The Story of My Story is My Story

Dear Drummers,

Welcome, oh you courageous explorers of the great, unnamable, untamable, unframable, undrainable, Mystery! Welcome to the drum, this Friday, May 14th, 7-9:30 PM at the Saint Paul Council of Churches Building, two block west of Snelling Avenue on Summit, in the very vortex of cosmic mystery: Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Humans are constructed less of bone, sinew and blood than of story. We are taught stories from the moment we are born. We are warned about which stories to grasp onto and which ones to flee from. We learn to tell ourselves stories. We swim through currents of stories our whole lives. Often we find ourselves flailing in the rip tide of the clashing mix of stories. Every action we take springs from the story we believe.

If the spiritual life is about a single thing, it is about freeing ourselves from the stories that poison us and finding the stories that bless us, that make us free, light and able to move through life with happiness. (That's a story too.) You - wild drummers of the Spirit - you value the work to investigate the Story and you work to summon the courage to deconstruct the poisonous ones and step into blessing stories. If you were not that kind of person, you would not be reading this email.We are each engaged in the task of reframing our story - many of us on a very personal level, but also on a cutural and species-wide level. We are in a great time of editing and revising. Someday, our ancestors will call our time "Draft 3."

Our focus for this Friday's drum: to ask the spirits of nature, the spirits of spring time, the Mighty Ones of the reborn, renewed land to help remove us from the stories that poison us and help us find the story that blesses us. If you'd like to bump it up a notch for yourself, shamanically speaking, healingwise, bring a marigold flower with you on Friday-maybe one planted in a little pot. You don't have to, but you can.

For the 17 of you who have signed up for the Spring drumming retreat May 21-23, this is the beginning of the work we will also be doing over that fun, friendly, freely funkelicious weekend. You don't have to come this Friday to get started, but I just wanted to let you know, you could start the work this Friday if you want to. You don't have to, but you can. There is still one spot available at the retreat; if you are interested, please email me: drummingthesoulawake@gmail.com

I look forward to seeing your radiant faces on Friday!
Joyful blessings of the greening trees be yours,

Jaime

p.s. Three brief items I'd like to pass along. I've done some work on my web site and added some new info. One bit is an introductory video. The intention for that is really simple: to let people who have never seen me see me. It's aimed at the person who is sorta, kinda interested in this drumming thing, but who is a little reticent to try it. If you know anyone like that, please feel free to send them the link to my video. I also have a page about shamanic services I offer. This is a new step for me. It took me awhile to come to an agreement with the spirit world about this. (Awhile = 16 years.) Finally, there is a page of "testimonials." These are also aimed to introduce people to the work we are doing together on these wild Fridays. If you have any comments, corrections or testimonials you'd like to send me about the web site, please feel free. Thanks.

I also direct your attention to the Drum Heart's 20th year celebration, June 5th. Sponsored by the Women's Drum Center, Drum Heart is a women's drum ensemble - very, very fun, cool and really good. June 5th offers a great drumming workshop for women and an evening concert for all.

Lastly, I hope you'll mark your calendar for the summer solstice weekend, June 18-19 for "Summer Blessing." It's the other side of the wheel from the winter solstice drumming event, which so many of you have come to. It will be at the Minnesota Opera Center, downtown Minneapolis. More details as they emerge (from my mind).

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