree medicine and our individual rims.

Saturday (9:30 – 6:00+):   Meeting the deer, deathing and our relationship to this:  choosing our deer skins; journey work to meet the deer; weaving our drums.

Sunday (9:30 – 3 pm):  Stepping into the masculine aspect, the beater, we create the beater for our drum.  Closing ceremony.

Shared meals (everyone to bring something to share for lunch & dinner and bring your own breakfast);  Birdsong will provide tea/coffee; treats, and Saturday evening meal.     This is a chance to immerse ourselves into this process and commune with each other and with the natural surrounds.   While it is not imperative you stay in residence, it is highly encouraged to stay on the premises and be supported through this process.

Cost:  Sliding scale $495 – $555 (pay what you can as we want all who feel called to be able to make a drum)

includes camping/residence @ Birdsong Retreat & Sanctuary,  Wainui,  Banks Peninsula

50% deposit due by 18th January;   balance due by 30th Jan.

Workshop limited to 15 participants; book early to secure your space.

Please email birdsongretreat@gmail.com or contact Kathy Guidi 021 202 2954 for any enquires and to register

MORE FROM CHALICE:

The Making of a Sacred Drum

This is a workshop to birth your medicine drum. In indigenous traditions throughout the world the medicine drum is a sacred tool to support deep healing and cleansing. It supports the journeying process and to create one in this workshop your drum will be uniquely yours. You will receive its specific power and medicine through the process of the weekend. Because of this you will need to have an understanding of your shamanic tools, your power animal and spiritual teacher.

In many ways birthing your drum is similar to birthing a child, it is a sacred aspect of yourself and your healing abilities. It takes focus and deep concentration. I will be working and supporting you deeply in sacred circle and journeying throughout the weekend. It is an incredibly precious workshop, and I am deeply honoured to be supporting this journey.

‘Drums are individuals. They can be very special things’ Nicolas Wood.

‘The relationship I have with my drum has built up over time, it has witnessed and participated in many healing journeys with clients and groups and engaged in profound shifting of energy. This relationship is evolving, I recently was drumming for a woman’s circle, as we deepened more into the sacred journey space a luminous quality entered into the skin of my drum. I felt the energy of pearl vibrate out of the skin with each beat and permeate the room. Pearl is also used to create a sacred space for personal rituals and spiritual practise’ Leila Lees

The deer hides and rims that make up the drum have be processed and made with sacred intention.

Once you birth your drum there is a time to wait and honour the skin before you can play it. In this time the drum is fragile and incredibly vulnerable. We ask that you deeply respect this time and all the work you have done. It will take a few days to completely dry then you will be ready to play it. This too is an intimate process, each drum has its own heart, a place when you touch it with your beater something happens; the relationship between you begins to have voice.

You lead me
to your heart
the place I seek
where I touch your vibration
sweet movement
union
electrical stillness
of gateways opening

‘Drumming also purifies the people. When the drum is played, no matter how you feel, you will start moving to the energy of the beat and you will be moved. When played consciously in ceremony it will change our electricity, our vibrations and brain states.’ Salvatore Gencarelle

Drumming throughout time has been used to connect not only with our rhythm, our heartbeat but also to the universal creative energy.

What you will need to bring:

Tools:
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Leather hole punch or hammer and nail
Wooden board
Feathers, thread, bone, beads for decoration.

Drum Beater:

You will need to find a stick for your beater, this will come to you as a gift from nature. You may wish to spend some time meditating on your stick, calling it through from your teacher. Then allow yourself some time wander in nature to receive it. It may have already happened, you may already have found one. Please trust yourself and your own inner guidance.
You may wish to sand or carve your stick

Food to Share:

We will be eating communally throughout the retreat;   everyone to bring a dish or two to share.  Kathy will help organise this once you are registered.

Please visit http://www.wildheart.nz/workshops/drums.html to read more about my passion for Drum making and sacred crafting.

Blessings,

Chalice