by Patti Lightflower
Drumming to the Beat of our Hearts
by Patti Lightflower
Our internal drum beats with us all lifelong . Its rhythm speeding up during moments of great joy and excitement , beating strong and hard at times when we are afraid , and slowing down to a calming steady beat when we are at rest .
I have always been drawn to drums . In my youth I never thought of myself as having or playing a drum , but I always fell for the drummers in the bands . My collection of signed broken drum sticks will attest to that . The urge to get up and move to the rhythm seems to start at the heart and moves to my arms and legs and I just have to get up and move to the beat . We drum our fingers on table tops , tap the tips of our nails , without thought to the glass we are drinking from , and nod our heads to the music on the radio playing in the background , often doing so without conscious awareness .
When asked if I ’ d like to write an article about drumming and tie it into my work as a Hand Analyst I immediately said yes . Then as I wondered how to blend the two , which should be easy , they both involve hands and rhythms . While wondering about this I received an email from a woman whose life has not been an easy one as she suffered at the hands of those that should have been loving and protecting her as a baby and child and young girl . She wondered if I could unravel the story she knew was hidden in her hands . She sent an attachment of some of her writings . Glancing through , these words caught my attention :
“ I hear the beating of the drums since I was a tot . It calls me . I may not know about my heritage but I always felt it .” ~ G . Storm
Telling her about the synchronicity of her request , I asked her if I could include it in my article . I wondered about the tribal aspect , the connection to ancient ancestors that I feel is connected to the heart beat . Do our beating hearts that beat from birth to death carry on a rhythm started long ago .
Our skin is a membrane that covers our entire body and is filled with touch sensors . Most of these
are concentrated in the palms of our hands and in particular the fingertips . Every cell in our body has a membrane containing within its full potential , and works in unison with other cells to create the vibes that to the eyes of the world is our unique individual selves . At the time our hands our developing in the womb so is the brain and heart . The source of the cells that form the heart is the same place where the cells stream out and form the upper limbs . Our hands and hearts have the same origins in our newly forming bodies . No wonder our hearts feel what our hands touch and our hands want to reach out for our heart ’ s desires .
Our earth mother ’ s natural resonance is nearly the same as our own brain frequency . During the early space program it was discovered that being away from earth ’ s frequency caused the astronauts health to decline rapidly . To overcome that they added a machine that simulated the frequency in the space capsule . We must have vibes to thrive .
Historically , the first drummers were women . The earliest known drummer was a priestess named Lipushiau and her instrument was a round flat frame drum played by hand like a tambourine . She was from the city of Ur over 4,000 years ago . Due to the nature of our love for rhythm , I think drum history would go back even further . Rhythm is everywhere around us . Even now in the evenings with the crickets and other insects playing their loudest before the cold weather sets in .
We cannot escape our need for rhythm in our lives . You don ’ t have to be a professional or have lessons to enjoy playing a drum in your own private space or with friends and family . Joining with others in a drum circle offers a special gathering of connection and sharing . Each person contributes their own beat and as we play together , we come together building an energy that feels like magic as our rhythm begins to synchronize and complement each other ’ s .
About the Author : Patti Lightflower is a Professional Hand Analyst practicing in the greater Cincinnati area for over three decades . Her experience
16 Oct / Nov 2016