Dancing in the Shift
This is about dancing in the shift! In his book, Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic, and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman (Penguin Books), Dr. Malidoma Somé talks about the drum:
In the Dagara culture the drum is the transportation device that carries the listener into other worlds. Only the sound of the drum has the power to help one travel in this specific way. This magic works only when the drummer coaxes special rhythms, not just banging noises, out of it. The journeys that can be taken with the drum concern not only the listener, but the drummer too. Where the soundship goes, everybody goes. To refuse to drum it to refuse to travel. To forget how to drum is to forget how to feel. (page 229)
This is a beautiful articulation of what I experience when I drum. It sums up beautifully the group drumming experience when we draw together for people who are singing and dancing to the rhythm of the drum. Although I find the drum profoundly powerful on its own, I find the power and energy of the drum increase exponentially when other instruments or voices are added. There is something about the frequency of the melody combined with the rhythmic pulsing of the drum that really cranks things up!
The Power of Music, Sound & Rhythm
This is one of the reasons why Shift It! soundtracks have been so profoundly powerful. When you take the healing instrument, like a djembe drum, and mix it with frequency and melody, you end up with some very powerful transforming energy! Dancing in the Shift!
In the sample soundtrack, I have included in this blog post, I invite you to listen to the voices as they call you into the music. As I was mixing it, I almost felt entranced, myself, engineering this piece. Each time I would get to a place of balancing the tones with the rhythms, the voices would call out and call me into the “other world.” Several times I had to stop for a few minutes and ground myself so that I could complete the work! Music, sound, and rhythm . . . it is all so powerful.
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Listen here to a Shift It! sample and listen to what the ancestors are saying to you!
[mp3j track=”http://www.tobychristensen.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Shift-It-Sample-5.mp3″ autoplay=”y” flip=”y” title=”Shift It! ancestors sample” vol=”100″]
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The Spirit of the Ancestors
In my new book, 5 Pathways to Your Genius, I talk about the deep connection that the Dagara people have to their ancestors. Their society is based on the understanding that when a person dies, they enter the world of the ancestors. In this world, their job is to keep an eye on those who are left in the village and use their power in the spirit world to help the villagers thrive. Because the ancestor sheds its human suit, if you will, and becomes pure spirit, their ability to help has no limit! They are not bound by space, time, or the physics of ordinary reality. To have these kind of allies . . .
As you listen to this soundtrack sample, think about those who have come before you. Imagine them watching you from the other world and working diligently in their empowered state to bring to you the things that will make your human experience more profound! As you hear the call of the ancestors in this music, call on your ancestors. Ask for help and assistance!
Do you want to share what you heard as the ancestors called to you? I’d love to hear about it! Contact me here.
