Kristine Penningroth-- Drum Circle

I never really thought about participating in a drum circle because I never thought it to be very interesting, but my opinion has changed. We did a drum circle in class and it was an experience that I wouldn't mind being part of again. The drum circle created a feeling between everyone in the circle, ourselves, and with the instrument that we were playing. There really was a different feeling once everyone actually participated and brought their own sound and rhythm to the mix. At first I had a hard time finding a beat and forgetting about thinking and feeling instead, but as I continued to participate, I found myself being immersed in the feeling and becoming one with the beat and with what was going on. I don't want to call it a trans because that isn't what happened, but I did realize I would zone and not realize that I was just playing a beat without thinking about it and to be honest it was an awesome feeling. Not very often do we let everything go and just become one with something and this was an absolutely great experience that I was glad to be a part of. As we were sitting there, it also reminded me of what Van der Leeuw said in his text about being one with the divine and finding that balance and being able to truly feel connected to him. I think that all of us in some was were able to experience that and grew a little bit because of it. Even those who might not have wanted to be there, were treated to something new and had some sort of new and hopefully meaningful expereience.