Drum Circle – Bryan Trumble

The drum circle was an interesting experience. It was my first attendance at any type of drum circle. The drum circle definitely struck me as a ritual process because we had certain regulations to abide by and followed a certain course of action/set of procedures. The feelings this evoked were those of sacred passion. The drum circle although not religiously based, definitely had sacred tones.
One of the experiences while in the drum circle was the growing sense of community and comradery. I noticed that throughout the progression fo the drum circle the participants began to reach the same level of comfort. At the beginning, I, as I’m sure many others, were/was uncomfortable. However, the longer I stayed in the circle and focused on the sounds the more comfortable I became and also began to feel more attached to others in the circle.
I definitely felt a great deal of connectedness with the group and the music. Part of this was due to my direct involvement in the circle. Another part was my contribution to the music which allowed me to feel like I was a part of the ritual. The sharing of the instruments also helped me to feel a sense of community with the group. The sharing helped create a closer bond among the circle.
The role of nature in the circle was very interesting. The idea of the instruments and bare feet connecting to the earth really helped me connect to nature through the circle. In trying to understand how the instruments came from the earth it helped me to understand the sacred nature of the circle. And it also aided me in understanding the earthly sounds and nature of the noise made by the circle. The bare feet showed me how I, myself, connected to nature and then to the instruments. By coming closer to nature the circle became more sacred, it was quite an experience.