Yesterday was my 48th birthday, and I spent the majority of it the Betwixt & Between; in the magical space of shamanic trance. I dedicated my birthday this year (most years), to myself. Not to fancy meals and exotic outings, but to my personal well being, for I see birthdays as a day of soul-tending. A time when we step out of our everyday hub-bub to see how shiny and special we are.
This year my birthday did me the favors of falling on one of my days off. I always take Wednesdays (Odin’s day) off as my ‘Adventure day’. I spend most Wednesdays doing something that makes my heart sing. Most of the time that involves taking a romp in the woods somewhere, hanging out with some of my more spiritual friends, and doing some kind of energetic upkeep. The care of our ‘soul’ is as important (if not more) as our health and business affairs. When we take time to for personal upkeep we feel better, our lives seem more manageable and we generally look on life with a kinder lens.
My intentions for my birthday were set, as soon as I realized the next drum workshop @ the Grindstone was happening in May. My husband is the Crafter, and he had been waiting to make me a second drum for almost a year; as scheduling and last minute sign-ups had kept him out of the last couple classes. I really need a second drum as I use drums in my Healing work as well as my personal spiritual work. This means my one drum was having to be carried back and fourth to work and home. Having a second drum meant I could keep one at my office; specifically for my work with clients, and have a second for personal use. My birthday drum was complete (dried & ready for play) a few days before my birthday. Although, I did test it for sound when the drying was complete (they generally need a week to dry after crafting), I waited to bless it and sing it to life on my birthday.
My magical workings began early, as I prepared my indoor altar (the morning was wet and cold) smudged my space, and gathered my supplies. The friends I had invited to join me in my magical birthday venture showed up around 10:30 and we immediately stepped into magical time and space. I explained what my intentions for the working were, how I was not only blessing my drum but activating a spell I had been working on for almost a month. I invited them to add their own intentions; to share what they were looking to gain or manifest from our workings. (A cool thing about magic and wyrd space & time, is one can step into the magical wake of anothers working. I spoke about this in my blog EXCEPTIONAL MOMENTS OF SPIRIT https://salicrow.wordpress.com/2019/05/21/exceptional-moments-of-spirit/). When big magic is in the making, we can combine our efforts or work within the energy that has already been generated. Similar workings are easily fueled by the collective energy. Activating or awakening my drum was one part of my days work, the other was more personal but equally as important, and its nature was something that both of my friends could relate to as well.
As I said most of the working was done in the space in between, deep in trance and guided by spirit. From an outside perspective, the ritual was fairly simple. The altars were set, spell candles and incense had been lit, and we settled down to create a sonic chamber in my living room. After smudging my drum and blessing it with the smoke of my favorite herb, I began to sing with it. I say sing because I was singing, but also because I believe that drums have a spirit and therefore a voice in which to sing with. We went deep, real deep, in fact, the 3 of us had a hard time coming out of that space and needed to step outside for temporary grounding. The first part of the working had been Journey Work, we were seeking direction as well as connection and knowing. We all received plenty.
After coming up for air, taking a breather and offering tobacco to the Ancestors, we headed into the Fairy Wood to introduce my drum to the Spirits of the Land; the Fae Folk & the Genius Locus. My drum sounded as we walked into the forest, which was still damp from the rain of the evening before. The air was cooler than any birthday I had remembered (46 degrees on May 29th), and we were bundled in our layers. My sacred space in the forest is truly powerful. It is a large outcropping of White Quartz (snowy quartz/milky quartz/quartzite) that radiates a high-frequency energy. I have worked with this space for years, both in this world and in the dreamworld. Stepping into the space, I was aware how ‘Awake’ it had become, the space itself was humming and ready for action.
I cannot fully share all the magic that is afoot, but I can say the blessing of my drum was only a fraction of it, albeit a big fraction. I feel that the drum and the land and the personal magic I was weaving was all connected. We are stepping into powerful times of change, and synchronicity is abundant. When we become conscious we can experience the wonder and magic of life. I intend to do so more and more each day.
Turning 48 means I am working with the energy of 3 this year (4+8=12, 1=2=3), which is a number of creative force. I intend to use it wisely!
spreading love-salicrow.com
PS-check out Turtle Drums/Dan Maxon if you’re looking to craft your own drum. It is a powerful experience (so I have heard, my husband made both of mine) and owning your own drum is a magical thing.
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