4:26 a.m.

It is 4:26 a.m. as I begin my first post. I really should be in bed, however, I had a multitude of things to do today...you know, the kind that need to be done before you can lay your head on the pillow.

As I write, I am listening to a cd full of jams that were played in a facilitated drum circle. I tap on everything when I listen to music, and especially drum circle jams. My body absolutely cannot remain still when I hear drum circles playing in the pocket. It is magical, that pocket. Of course, these jams were professionally done in a recording studio, and those magical moments of being perfectly in sync and in the pocket are plentiful. Plentiful, but incredible.

A couple of weekends ago, I was participating in a Native American style drum circle. When it was time to drum, we started with a steady, quick beat--around 180 bpm. This was the trance/healing beat, where everyone plays 4 quarter notes per measure with no accents or embellishments. Energy was HIGH and a couple of times, everyone was completely entrained, in sync, within the pocket.

It was pure magic. Seemed like time stood still, and our drums sang to each other and also to the earth...it sounded like the earth was playing back to us. The air around us suddenly was still, holding the beat like a newborn child. It sounded effortless, empowered, energized,...but only for a second or two. At that point, the beat was together, but not perfectly entrained. The drummers and dancers took what felt like a simultaneous breath--we must have all held our breath during those couple of seconds when each one of us was perfectly in sync with the entire drum circle.

I am looking forward to those incredible moments that will happen on Saturday. Hopefully the full moon will be illuminating Harmony Hill Gardens as we drum around the bonfire, with nothing between us and the sky. That alone, is a reason to come to the drum circle.

Goodnight.