I’ve recently released a new album called Tribal Medicine. This CD features healing rhythms that are intended to restore listeners’ hearts and souls as the sensations of the healing drum infuses the body.

Tribal Medicine offers inspiration through tribal connections. I’ve been told over and over again that while experiencing the album, a sensation of being present at an ancient indigenous ceremony often comes over listeners. It’s a powerful experience to feel the wisdom of African, Native American, and Eastern shamanic healing traditions through healing rhythms!

African Djembe Drums

Each track on Tribal Medicine supports a particular energy and offers different rhythms and sounds that, collectively, make the album a powerful healing experience. Let me tell you about my intentions with the opening track of the album, “Call of the Ancestors.” In the Dagara cosmology that my work is based on, the ancestors are those who have come before us, whose blood runs through our veins. Because we are part of them, they have a vested interest in our well-being. So they are the ones that we call to when we need help.

The chanting in “Call of the Ancestors” brings to mind a person in great need calling upon the ancestors in a language that is beyond words. It is a language of emotion and raw spiritual energy, calling for the ancestors’ help and guidance in life. The voices overlaid on the track are from different cultures: African, South American, and Native American voices all calling to their ancestors for healing of their minds, bodies, and spirits, as well as the world!

Listen to a sample of “Call of the Ancestors.”

Call of the Ancestors

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!

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

OK, so as I have been working on expanding and creating my new world for this coming bit of time, I have been pondering the energy of creation, destiny  vs free will. I have been pondering should’s, and supposed- to’s. I found this and I am not sure if it helped or made things more confusing? Lots of interesting stuff though.

It was my pleasure this winter to escape to sunny Santa Fe New Mexico to present at the International Sound Healers Conference. In addition to being exposed to some great healing modalities and a wonderful sponsoring organization I had the opportunity  to jam with a group of vendors in the booth area. I played with Flutes, Gongs, a Pipe Organ and even a Harp! It was a wild time. Here is a little clip of what would spontaneously erupt through out the day!

The guy playing flute was so cool. He and his mother make the most amazing bamboo flutes. I of course had to have one. So when I get good enough to play in public, I’ll lay some licks down for you! Don’t hold your breath. The harp player is out of the frame but he had beautiful harps of all kinds and played brilliantly.

I also had the pleasure of hanging with some of the sound healing greats like Don Campbell, author of “The Mozart Effect”, David Hykes, Tom Kenyon and Siberian Shaman, Nikolay Oorzhak.

I also got to jam with Christine Stevenson and Kim Atkinson. We were able to commandeer a room at the hotel and turn it into a chamber of sacred rhythm!! What a blast.

When I get the video from my presentation I will post some of the highlights. It was an honor to be included with so many amazing people who are bringing healing transformation  to the planet with sound.

Check out Toby’s work here is a great video

Enjoy