Our drums have few if any knots. I cut one continuous strand of lacing and finish off my drums with loops and passing the end of my lacing through the loops, pulling tight to finish off the drum. Drums can teach us so much if we learn to work with the spirit of that animal and tree. The western mind isn’t trained in those ways, and how to approach the drum as your teacher, you as a student with an empty cup. I love making drums. In indigenous perceptions and cosmology, every thing is connected with everything else and your pain is my pain as your joy is my joy. We are all shards of glass from the broken mirror, and spend our lives attempting to put the mirror back together again. Most every spiritual teachers I have known are very humble people. Martin High Bear, the elder that blessed our store would never call himself a “medicine man”, but many people did. Learning to live my lif
e with ease and grace, much like the flow of the streams and rivers, going back to the sea. When you relax, spirit can come in. In the waters of the fall, the teaching of the water is of letting go of old ideas that keep us attached. this is difficult to those paralyzed with fear. The trauma of child abuse is a symptom of the lack of light, and we are from the light. The “soul retrievals” are like interventions on the realms of the hungry ghosts. Grieving is not taught in schools – how to let go and feel the pain of having those earthly things and people we love go away. Tears wash away pain, and to hold the child that is frightened until the fear in them subsides is the realms of the holy mother.
Jasmine, her friend Kiera and I were journeying home from bear creek last Sunday, and Jasmine was being a pill, refusing to help clean up her room, wash her own dishes and generally defiant and argumentative. About two hundred yards down bear creek road, we encountered a young doe 
standing by the road. I told Jasmine the deer had come to give her (us) a message. Rather than run away when I stopped by it, it stared at us with those soft beautiful eyes reminding us to return to our heart-spaces. For years I have made deer drums
and when I pull the hide out of the water, I make a prayer and smudge the hide. working with deer has taught me the positive side of fear, which is prudence. And each animal is different. I never make the same drum twice, as we never live in the same day twice. Making drums to me has been a passion, yet if I am out of balance, I wait until my creative fire is lit.
November is full of Mandi and my family birthdays. Today is my brother Mikes 78t birthday. My step mom’s 90th birthday on the 12th and mine on Friday, turning 76 years young. Mandi’s son and grandson are Scorpios. I am so grateful for the gifts each of you have given me. My brother went to Military School, so I wanted to go to!
You all have modeled the person I intend to be – the highest in me loves the highest in you!
Beat the drums of Peace. Spirituality is hidden in simplicity. In meetings, I would hear the phrase “keep it simple stupid”. “Trust spirit, clean house and do what you love to do.”. Having Cedar Mountain has never seemed like work to me, rather my venue to evolve to my highest potential. I am grateful for each day I am given, and will be so grateful when this “election” is done with. Come join us as we walk the road less traveled. I am so grateful for Mandi,and you my friends to share my joys and pains with. We all come from the “scar clan”, and have the potential to be the holy wounded healers that can bring change.
Tomorrow night is Men’s Drumming, hope to see my brothers there! Blessings, Patrick