TRUST and the DRUM – a Story

All of my life really, has been a journey towards trust.  Trust that the forces of the Universe are conspiring to support me, not betray me.  I get lessons big and small, all the time.  Right now though, I want to talk about one particular lesson.

A few years ago, it was time to build our Dance Arbor and we were scratching our heads wondering how to pay for that.  We needed a backhoe to contour the land, and treated wood for the structure, shade cloth to cover it and of course……a ceremonial drum!  That year, we had a drum vision quest in February inside the Peace Chamber.  A lovely woman came from CA to join us, she sent us $2000 initially saying the extra money was to help anyone else who wanted to come.  Now we were asking about $150 for the whole weekend so that was a LOT extra.  Jack and I were ecstatic since that was definitely enough to get the backhoe to get started.

After the weekend was over and everyone had left – Jack mentioned there was a card down on the Altar in the Chamber and when we looked there were 4 more checks for $2000 each.  At that moment, my heart was filled with gratitude and awe to see how our needs could be met in such an unexpected way.

You might ask yourself what this has to do with the drum and trust, well…..I had a drum made at a “discounted” price that year by someone I trust and love who was doing me a favor. What was I thinking you might ask, well – I wasn’t thinking, I was in fear that we might not have enough money to do that first dance, that it might not be “perfect” and that of course is another conversation….one for another time.

I thought I was doing the right thing but what is interesting is that the drum, although beautiful, has never been quite right.  Strapping has broken, the frame warped into the shape of the chamber (pretty awesome) and the sound wasn’t what we hoped.  To be fair, the drum was made on the east coast where conditions are very different than in Tucson.  But that drum had lessons to teach us.

This also ties into holding these wonderful Vision Quest dances on our land, we receive what we need to do this deep and powerful work.  How many dancers is enough? Can we cover all the costs involved? These are some of the fears I have and each year, I’m shown again and again….that it all works out.

Well this past year, I’ve realized that we need a new drum and I knew just the person to ask.  This drum is made from cottonwood from our beloved teacher’s land and it’s also being made in such a way that it can handle our very dry climate.  The cost of this new drum is $900 and some of that money came to me almost right away, but I’m telling you this tale to see if you can find it in your hearts to help with the rest.  It can be $20 or $5 or $100 – it all depends on what you feel you want to send.

This deep lesson of trust is one we all share really and being open to the UNIverse answering our prayers in unexpected and delightful ways.  Our Sun-Moon Dance is Thursday April 12 to Sunday April 15^th…….we would welcome you as a support person or a dancer if your heart calls you to it. Consider it, with your heart not your head and jump into the pool of trust knowing that you can do it! Aho

If you’d like to help us cover the cost of this new drum, you can send a check to Jane Innmon at 5284 W Sweetwater Drive Tucson AZ 85745
ps this image is for a beloved sister’s drum..it is not our new drum