HAND DRUMS by TRANSFORMATIVE WOMENS JOURNEYS

PLEASE NOTE ONLY DRUMS THAT ARE LISTED ARE AVAILABLE. OTHER PICTURED DRUMS ARE FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES - these can give you an idea as to what is possible for custom drums

 ABOUT TRANSFORMATIVE WOMEN’S JOURNEYS

All drums have been cleansed and blessed with Frankincense, Rose or Palo Santo

The Masculine Reimagined

This baby is a rework of a drum that my husband made which he wasn’t happy with, so i reimagined it.

It is called ‘The Masculine Reimagined’ and is in direct response to the increasing loudness of the dying patriarchy & the 50th Int. Women’s Day - on the eve of which this drum was birthed.

The dreaming for this drum was to conjure a new form that the masculine must take within the new world. One where it knows that the strength of the feminine doesn’t weaken the masculine but rather that walking side by side, supporting & honouring each other, being allies, it will strengthen us.

This drum symbolises the need for harmony between the feminine & masculine within us all, & the awareness that we have all been conditioned by this colonised society.

I reused everything in the original drum except for the handle. I liked the idea that the potential for the new masculine already exists & it just takes us to do some work to bring it into form. The new handle is less rigid, bent in various directions, symbolising the need to let our inner knowing guide us to the path that promotes our growth.

The drum is made from Kangaroo which live in community - signifying the only way things will change is by connecting through & working with community. Roos can only move forwards - we can’t go back, we must move forward together. There is nothing for us in the past, only memories, mistakes & lessons - from which we must learn.

The cord is dyed black, & connects the face to the ring - symbolising the shadow - it is where the work is, what helps connect who we are to our true potential. It also represents the interconnectedness of everything. The ring representing wholeness.

The plaits on the side have been repurposed & are an homage to culture globally. They symbolise wisdom, strength & unity - again showing that together we are stronger.

The pine hoop - a powerful symbol across cultures - fertility, rebirth, protection, forgiveness, wisdom, longevity & was used by the Celts in healing past trauma.

The animal symbol is Eagle - strength, courage, resilience, leadership
& vision.

Acceptance

This baby has a very simple message. It is simply about coming to acceptance with the way things have been and are. Resisting is a waste of energy, you become stuck, unable to move forward.

This baby is an inside out drum - a symbol of revelation, of revealing, uncovering truth, your truth, the truth of the situation.

She is a 22” Rosewood frame, goat skin, with a chunk of raw black tourmaline in her centre. Rosewood is associated with the heart chakra. It is a symbol of compassion, healing, resilience and strength. Goats are surefooted and resilient. They are playful, and know what they have to do to ensure their survival. Black tourmaline is protective, clears negative energy and is grounding. It is associated with the root chakra. I chose a raw piece because it isn’t polished, we find ourselves when we are raw, real, with no polishing, no mask.

The face of the drum is textured, mottled. You can see the vein markings and feel the fibres, the realness of the skin. It feels alive, energetic.

Her sound is strong, deep and powerful delivered in a rich vibrato. She has been making lots of noise as she settles into her bones.

The cards:

Pono pono - let your heart have the faith it needs so you may rest in joy. Open up to receive healing

Padma sundari - trust in what is possible

Sacred site - you are entering the next right of passage. Connect deeply with land spirits. Get ready for personal transformation

Drum - need i say more? Connect to the drum, drum beat, heart beat

 He who held the waters

This baby is called ‘He who held the waters’. It’s a 16”, teal, Roo skin drum on African pine, adorned with a chrysocolla stone.

Chrysocolla, known as “gold glue,” is a stone of empowerment, communication, and tranquility. It eases overwhelm while fostering clarity and calm, especially during tough decisions.

Roo: Community & only moving forward,

Teal: Fosters calmness, emotional healing, & spiritual growth

African Pine: with its enduring green foliage & strength, it symbolizes immortality, longevity, the triumph of life, embodying ancestral presence & a deep sacred connection.

This drum supports healthy emotional expression, revealing how suppression creates patterns that can negatively affect us - reminding us we’re all still children in adult onesies.

Meditation: We headed towards some water pipes where there was a man quietly standing. We entered through the middle pipe & a huge torrent of water rushed through. We had to really push through the very strong current in the water.

On the other side, there were rushing water rapids. We followed them upstream to find their source. At the furthest point, we came across a small boy, about nine years old. He had long hair & sat curled up, his legs pulled to his chest & his head bowed, quietly crying.

He was the source of the water. When I asked if he was okay, he said he was upset - felt misunderstood, unable to express his emotions, & told to toughen up. He carried so much & didn’t know how to release it.

As he turned against himself because he was told his feelings were too overwhelming, the more his anger & unhappiness grew. The rushing water reflected all he was trying to hold inside.

The story of Tiddlelick came to mind, holding onto the water. This boy was containing all his emotions, causing him to withdraw, shut down, & disconnect. Tiddlelick reminded me that sharing our feelings, in a healthy way, is a gift.

Then suddenly i found myself outside a school bus with young boys. They were boisterous & rough. When we got on the bus i stood at the front, i looked around & recognised the pain in each of the boys. There was such grief there. They were exhausted from holding their emotions in.

Suddenly, as I met the gaze of one boys, he began to cry. I gently told him his tears were safe & welcome. A hush fell over the bus, & one by one, the boys began to release the pain they had been holding inside. Beneath it all, they were just frightened little boys, longing for someone to reassure them that everything would be okay.

Vision Quest-seek - get to know your true self, speak up
Shaman - completion - spend time outside, connect with nature
Water - expression - tap into sources of deep emotions, cleansing

Council of the Wild Women: Awakening the sacred rage

This drum is called Council of the Wild Women: Awakening the Sacred Rage. It is a 16” Brown/orange, Roo skin with a woven paper coil disc & woven handle.

Within the pouch is a piece of Black Tourmaline for protection, grounding, emotional stability & also Amazonite for clear communication.

The brown/orange dye is for grounded creativity & stability.

Roo represents community & only moving forward

Woven disc - This disc was inspired by the Egyptian Sun Disc - in particular The Eye of Ra, which is said to be protective - symbolises creation, life-giving light, & divine authority. The woven disc also symbolises the Egyptian goddess, Sekhmet- the lioness goddess of war which was sent down by Ra to destroy his enemies. Sekhmet is often used as a symbol of anger/rage.

The story goes that Ra tricked Sekhmet by feeding her barley beer mixed with red ochre or pomegranate juice instead of blood. She became intoxicated, fell asleep & awoke with her bloodlust gone & turned her into Bastet, who became the protector of homes, women, pregnant mothers, & children.

The Journey
I entered through the entrance to mini haha. When i reached the water hole i was sent through a portal to a cave which was filled with indigenous & ancient women from all over the world. It was a womens council. I couldnt see all of them, just someone meant to represent bastet & Aust indigenous woman.

On my way down panther was nowhere, & it was clearly conveyed to me that panther isn’t here, instead Eagle, snake & scorpion came to me.

The women told me that in the matriarchal days, they were empowered. They harnessed their anger & it protected them, kept them safe.

Suddenly i was in a forest somewhere & it felt really unsafe. There were all kinds of threats. Panther came & i was told that this is where i become a warrior. Harness the power of Artemis the hunter, Baba Yaga the wild woman, Bastet/Sekhmet. To not be afraid to connect to my anger, this is when it is important. Use it to protect you.

Cards:

Maat - Justice - examine whether your actions, thoughts, and words are in alignment with truth
Lilith - Power - to embrace your independence, set clear boundaries, and refuse to settle for situations that compromise your autonomy. She encourages you to step into your righteous anger and trust your own inner power
Sedna - Victim - Release the victim role, transform pain into power, acceptance & resilience

The Teaching
This drum is to facilitate a healthy relationship with anger and rage, to stop suppressing it and use it in a healthy way. Healthy anger gives us information, it protects us without hurting ourselves or others.

 Healing the Healer

This drum baby is a 16” Willow hoop with Deer skin and rabbit fur. The journey for this was very simple - I was lead by panther into a bright and airy attic style room where there were all these medicine men from different cultures dressed ceremonially sitting in a circle. I was invited to join them, and when i did one of the men got up and started dancing around us all and cleansing us with smoke. Whilst he was dancing with eagle he communicated to me that it is important to remember to care for yourself so you are able to hold space for others. I felt very held in that space.

This drum is a reminder that people that hold others also need to be held, to be taken care of. Not only do we need to hold ourselves but we need to have others that can hold us too.

Willow’s symbolism is less about strength through hardness and more about being held, nourished, protected, and allowed to bend without breaking. Deer skin says that you can allow others to hold you, to come toward you without hurting you. Rabbit fur is symbolic of warmth, softness and gentle nurturing.

 Women’s Ceremonial Drum

This baby is a Women’s Ceremonial Drum for use at any stage of life - Maiden, Mother, Maga or Crone.

This drum is a dyed goat skin on 23” ply pine frame. The back is woven into circles - the first to represent the circle of women, kthe second the ancestral circle of women holding us and the circle of the frame represents both the feminine cycle and spirit. The joining lines symbolise the interconnectedness of everything and the support networks surrounding us. The centre stone is #chrysocolla used to align all chakras and to facilitate space for authentic, open conversations.

My journey:

I rode panther through the depths of a European forest. I was flashed lots of different scenes and images of women in all their roles, incarnations in history - from ancient civilisations, to the times of the witch burnings to now. Lots of red, including blood, in many scenes Represented our cyclic blood, and also the spilling of our blood as women. The journey spoke of the many roles we are expected to fill.

This drum serves as a shield, as well as a call to women to stand together, to unite and not tear each other down as has been expected, even encouraged in society for eons - particularly in the witch trials - mothers expected to choose between their mothers or daughters.

Horse came through in this meditation symbolising freedom, power, strength, grace and wisdom.

The cards:

Summer - celebrate your successes, creative energy, share and gather
Great Mystery - discover who you really are, explore your roots, wisdom growth
Spirit of Fire - awaken your fire, shine your light to the shadows, say yes to pleasure
Stories - own your family history, release the past and write your story, dive into tales, myths & legends
All potentialities - become your potential, trust in the flow

Ceremonial Drum #3

he is goat skin dyed in hand ground coffee & stretched on a ply pine 23” frame. Her back is adorned with a piece of eucalyptus & woven into a tree. The tree of life that connects us all. As above so below, as within so without. In this depiction it symbolises each of us, our roots extend into the ground, they are where we come from, the trunk is us as we grow, the leaves are who we become over our life’s journey. Sometimes the leaves stay, some decay & fall away, as do the parts of us, the patterns, behaviours that no longer serve us.

The front is painted with a labyrinth - it’s a little crude. I wanted it to feel like it had been painted by hand, almost like with a finger on an ancient cave wall. It is imperfect. The lines are not perfectly painted, just like the paths in our lives, they don’t always flow smoothly.

The labyrinth is a sacred symbol representing the journey of the soul & interconnectedness. They are also sacred places for contemplation, meditation, grounding and transformation.

Even before my journey began i saw what i thought was an Australian indigenous mans face. He had such depth and wisdom in his eyes - they felt kind.

As soon as my journey began instead of panther running up i was greeted by a little cheater cub playing around. I was a little disoriented panther wasn’t there but he soon turned up & was irritated by the cubs presence - there were many jumping around.

Suddenly i was in Africa where I was shown a female form holding a youngster in her arms, she was loving & attentive, the young child content.

I was then in a bamboo jungle & i received a message to work with culture. Find out your ancestry, learn your culture. Look at other cultures & learn about them. Learn the ways in which we are the same & the ways in which we are different. What things appeal to you? What of yours do you want to honour & release, what do you want to keep & foster within your own culture?

How can you utilise culture to empower you? To empower your process? To enrich your world? How can you use it to better understand other people?

I was then shown young adults (in western culture) sitting around a table talking. They were around 18-25. The message i received was - we spend a lot of time saying how our older generations are the wisdom keepers, & whilst that is true, our younger generations have a fresh new perspective & an innate wisdom we often dismiss. stop & listen. What do they have to tell you?

Do not discard wisdom from sources that you usually don’t listen to. In our carefully curated experience of life, the algorithm shows us what we want to see, we surround ourselves by people who think alike. Its gotten us this far, but for us to go deeper, further, for us to circle back around to truth & wisdom, we need to listen to others, to ones who do not have the same beliefs we do, its how we learn who we are, what we stand for - by being confronted by truths different to ours. Stop trying to give answers, solutions. Ask questions. Colonisation was all about - we know better, change other people - now we need to lean in, to open to learning, to question & understand other ways.

The cards:

Drum and Shaman came up again. These cards refer to Awaking - Transformation - Shamanic Journeying - Ancient Ritual - Walking the shamanic healing path - Ancestral memory - Create a medicine wheel and altar

Offerings - Give offerings, fruit, nuts, candles, or give something of great importance to you, give through song and prayer

Amuata - Sage of Higher Knowledge - Educate yourself - gather information and release what you can put aside - trust your instincts

Commission orders, drum painting and private drum making sessions are also available.

IMPORTANT NOTE

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