A small but mighty group of drummers met at the Local Farm barn on April 11 to celebrate the rise of the Full Pink Moon. Thanks to Vicki, the yurt-space was set up with many drums to choose from.
Being the first balmy evening of this year, we tried out the various drums, chose a favorite or two and carried them out to the grassy knoll in front of the barn where we could watch the sky as we drummed. Inspired by Fidel Morano and the Standing Rock Water Protectors, we circled around a bowl of water and shared our intentions of Peace, Acceptance, and Healing.
Watching Sylvia the cow greet her day-old calf spurred conversation about animals having feelings and some people’s reluctance to eat meat or use animal products like the very drum heads we found so pleasing to touch. Debra bought a drum from The Drum People who are very conscientious about using only hides obtained from animals who died naturally “on-the-hoof.” They also use only recycled lumber to make their drum frames so not even any trees are killed to make their drums. Vicki tells us, that Cedar Mountain Drums in Oregon is a wonderful source of drums where the hides are sustainably harvested and honored. And for those who would rather not use hides at all, Remo Drums from CA sells fiberglass /synthetic frame drums and djembes.
Mimicking our 2-beat heart beat, we warmed up to keeping time while playing together. Then experimenting with 3-beat rhythms, we noticed that the emphasis in playing “peace on earth” is different than that of “ac-cep-tance.” We continued these themes for some time adding additional beats or dropping one or two while someone maintained the base rhythm.
We paused to drink chaga tea while Debra read a poem by Julie L. Moore about the April full moon, a women’s chant from Vicki, 10 Reasons to Drum by women’s health advocate Christiane Northrup, and Masaru Emoto’s Grand Invocation/ Water Blessing Song.
We continued drumming and watching as a cloudy patch on the eastern horizon slowly grew lighter and more defined. Finally, the moon fully emerged with our triumphant drum roll. Giddy with moon magic, we carried our good-vibe saturated water to a nearby stream and poured it in, sending thoughts of peace, acceptance, and healing downstream to Furnace Brook, on to the Housatonic River, out to the Sound, into the Atlantic and all around the earth.
Supposedly, the Full Pink Moon is named for the pink of phlox flowers and cherry blossoms, but we suspect it may have something to do with the following April morning sunrise as captured by Local Farm neighbor, Lazlo. Read about our March Full Worm Moon gathering HERE.
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