Linda drumming at the Oceanside Pavilion.

This last month we had a rocking Healing Drummer Advanced Shamanic Training Workshop in Hawaii. Part of the magic we created included a couple of good drum jams by the ocean. It’s amazing how inspiring it is to drum to the rhythm of the waves and watch the sun dip behind the beautiful mountains as the rhythm resonates through the hills.

One particular night when we were drumming Linda really stepped up to the plate with some amazing skill and veracious beats! As she ripped off a great solo the way a soul rider surfs a wave, Rebecca joined right in and added the voice of her new drum to the mix. That’s when things really took off. We also had a couple join us all the way from the United Kingdom. I was truly amazed, as one of them had never played the drum before, yet caught on to the rhythms almost immediately!

There was so much magic in the air that evening I don’t even know how long we drummed. I just remember that the faces of the people across from me, 10 feet away, began to disappear in the darkness. It was then that we decided it was time to go.

Making a House a Home

An amazing thing about drumming together is the sense of community that forms in the group. Three of the workshop attendees were living at the house with me for ten days. Now, I normally live alone and really appreciate my alone time . However, there was not one moment that I regretted having these people stay with me. Their kindness and willingness to help around the house made it so nice, comfortable, and easy for me. It was truly a blessing.

The Wild Kauai Guys!

In addition, there was a cohesion that occurred with the group that I don’t think would’ve happened if we hadn’t spent so much time together. The people that stayed at the hotel just a few blocks away spent a lot of time at the house as well. We had some amazing get togethers that were completely spontaneous! We would get done with class graphs and beach time, and then out of the blue people would show up at the house with food and drinks, and the group party would erupt!

Oftentimes my friends Danny Hashimoto and John Dumas would stop by to add additional inspiration to the get together. With John on his didgeridoo and flutes, me on the drums, and Danny cooking up a mean dessert, the energy that we created drumming at the ocean spilled right into the house. Everybody was dancing and eating the wonderful creations that Danny brought. And one by one, after consuming copious amounts of raw cacao, people would lay down and get drummed on while John played over them with his didgeridoo.

Thankful for Experience

Besides her awesome voice, Rebecca can really drum!

Good food, good music, and awesome healing experiences were abundant! Many times what started out to be a simple drumming evening went long into the night and expanded to be an experience of magic and transformation!

It is with profound gratitude I acknowledge the magic of these people. Not just the ones I discussed in this posting, but all of the people who were present. Thank you all for the goodness that you bring to the world on a daily basis and for the happiness and joy you have brought to my life !

Mahalo! (“Thank you” in Hawaiian)

Those who have already listened to my new album Tribal Medicine can attest to its powerful inspiration through its tribal connections. So many reviews have been coming back to me, and one common remark is that listeners often feel as though they are taking part in an ancient indigenous healing ceremony! Tribal Medicine is a great escape for those who wish to close their eyes and experience the wisdom of African and Native American ancestors, as well as experience Eastern shamanic traditions through the powerful healing rhythms of the album’s songs!

For instance, “Sacred Chant,” the third track on the album, is about the vision of a medicine person residing in solitude on the top of a mountain, calling to the healing spirits. It’s a truly beautiful song that was written with those in mind who are suffering and are in need of some sort of healing—be it from a serious or debilitating illness, the crushing and despondent force of depression, or any other mental or spiritual malady.

“Sacred Chant” is a healing song in which the medicine person calls to the spirits through sacred chant. These calls are requests for healing and comfort for those in pain, and to restore health and vitality to those in need of a transformation.

Tribal Medicine as a complete album offers healing rhythms that restore the hearts and souls of those who listen. I am quite proud of how this album turned out—the drumming is incredible and infuses the body with its intoxicating rhythms. While “Sacred Chant” is just one of five powerful tracks on the album, each song embodies a different healing energy. Through various rhythms, sounds, and intent, individual tracks offer listeners different sound energy sessions. As a whole,Tribal Medicine is a restorative treat!

Tribal Medicine features me, Healing Drummer Toby Christensen, on djembe drum and percussion, and the talented Rebecca Holt on vocal toning. Skilled artist Carolina Woodrich shared her stunning original artwork for the album!

To purchase a copy of this healing rhythms CD, please visit my shop. I invite you to engage your body, mind, and soul with the powerful rhythms of Tribal Medicine. Enjoy!

People say the kindest things…

I thought you might enjoy reading (or just scanning) a sampling of the warm words people send me. The comments are from private sessions, drumming workshops, performances, and from people listening to my music CDs.

“I closed my eyes and took a few deep, full breaths as the drumming began. As I listened to the sound of the drum, my perception began to change on its own. I began to feel the sound instead of just hearing it. The drumming beats became less individually distinguishable until they began to morph into a tribal-like, ceremonial pulse that I could feel in the marrow of my bones. I had a sense of continual change, somehow as if outside time. Gradually, or suddenly, I’m not sure which, my self-perception faded as I shifted. First, I could feel every cell vibrate, then, I became the vibration. The healing drum and I were one—our pulses, our rhythm, our heartbeats were the same. I found myself in a state in which I no longer identified with my physical body. Instead, I felt a state of peace unlike I had ever experienced, as if an inner rheostat had been turned up and I was an expression of the brightest light.

Although my physical eyes remained closed, I looked up and found myself lying in the center of a circle of unfamiliar faces…or were they? I knew that this was a circle, a community that was called by the drum on my behalf. I felt powerfully and lovingly held as I watched them dance, chant, rattle, and wave their arms in purposeful motions. I knew that these were my people, and that they had come together with me to celebrate my initiation back to my indigenous Self. This was the moment I learned that it is, in fact true: ‘The sound of the drum is the tuning of the Soul.’” – Jill in Calgary, Canada

“The personal drum healing session with you blew my socks off, opened nooks and crannies in my body and being, warming the cockles of my Scottish heart. As a Samhain birthday babe, I’ve always felt a connection with the other worlds…the fairies, earth spirits, angels…even the wisdom gleaned from playing with worms in the garden and stuff like that. After my session with you, all this is expanding with greater clarity and playfulness.” – Noreen in Cincinnati, Ohio

“This has been amazing. After our session on Tuesday night, I found myself lighter and more energized on Wednesday than I have felt in a long time. Someone at a class I taught on Wednesday asked if I had a new boyfriend since I was so up. Big thanks!” - – Lori in Portland, Oregon

“The experience that you opened for me on Wednesday morning was of such healing impact that I

Drumming in the change

have continued to take it all in…you are certainly an angel who provides a path to a heaven of perfect healing. I can appreciate the hard work that you maintain to create this path for others in need. It was such a privilege to receive your healing talents this week. The drumming has opened areas in my mid body, as I feel an energy there that I have not felt for six months. Much healing is taking place physically and mentally. I feel renewed and ready to focus on rest and nutrition in a way that I have not been able to respond recently.” – Debra in Los Angeles, California

“Thanks for another wonderful session! You’ve helped me help myself so much in the past year and I’m so grateful to have crossed your path in this lifetime. Each session has been an experience in releasing that years of ‘talk therapy’ can never touch.” – Kim in Washington, DC

“I will tell you, I have had a lot of therapy, treatments, and medical weirdness to get well; but nothing has changed me and my life-depression, outlook, mood…everything…more than my healing experience with you! As Paul McCartney said, “Baby, I’m amazed.” All I can say is wow! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please come back. Your talent and compassion is the best.” – Will in Columbus, Ohio

“It was the greatest pleasure to be touched by your magnificent healing drumming talents today. I shall never forget it! You have an energy and high vibration that is rarely experienced on this earth plane. Your new music is a perfect spiritual presentation.” – Dera in Portland, Oregon

“In my session with you the other day, I asked for emotional clarity as well as self-empowerment. It seems I was given what I asked for…I continue to be in awe of the amazing experiences that unfold. Even though I hold a very strong vision and knowing about you and the gifts you bring to the world, I am deeply moved by each occurrence. Your magic and the trail you leave move me beyond words. I’m so grateful for you and all you bring to my life.” – Barbara in Wyoming, Ohio

“I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical about the drum beats being able to change how I felt. However, after listening to the first song on one of the CDs you sent me I started to feel very energized. It was amazing! My mind is starting to open up to the possibilities.” – Bubba in San Marcos, Texas

Toby and Dave mix it up on stage

“Toby Christensen is a master drummer and highly trained Shaman who, as he claims, doesn’t do the healing but uses the drumming to facilitate it…I didn’t know what changes might come over time, but I did know that it was impossible for my body to process so much energy without tangible change. And for the rest of the evening every cell in my body hummed harmoniously with the joy that I believe is inherent in us all. Thank you, Toby, for your exuberant energy and love.” – Randy in Vancouver, Canada

“I’ve worked with some incredible healers in my life, but I would say this has to be one of the most powerful healing sessions I’ve ever experienced.” – David in New York, New York

“Thank you so much for the session yesterday. It was wonderful! I feel healthier, clearer, calmer and happier than ever. Another interesting and fabulous effect I’ve noticed since last evening is that I no longer enjoy smoking cigarettes. I’ve only smoked three and a half today (normally it would have been at least ten by now) and the last half of one I smoked tasted absolutely nasty. I couldn’t finish it!” – Pam in Leesburg, Virginia

“I am amazed and humbled by the awesome strength and power that is unfurling here…like a magnificent cloth billowing fully in a slow motion wind. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Toby! You have gifted me in an unforgettable way. I am indebted to you in a deep and sincere way.” – Cindy in Tacoma Park, Maryland

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t feel gratitude for the blessing you are to the world. It’s a beautiful thing to watch people recognize and honor you. You have a way of opening hearts, and if Spirit has its way, minds will follow. Over and over again, I watch the love and kindness you extend come back to you in expanded ways.” – Brenda in Los Angeles, California

“My life is easier and more fun by the day, and my experiences and feelings are becoming richer, deeper, and more powerful. I am more alive than I’ve ever been, and I thank you for all you’ve done in helping me get to this wonderful place…and this is just the beginning!” – Pam in Denver, Colorado

“I have been able to maintain a calm and positive outlook, despite some very difficult situations. I would not have imagined this possible otherwise. What a gift you have.” – Lana in Spokane, Washington

“Since our session, Toby, I definitely can feel the difference…what a wonderful thing that I came to see you. Thank you for your time drumming for me.” – Barbara in Stafford, Virginia

“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me achieve even more magic and joy and fun in my life. Since my session with you last week, I have continued to shift and flow and I enjoy my life, and each breath that I take, even more deliciously than ever. One of the coolest things I’ve EVER done is to effortlessly and delightfully transform myself from a 30- year smoker into a woman who does not, and hasn’t ever, smoked. Thank you for helping me achieve something that is impossible! I will always be grateful for the wonderful energy of you and your drum, and the healing that it has brought to me and to so many people that I love. Thank you so much for your beautiful work.” – Pam in Frederick, Virginia

Drumming The Good Vibe

“The drumming session was amazing! I am still vibrating! – William in Cincinnati, OH

“Well, my session with Toby was wonderful…oh, my word…wonderful!” – James in MD, Canada

“My session with Toby was incredible! I feel like he really cleared the path and set the intention for where I am going now.” – Amanda in Calgary, Canada

“Thank you again so very much for the wonderful gifts which you made possible for me to receive earlier this afternoon during my session. You gave me such a safe space within which to reconnect with my power and heritage. I cannot adequately express in English how much appreciation I feel for what you have done in assisting me in this miracle. I feel such a strong sense that I am myself again after experiencing so much pain and difficulty throughout the earlier parts of my life…and now all of that has changed. I will carry the memory of all that I had endured, but I will not continue to relive it each day.” – J. in Lexington, Kentucky

“I am very grateful for what you have done for me…there are no human words to express my gratitude ” – Melissa in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

“I just wanted to send you a quick note to say THANK YOU for the beautiful energy you brought to Calgary this past weekend. What a blessing! I have definitely experienced a huge shift, both gentle and profound. The best way I can describe it is that I feel fully and completely in my body while feeling like I’m also somehow radiating beyond it. So lovely! I have to say, after a lifetime of struggling to embrace my body, yet never quite succeeding, I finally feel free of the self-judgment I have weighed myself down with.” – Tina in Alberta, BC, Canada

“Wow, Toby! Thank you so much for that truly amazing session! That was one of the most amazing healings I have ever experienced and I have walked in energy teachings for eleven years now. You held such a beautiful space and your music and energy has so much depth and healing…the whole session was so powerful, healing, and profound!” – Tara in Kapaa, Hawaii

Hot Group in Dayton, OH

“My session with you was truly a phenomenal experience and has touched my very soul so profoundly. Words do not do justice as to how the drums connect with every fiber of my being. For the very first time in a long time I feel like I’m alive again, waking up from a long slumber. Bless you for being the beautiful bright light that you are and spreading unconditional love and JOY into the lives of millions of people who need deep healing and happiness in their lives…uniting and bridging the different cultures and sowing the seeds of FUN through the beat of the drums.” – Fatima, Leesburg, Virginia

So if you want to feel like these people….give me a call or shoot me an email! I’ll hook you up!

http://www.healingdrummer.com/contact/

Drumming in Arlington VA

So now you know how things got started I would like to answer a few commonly asked questions. If you can think of anything you would like to know that I don’t cover here feel free to make a comment and ask. I’ll be happy to get back to you.

“Are Healing Drummer Private Sessions only for healing physical problems?”

The simple answer is no. The session work can help to shift the energy in every way, and in every aspect of your life. The results of what can occur for you are profound. I look at any difficulty—any “configurations of energy” that are not in alignment with your intentions—as something that is not helpful. What I do is use the sound energy from the drum to disrupt the aspects of your energy system that are not in alignment with your intentions.

In the beginning of your session, we align around your intentions. I then access these intentions to help guide the rhythms to realign your energies—body, mind, and spirit—so that effortlessly and delightfully the things that no longer serve you fall away. What you desire to create can come to you easily.

“I’ve been studying the Law of Attraction and wonder if working with you can help me manifest my intentions.”

Yes, absolutely. You have intentions. You have dreams and ideas. You have goals that you want to accomplish. If you’re not yet manifesting the life you want, your current energy field is not in alignment with what you are wanting to create.

I can help to empower you to set intentions to redirect your energy. One of the beautiful things about this drumming work is that by using the sound vibrations we can direct the energy toward your specific intentions. The rhythms will support you in clearly holding those intentions. The sound energy from the drum will reconfigure the energy in your field so that it comes into alignment with what you intend. Working in this way causes the energy of your intention to draw to you the power to create what you envision. It’s an effective process that I love to co-create with my clients.

“How long are the Healing Drummer Private Sessions and what happens during a

Drumming Up Intention!

session?”

Sessions are one hour long and cost $150. We’ll spend the first ten minutes or so talking, looking at what you would like to see happen in your session. I often will ask, “After our session, when you walk out the door, what is it that you brought in today that you would like to release? And second, what is that you would like leave with that wasn’t here when you arrived?” I encourage my clients to focus on the healed or transformed condition that they would like to be in when their session is complete. I find that since energy attracts like energy, if you focus on what you don’t want you just get more of the same.

I often ask people, “What is it that you would like?” and they answer, “I don’t want to be sick anymore.” That’s a good thing to know, but it’s a counter-productive intention, since energy flows where intention goes. So, what I encourage people to focus on is what they do want. Once my clients begin to understand the power of focusing on their positive intentions, they start to express intentions like these:

• Iwantperfecthealth. • Iwantvitalenergy. • Iwantabundantfinances. • IwantajobwhereI’llbehappier.

And many, many more.

We always work to create a proactive statement so that the energy we are attracting is the energy of the solution—the positive creation—you would like to see come into form.

From there, I invite you to lie down on your back on beautiful mat that is very comfortable. Your eyes can either be open or closed, and many choose to close their eyes and allow their attention to focus inward.

Healing Drummer Private Sessions

I start with either a hoop drum or a rattle, initially walking around in a counterclockwise direction. This begins to activate the energy field of your body with the sound energy of the device I use. Most of the time, I feel led to use a Native American hoop drum, which is a round, wooden drum with skin on one side. As I walk counterclockwise, we start to unwind the energy that has kept you bound, deconstructing any problematic patterns and activating your energy field, which is now holding the positive intention for transformation.

Next, using support straps, I put on my djembe, which is an African drum often called “the healing drum.” My feet are on the outside of either side of your hips and I face the direction of your feet. This position allows the bell or exit place of the drum’s sound energy to flow directly toward your heart area. My teachers in the West African Dagara tribe say that we begin the healing and transformation process by first activating intentions that we set at the beginning of heartfelt desires, so we honor your heart.

Before I begin drumming, I show you how to tap my leg.It is our safety signal. That way, you can always easily get my attention if needed for any reason. It’s rare that anyone needs to do this, since people usually experience the power of the drum as very pleasant, but it’s helpful for people to know they’re safe and can communicate with me whenever they need. Knowing you’re safe will help you to completely open to the drum’s healing energies.

I stand over you and begin to drum. This is where the drum energy begins to build and starts transforming your energy field. I drum anywhere from thirty to forty minutes, straight and continuous. It’s a very intense healing and transformation energy.

After the drumming is complete, I set the djembe aside and pick up the hoop drum or rattle. Again, I most often use the hoop drum. This time, I circle you clockwise, which brings the healing energy into present time. This important part of the sacred ritual seals your body in the energy of sound so that the transformed energy stays with you.

You’ll find that through your dreams, thoughts, meditations, and contemplative times that the effects of the session will continue to unfold—stimulating energetic transformation for at least three to five days after the actual drumming session. We begin a process and you will continue to carry. That’s one of the beautiful things about the healing drum’s sound energy activations.

We then talk about what occurred. You have the choice to share any thoughts and feelings that arose. If you like, you can keep some or all of what you experienced to yourself—it’s totally up to you. I will then share what happened for me. Oftentimes when I’m drumming I will receive what I jokingly call “home work,” things you can do outside the session that will enhance the processes we’ve begun. Sometimes I encourage specific actions you can take that will help give you a clear path, a solution, toward the intentions you’ve set.

You’ll also be more than welcome to ask me any questions that may have arisen during your

Drumming In Hawaii

session. I’ve found that sometimes the drumming stimulates deep questions that you may have never considered or haven’t thought of in a long time, so you’re welcome to ask whatever your heart desires.

Finally, I make sure that you’re feeling good and ready finish the session. Then we complete our time together.

All of the feedback I’ve received over the years has been very positive. While powerful, the entire process is gentle and completely safe. One of the things I love about this work is that your being interacts with the sound of the drum, so there’s no laying on of hands or physical contact. The rhythms work with your energy system—body, mind, and emotions—in alignment with your intentions.

“When you conduct a Healing Drummer Private Session, where do you place your attention?”

While we won’t usually communicate verbally during a session, our beings work together. I have an intention for you, which is to have the intention you expressed be manifested. So, in addition to drumming, I place some of my attention on your intention. Using my shamanic training in the African and Native American traditions, I tap into the resources of ancient wisdom and ask to receive whatever is necessary to facilitate your healing and transformation. I ask for the wisdom to come through, and it always does. For me, the experience is a shamanic journey, one that honors and enlivens your intentions to heal and transform.

As you listen to the drum and sense the energies in whatever ways are most comfortable for you, you can also allow some of your awareness to focus on your desired results. Truly, since you’ve set your intentions, whatever you do will work. Some people stay very focused, while others allow their mind to drift and flow.

5 Element Drumming Rhythms

“What rhythms do you play on the drum?”

I start with the 5 element rhythms that I’ve studied and played for many years. They provide the foundation for balancing the physical, emotional, and energetic systems. Then I begin to work from those rhythms. There are patterns I call “sub-rhythms” that are specifically dedicated to your own energy field. This is where the drum—combined with your and my awareness—becomes a collective unit seeking to bring in the energies that will help bring in the solutions to your specific situations. The rhythms that come are unique to your session, unique to your own energy field, ones that help shift your energy so that smoothly and joyfully what no longer serves you falls away, and what you desire comes to you.

“I know drums can be loud. Does the noise ever stress people out?”

Drums can be loud and occasionally some people feel a little bit of apprehension. I do have earplugs available; however, what I’ve found in nearly every session I’ve conducted over the years is that people that are pleasantly surprised that, even with the volume and intensity of the drumming, they become calm and peaceful. The physical sound waves impact your body, which is like a massage with sound that creates a very relaxed state. Then you have the rhythm, which has a profound effect on relaxing your mind and emotions.

“Do I need to have a problem and/or questions formed in my mind before I show up for a session.”

Not necessarily. A favorite story is when a medical doctor from the east coast came to see me. At the start of our session, he said, “You know, I don’t really have any problems in my life. As a matter of fact, I think I have an absolutely perfect life. What I want to do is lock that in, have more of the same, and continue to enjoy the path that I’m on.” I considered that a beautiful intention and we got right to work, creating a powerful session.

Yes, I conduct healing sessions…and…the essence of healing is transformation. Often, the focus of a session isn’t on overcoming an illness. Drumming that reinforces positive intentions to continue improving, expanding, and learning to flow with life’s mysterious unfolding is a wonderful reason to schedule a time to work together.

I’m also reminded of a woman who came to me for a series of treatments for a physical malady she was experiencing. As the rhythms of the drum and our shared intentions shifted her energy field, the problem was no longer part of her life. At that point I said, “This is great. It doesn’t look like you need to come back anymore.” Then she replied, “You know what? I want to know how good I can feel. I want to know how much better I can get. I’d like to keep coming in for regular sessions.”

So, scheduling Healing Drummer Private Sessions is a useful way to support yourself—to support your life and wellbeing—and help a good life become even better. It’s really helpful to strengthen your energy field, making you stronger and more powerful.

“Is there anything I need to do before a session to help prepare?”

The Rhythms Flow!

Sure. Getting clear about your intentions—what you’d like to receive in your session—can be helpful. The more aware you are of what you want, the more we can focus on achieving those outcomes. Still, I have people who arrive for their session without a specific intention, and that’s fine, too. They might present a general goal, like discovering their life purpose and overall direction in life, and we can definitely work with that aspiration.

If you’d like to invest some time before your session, simply look at the situations in your life—the general energy of your life. Ask yourself, “If I could improve things, what would I want to have happen?” Then notice what arises in your awareness, from specific outcomes to a general sense of what you’re wanting. Those are beautiful kinds of intentions to bring to your session.

“Is it a good idea to schedule more than one session?”

Oftentimes, we see a profound shift in the first session. If a person wants to do only one session, they will receive value. When asked, I recommend at least three to four sessions. I dedicate about 80% of my time to traveling, and it’s common for me to come to an area once every few months.

What I find is that the first session will begin to transform your energy field and wake up aspects of your being that you may not been aware existed. Shifts begin to occur. You enter your second session more aware of the process and what can happen. It’s common that the results created in the second session are much more powerful than the first, simply because you can let go and relax into the process more deeply. This way, we build on the transformations catalyzed in the first session.

Bringing in The Transformation

One thing that is really useful to remember is that we are always in a state of transformation. We’re always encountering energies that support us and those that attempt to thwart aspects of our lives. There are people and energies that are very loving and there are those who would like to see us falter and fail. Part of the power in Healing Drummer Private Sessions is that you get to take in a phenomenal amount of energy that radiates into your field and supports all aspects of your being, helping you to create the life you desire.

To learn more about me and the Healing Drum, and to see a video of a private session, go to www.healingdrummer.com

To experience one of these transforming sessions contact me at toby@healingdrummer.com and we will schedule a time for you.

Drumming in Africa with Malidoma Some'

People ask me all the time, “How did you get into doing what you do?” I was recently on HayHouse Radio on John Holland’s Show and it came up again so I’d like to share with you a bit of my story…I call it…

What Zombies Taught Me About Transformational Drumming

Toby Christensen, here. In 1999, I had the privilege of traveling to Africa and living for a month with the Dagara tribe. I immersed myself in their culture and cosmology, experiencing both profound rituals and their realities of day- to-day living. It was an amazing experience.

Malaria Times Two

Returning home was pure culture shock. I arrived in the U.S. with two strains of Malaria, so I was going in and out of 105- degree fevers twice a day for about ten days. It was a very difficult time. As I began to recover, I started to have a recurring dream.

Before describing the dream, I’d like to share that when I was a young child, I used to have nightmares about zombies coming to get me in the night. I’d scream at the top of my lungs for my parents to come and save me. These were horrifying dreams, and they happened many times.

Lucid Dreaming Nightmare?

OK, back to 1999. As I recovered from Malaria, I began to have a recurring dream. I was standing in the middle of a grass-covered football field surrounded by a huge but deserted sports stadium. It was nighttime, but the arena’s overhead lights illuminated the field. I was lucid, knowing who I was and that I was dreaming.

As I stood in middle of the field, I began to wonder what I was doing there. I became aware that I had my djembe strapped on. All of a sudden, the grass before me began to push up to form a small hill. Then the newly created mounds of earth began to tear apart and these filthy, rotting hands clawed out of the soil. A monster crawled out of the hole, stood, and stared at me. It was just like the zombies in my childhood nightmares.

I Stood Over the Zombie and Began to Drum

Doing Ritual With The Elders

The zombie flailed toward me, his arms outstretched. As he got closer, I could see that his right eye was decomposed, hanging out of his skull. He stumbled right up to me…but instead of me feeling any fear, screaming, and running away, I instinctively started to drum. As soon as he heard the drum, he laid down on his back in front of me. Somehow I knew to stand over him and begin to drum. The rhythms I played weren’t of any specific form; just intense, intuitive patterns that arose in my dreaming. As I drummed, he began to be restored. After a spell, he jumped up, looked me in the eyes—his eyes clear and filled with life—and said, “thank you.” Then he ran off, vibrant and transformed.

As I stood on that football field, the scene continued to repeat. These mounds would push up from the surface, boney fingers would tear open the green grass, and the zombie would run toward me. Paradoxically, I remained relaxed and centered. When they arrived, they would lay down and I would restore them to perfect health by playing rhythms on my djembe. They’d jump up, connect with me in gratitude, and run off. The scene would repeat until I awoke.

Just Another Pizza Dream?

Rousing from my dream state, I sat up in bed and said aloud, “What the heck?!” After pondering for a minute or so, I assumed I must have eaten something strange for dinner. (I sometimes refer to that kind of experience as a “pizza dream.”) Well, the following night I drifted off to sleep and once again became lucid. I had the exact same dream. When I awoke, I began to sense that I must have been receiving some kind of message.

In The Sacred Cave

“The Ancestors Are Giving You…”

The third night I had the same dream. When I woke up, I decided to call one of my trusted African teachers. At that time, was working with Malidoma Somé. I called and reached him looking for direction and sympathy, sharing my dream of drumming over zombies and watching them be fully restored.

My teacher, in their African way, said, “I can’t believe it! You don’t get it! You are being shown exactly what you are to do!” they took a deep breath and continued. “Toby, the ancestors are giving you clear instructions. You are being shone one of the gifts that you can bring to the world. You are being given an aspect of your life’s purpose.” They paused, and then said in an even stronger voice, “And I don’t want to talk to you again until you are doing it!” Then they slammed the phone down and a dial tone met my ear.

We Can Take Action Without Knowing All The Details

Malidoma and I

I trusted My teacher’s potent advice and decided to take action. I didn’t know what I was doing, but that was OK. What I did know was that in the dream I drummed over people…well, zombies…and they would get better. During that time, I was taking a shamanic training course. On my lunch breaks I would ask people, “Could you lay down and let me drum over you and afterward tell me if you feel anything?” Most people agreed and I stood over them, playing on my djembe whatever rhythms somehow felt correct. I was surprised when people began to share stories of powerful transformations. I had no mental frame of reference about what I was doing. I was simply drumming as the dreams had shown me.

He Was Dying of AIDS

A woman who reported a profound breakthrough from one of these early sessions referred a friend to me who was dying of AIDS and had been told he had a very short time to live. When we met, he shared that his viral count was over 40 million and his T cell count was virtually undetectable. He could only  get out of bed a day or two a week, and then, for only short periods of time.

We did a drum session, and afterward he was energized, sensing that some of his health had already been restored. We ended up doing a series of sessions, connecting every week for a month, every two weeks for three months, and then once per month for a total treatment time of six months. After our drumming work together, his medical tests showed his viral count was zero and his T cell count was 870. We were amazed and profoundly grateful for the healing that occurred. I still hear from him regularly, and his healing status is always stable.

The Fire Of The Drum Burns

Doors Open

Those early sessions opened the door and the phone started ringing with people wanting to experience the transformational, healing power of the drum. I worked in my local region throughout the rest of 1999 and 2000, began traveling part-time in 2001 to 2003, and then sold my restaurant and coffee shops in 2004 and began to travel full-time. In 2009 I traveled three hundred days, sharing the Healing Drummer work far and wide.

I’m humbled by the enthusiastic response to Healing Drummer Private Sessions. I can’t tell you how great it is to connect with so many people and be of service by doing what I love.

Over the years, I’ve enjoyed answering a number of questions about the Healing Drummer Private Session work. I hope you find the information helpful, and please let me know if you have any questions. My contact info is at the end of this special report. I’ll be delighted to provide any information you need in order to decide if you would like to schedule a time to work together.

Check me out at www.healingdrummer.com and to schedule an appointment shoot me an email to toby@healingdrummer.com

Stay tuned for Part II there is more to come.

Here is your music clip for the month of January.

As many of you have read on the blog, I reunited with some old friends this past year who I used to play music with.

This clip is a remix of track 1 of my Four Doors Open CD. Terry Kingen has laid some beautiful guitar over the drums to balance the intensity of the drum with the melodic flow of the guitar.

This blog is the operations central for the HEALINGDRUMMER WORLD PEACE PARTY that will take place December 20th. For the past three years I have ended every event with a few minutes of DRUMMING FOR PEACE. What I mean by peace is summed up in the statement below. I’m not asking anyone to change their mind or agree with me in every way I only ask that we focus on our similarities so strongly that we have no time to fight about our differences! Check Back for details.

To honor this passionate cause I produced a CD called World Unity. The following are the words on the jacket. The song posted is Wake Up! It is my call for people WAKE UP to PEACE!!!

“This CD is dedicated to the Peacemakers of the world. It is for those who realize that we are held lovingly in the arms of the universe, and that since we are here not only to survive, but to THRIVE together, then we must begin to act with peace and harmony in all that we do. This is to act peace with the air, the water, the land, the animals, and with each and every one of our fellow humans. May we all find through this music the ability to focus on our similarities so strongly that we have no time to fight about our differences! WORLD UNITY is WORLD COMMUNITY”

Let’s make it happen!

It is with this intention I ask you all to join me in a wold wide campaign and join the HEALINGDRUMMER WORLD PEACE PARTY! Stay tuned and enjoy the music. I will post new tracks every 2 weeks!

Peace

Consecrated Medicine Drums

This is a powerful new vision I have been given inspired by those who are taking their healing work to a new level!

As Drummer’s, Shaman’s and Healers step into a greater level of power in their healing, the tools they use need to be in alignment with the level of power they are connecting with to do their work.  As I have watched people step into expanding their skills and adding sound to their healing practice it is my desire to provide them with the very best tools possible. With this in mind, I have begun to produce, on a very limited basis,  drums that are prepared in the same way I prepare my own personal tools. Drums consecrated as healing tools. Embellished with sacred objects, ritual and ceremony.

The Consecrated Medicine Drums begin with a consultation with the person desiring one. We talk about the elements that will create the energy that will support their work. We decide how many crystals and what kind, the configuration of the cowry shells, which help expand the healing energy and what other objects are needed. Then I construct the drum after opening sacred space. After the drum has been embellished, the healing 5 Element rhythms are played through the drum and the drum is placed on a powerful healing alter in the middle of a Lemurian Crystal Healing Grid for 48 hours before being carefully placed in the carrying case and shipped to its new caretaker.

These drums are constructed from hand made tribal drums from Ivory Coast West Africa. The finest drums on the planet, and require a minimum of 72 hours to construct and consecrate before they are shipped. When you are ready, shoot me an email at toby@healingdrummer.com.

The cost of these custom drums is $800 plus shipping

Here are some pictures of consecrated drums on the alter.

]]> http://www.tobychristensen.com/consecrated-medicine-drums/feed/ 1 http://www.tobychristensen.com/loving-a-drum-by-mary-dusing/ http://www.tobychristensen.com/loving-a-drum-by-mary-dusing/#comments Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:53:39 +0000 Kirk VandenBerghe http://www.tobychristensen.com/?p=191

Loving a Drum

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I got my first hand drum about five years ago. I was absolutely helpless to resist its lure and so this oversize piece of African art followed me home from a conference. Once it took its place of honor in my home, I studied it intently but never played it – something I laugh at now.The deep carving around the stem depicts what seem to be okapis, but could just as easily be almost any African antelope. It is hand-carved from a single piece of wood by some anonymous African craftsman. The skin is made from the back of a goat and smells of the business end of one – despite my best efforts. It is marbled in browns and greys and it carries the line of the spine, which in tribal lore signifies that the animal was a willing sacrifice. I have since added a hennaed phoenix design to the skin as well. I did not expect that bringing this piece of Africa into my home would reignite my own passion to travel there. I would catch myself looking at it and inventing the story of the carver, the goat, the village and the people who crafted it.

It would be almost a year before I did more than pet this drum and I can still remember vividly the angst of playing it for the first time (mostly because that still exists). But a strong bond developed between that drum and me such that I came to love this instrument in its own right. My ‘playing’ is still fairly spotty and I play less these days than I did a while back. Definitely less than I should. And let’s just say that I will probably never make a living as a professional drummer. But there is a joy in beating on it long past the place where my hands throb. There is a freedom in not caring if I mess up, in letting my hands find weird new rhythms known only to them, in letting my spirit soar out with the wild booming.

According to the West African culture where the drum was made, the drum is one way that a person speaks to the Creator. The skin of the drum is the ear of God, the stem and bowl of the drum the birth canal and womb of the Mother. By playing we give our fear, anxiety, stress and hatred to them. Thru the drum these things are transformed and re-birthed into the world as love, joy, and healing. I have certainly found that to be so.

My collection of drums had grown to four – possibly due to my association with Toby Christensen and the steady influx of really beautiful drums from Ghana and the Ivory Coast. I gifted two of those so that someone I loved could have a way to transform his sadness, so that his son could find love in a life that contained so little. So these days I am down to just two and that feels right for me. One for me and one for you to come over and join me in a really bad ass jam session….or just a bad one. With the drum it doesn’t really matter. Guaranteed to make you laugh!

Curious? Get on over to Suzanne Singh’s (merlin@healing drummer.com) and get yourself a drum. Or maybe take in the drum circle with Toby himself at the Zen center in Hamilton! on Tues (info from Suz as well). It may just change your life.

Feel free to repost this note.

C’mon and drum

On his recent US tour HealingDrummer Toby Christensen taught courses on Shamanism and Sound Healing. He continues his practice as a practitioner as well. Because of his dynamic private sessions Toby’s gift as a teacher is not always acknowledged. Here is what Dr. Johnson had to say

Endorsement: Toby Christensen is so much more then a practitioner, and he is more than a brilliant “teacher”, in sharing his gifts – he introduces you to your own! I took my first workshop with Toby not knowing what to expect. After all, while I have known and appreciated him as a very talented drummer, I had no idea of his depth and clarity within Spiritual realms. What a joy to experience his insights, patience and practical application to the world of Spirit! I learned so much during this first class – techniques I use to this day -,  that I look forward to and take his workshops every time he comes to town.

When in Park City Michael Franti did a great song where he brought the kids in the crowd up on stage. Here is his video of the song. I encourage you all to support Michael’s music!! He is an Extraordinary Peacemaker!

I had a great time in Virginia this trip and thanks to my great friend and host Kathy Sampeck I was able to visit one of my favorite metaphysical bookstores in the country, Sacred Circle Book Store. the owners have been so supportive and they always bring in a great crowd.

This trip I facilitated an Elemental Healing Circle! Change your rhythm, change your life! This is a powerful community drumming experience that brings to the surface, the drummer that resides deep within each of us. Part of the process involves each person in the circle the opportunity to drum healing energy for each of the participants and to be drummed by the entire circle. It is a powerful life transforming experience. Here is a clip from that night. Enjoy!

OK, here it is! I promised at the International Sound Healers Conference that I would post this so here we go!

As summer fades and the coolness of fall encroached on our warm sunny days I review the blog entries from Hawaii and it seems like a long time ago and yesterday simultaneously. I have been back on the road and am so pleased at the way things are developing around the country.

The release of World Unity has really created a stir and has opened doors for us to be involved in an international program to promote peaceful and powerful leaders from the youth of our planet. UNITY is the key. I was facilitating with Dr. Shelly Stelzer. As we were merging healing techniques from various cultures someone in the class asked about mixing modalities from different races of people and cultures.

I thought her response was profound. “There is only one race and that is the human race. There is only one true color an that is red, it is the color of the blood that runs through the veins of each and every person on the planet.” In my work with cross-cultural organizations I remember this as we begin to discuss the events in the world. We must think and act globally. The issues we face are not confined to only one race or nation. I love the words of a Michael Franti song:

Please tell me the reason for the colors that you fly. Love just one nation and the whole world we divide. We can chase sown all our enemies, bring them to their knees. We can bomb the world to pieces, but we can’t bomb it into peace.

My intention for the remainder of the year and 2009 is to bring the healing drum to as many countries as possible and drum in unity with as many tribal and cultural people as I can.

At the World Unity CD release party in Cincinnati I was blessed to have a great jam session with a cool cat from Nigeria. Another awesome synchronicity that has happened is a connection to a great ritual master and shaman of plant spirit medicine. His name is Fabaku and he is guiding me into some powerful indigenous teaching and the use of powerful medicine from Africa, South America and Mexico. As the world unifies to bring healing to the planet our own personal lives become richer as well.

I am very excited as well to be working with Flaco, a powerful brother from DC who is mentoring youth and guiding them through powerful initiations and rites of passage. We were fortunate to have him at an event I facilitated in Alexandria Virginia. As you can imagine, the drumming was fierce!!! Thank you my brother for blessing us all with your magic!!!

Here Flaco and I get ready to rock a group in Alexandria VA.

I am off to Canada next and am looking forward to connecting with our neighbors to the north, spreading the power and unity of the drum with all I meet. Stay tuned for a report from Calgary.

Peace and Blessings to you all!