A drum circle is not a Pow-Wow
I'm in the last leg of the Busiest Weekend of the Spring. Taking a leisurely morning break. Yesterday was the public Litha ritual where I got tagged to be Altar Attendant (because of some earlier hard feelings between other coveners), which was OK, but I wasn't quite prepared to do 50 deep knee bends (had to smudge everyone with sage - as that's one of the jobs the AA does). Someone keeled over from the heat, which was upsetting to everyone and embarrassing for the woman (I wouldn't be embarrassed if it were me, but I'd be more concerned about the state of my health - I hope she does seek some medical attention to find out why she's having fainting spells recently, and I wanted to whack her spouse with a cluebat. Fainting spells are not NORMAL and if she's sick - who's going to take care of your four kids???)
Anyway, we got done with the ritual and there were some wonderful samosas at the potluck made by some fellow (who annoyingly refused to share the recipie). Then it was on to the Pagan Picnic Planning meeting. This is the 10th year our coven has sponsored this community event, and the first where I'm on the planning committee (and I wasn't going to be on this committee, but since I'm half of the ritual team for the main ritual - another "OK I'll do it since nobody else has volunteered" thing - I figure I should show up at the meeting.) So I also volunteered for a bunch of other things, and this is happening in a little over a month's time - so July is going to be insane. I probably should not have done this. But I do really enjoy graphic design and I run the coven's website anyway, so doing the flyers and the program would be welcome distractions from the 3 books that are going on over the month of July (first drafts due 2 fridays from now - which is also the date where I'm HPs of the open Full Moon. Gah.)
R and A came by after the meeting for the drum circle at the same location at night. We get ferried out to the woods (it's 1/2 mile in the back of the property - a lovely 25 wooded acres full of ticks and mosquitoes) and there are a lot of people there - most of whom I don't know, which is very unusual for this sort of thing. Some people from Austria, and Mr. Samosa, who brought a gigantic buffalo-hide PowWow drum.
The PowWow drum is a cool thing. And I like it, in general. But we weren't having a PowWow. We weren't having a shamanic journey or any sort of trance meditation. We were all there to drum. To explore polyrythm with other drummers. We brought djembes (a large African drum) and doumbeks (a mid-sized middle-eastern drum) - djembes have 3 tones and doumbeks have two different tones (actually, they are more subtle than that in the hands of skilled players, but we're not that skilled yet). The PowWow drum has one tone. That's very loud. Mr Samosa required the drum to be played in it's traditonal manner; with 4 people and hitting it at a steady, constant rhythm of about 140 beats per minute. For the next two hours. Not exactly something anyone else can "jam" to.
We really did try, but it was excruciatingly boring. Normally, people in the drum circle listen to each other, and, if things are going well, a pattern emerges and changes and grows organically over the course of a "song" and people get up and dance and sometimes there's singing (if there aren't too many drums that drown out voices), and everyone in the circle feels connected with each other and some beauty is created. Not last night, which is unfortunate.
anyway, today we have the Christening Of The Granddaughter ritual and party to attend. Hopefully I won't burst into flames upon entering the Catholic Church, and that I can deal with all the standing and kneeling and whatever that goes on in there (never been to one of these). Some bit of me is tempted (the next time we are babysitting) to formally introduce her to the Gods and Goddesses and the Universe, but I'll keep that to myself. :) I suppose we need to take pictures so I'd better recharge the camera. I just hope there's enough of "our" side of the family represented there. I'll be in the midst of the ex-wife's family - who have all basically seen me as the Enemy for the past 15 years, and who I've managed to avoid for pretty much that entire time. Well, the babymamma's family will also be there, and I'm going to use that opportunity to get to meet/know them a little better.
'
But I'd rather be home cleaning the house.