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There are many
ways to celebrate your spiritual path, whatever that may be. But virtually
every society has used some form of music as a part of their communion with
deity, from Buddhist chants to hymns sung in church. For Pagans and witches, making
a joyful noise and sending it out into the universe often involves chanting or
drums or both.
My group Blue
Moon Circle often integrates one or the other of these into our rituals,
although not always in the same way. Drumming is usually used to build energy,
which is then channeled as extra power into a spell or magickal working.
Chanting might be used as we cast or dismiss the circle, or as part of the
ritual itself. On the last full moon, we simply stood out underneath that
glorious bright light and sent our song up to the goddess in praise of Her
beauty and grace.
When done as a
group, drumming or chanting can bring the individuals together and form them
into one voice, one beat, one song. When done by yourself, the sound can
connect you to the world outside yourself—to all those who came before who sang
or beat a drum and to the gods themselves.
Drumming is
associated with spiritual practices in so many cultures because it can be done
in a rhythm that mimics the human heartbeat. It is easy to learn, and you can
create a drum from scratch if you can’t afford to buy one. (Ask anyone with a
toddler—all you need is something to bang on that makes a cool noise, and maybe
a stick to hit it with.) You don’t have to be a talented musician, and while it
is nice if you can keep a beat, even that is optional.
In the same way,
you don’t have to have a great voice to sing or chant. The gods don’t care that
you would never win American Idol. They hear the true spirit in your voice and
that is enough. If you have a hard time memorizing long complicated chants, you
can print them out on a piece of paper, or use ones that are short and simple.
Here is the one
that Blue Moon Circle is using the most of late:
Earth my body,
Water my blood, Air my breath and Fire my spirit
It doesn’t get
much simpler than that, and yet when sung from the heart it can be tremendously
powerful. There are times in circle when the sound is so deep and strong and
true, it gives me goose bumps. You can find all kinds of chants on You Tube,
too.
One of the women
in the group told me recently that she had a tough time getting into the
drumming. It wasn’t that she couldn’t do it—in fact, she spent years playing
snare drum in a bagpipe band, marching in parades in front of large crowds. But
that was something very different. In professional music, the emphasis is on
perfection and control. Spiritual music, though, is all about NOT worrying
about perfection—about whether the rhythm is steady or the song sung exactly in
tune. Letting go and embracing your own music in all its glory, perfect or not.
Making a joyful
noise is really just that: taking the joy (or sorrow) you feel and sending it
out into the universe. Drumming in thanks or praise or celebration, singing
from the heart and soul. You can drum by yourself to get into a meditative
state, or chant in the shower to start your day off right. Either way, the gods
don’t need you to be perfect. They only want you to be present, in your own
life, and in the world. The vibrations that move through the air on a beat or a
breath are just another way to connect with your own inner voices, or send your
energy out to connect with the rest of the world. And that’s enough.
