{"id":1274,"date":"2020-05-17T12:41:24","date_gmt":"2020-05-17T10:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/80db0ca28a.nxcli.io\/the-shamanic-drum\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T12:51:22","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T11:51:22","slug":"the-shamanic-drum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/the-shamanic-drum\/","title":{"rendered":"The shamanic drum: role and power of rhythm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/C38A7CD8-190C-4D58-9F33-CFB83CB03111-scaled-e1589711791941.jpg\" alt=\"Shamanic drum held facing the sun, with its mallet\" title=\"The shamanic drum: role and power of rhythm\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the shamanic tradition, the <strong>drum<\/strong> is probably one of the shaman\u2019s most important tools. It\u2019s thanks to its sound and repetitive rhythm that the shaman enters an ecstatic trance and travels between worlds. <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The essentials<\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The drum\u2019s repetitive rhythm helps you enter a trance and travel.<\/li>\n\n<li>In Siberia, it\u2019s the \u201cshamanic horse\u201d; for the Mongols, the \u201cblack deer.\u201d<\/li>\n\n<li>According to legend, the first drum was born from a branch of the World Tree.<\/li>\n\n<li>For Native Americans, its sound is the heartbeat of Mother Earth.<\/li>\n\n<li>It anchors the physical body so the spirit can travel without getting lost.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The drum, the shaman\u2019s mount<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Siberia, the drum is compared to a mount\u2014the \u201cshamanic horse\u201d\u2014or, for the Mongols, the \u201cblack deer,\u201d which carries the shaman between worlds. It\u2019s also called the \u201csinging bow,\u201d thanks to which the shaman rises to the sky like an arrow. In North Africa, it\u2019s compared to the boat that crosses the Great River leading to the invisible worlds.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Corine Sombrun, a French shaman initiated in Mongolia, says that a \u201cshaman on foot,\u201d who uses the jaw harp, would always be less powerful than a \u201cshaman on horseback,\u201d with a drum into which the spirits have agreed to descend.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The legend of the World Tree<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A legend tells that the first shaman\u2019s drum was made from a branch of the World Tree, which grows at the center of the Earth. This branch fell according to divine will, and the shaman made the drum\u2019s body from it. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The World Tree is the axis of the world, the link between the sky, the earth, and the other spheres. It\u2019s what allows the shaman to move between the spheres of existence during their journeys. To take the shaman\u2019s drum away is to take away their power.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The heartbeat of Mother Earth<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In North America, the Native American shaman compares the sound of the drum to the heartbeat of Mother Earth. Beating and listening to the drum deeply anchors the physical body, allowing the spirit to fly through subtle worlds without ever getting lost. That\u2019s why it\u2019s at the heart of the <a href=\"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/the-shamanic-journey\/\">shamanic journey<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">My first drum<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Listening to drum recordings is awesome, but I couldn\u2019t resist buying my first drum while I wait until I can make one myself. I love using it; my neighbors, not so much. I can\u2019t wait to go sit under a beautiful tree in the forest, close my eyes, beat the drum, and travel.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why is the drum used in shamanism?<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Its repetitive rhythm helps you enter an ecstatic trance while anchoring the physical body, so the spirit can travel between worlds without getting lost.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can you travel with a drum recording?<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. With good headphones and an audio track, you can absolutely travel. I explain it in my article on <a href=\"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/urban-shamanism\/\">urban shamanism<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What about you\u2014have you ever listened to or played a shamanic drum? The drum\u2019s sound is also a cousin of the handpan\u2019s: check out <a href=\"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/what-is-a-handpan-everything-you-need-to-know\/\">what a handpan is<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If this topic resonates with you, discover the <a href=\"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/soul-sanctuary\/\">Soul Sanctuary retreat<\/a>, a week blending handpan, shamanic practices, presence, and introspection.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are One. One love. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The shamanic drum: the shaman\u2019s mount, the legend of the World Tree, the heartbeat of Mother Earth, and a central role in the shamanic journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_surecart_dashboard_logo_width":"180px","_surecart_dashboard_show_logo":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_orders":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_invoices":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_subscriptions":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_downloads":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_billing":true,"_surecart_dashboard_navigation_account":true,"itsec_x_frame_options":"","_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-shamanism-spirituality"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1274"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2441,"href":"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1274\/revisions\/2441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/warrenshanti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}