Inner Drum Circle

The current transition due to the pandemic is probably one of the major transitions of this generation. From one moment to the next, a lot of us were forced to stop doing what we were doing. For me it felt like I was just in the middle of a great and wonderful flowing groove with others – sometimes maybe a bit too fast and dense – but all in all just the way, I wanted it to be.

In a Drum Circle we try to stay open for what happens in the moment. We try to use our radar to notice what people bring to the circle, how the common groove is developing and where it is heading. You might want to showcase a musical dialogue or a melody that appears. Maybe someone is playing culturally specific rhythms or someone is vocalising or dancing. There might be someone struggling to hold the drum or keep the beat. Maybe someone steps into the middle trying to take your role.

We all know Arthur´s metaphor of the tripod of our senses and most of us have been blindfolded during a training in order to become more aware of our auditory and kinesthetic channels. What if we were to use this for our inner Drum Circle? If we listened, looked and felt inside ourselves? Used our senses inwardly and consciously to take note of our inner Drum Circle, it´s parts and how they are playing together?

When preparing for a Drum Circle, doing the setup, welcoming the participants and doing the Drum Call, we try to create a safe space for everybody and we try to make everybody feel welcome. We try to „establish trust“. How can we transfer these abilities to the facilitation of our inner parts, our „inner Drum Circle“?