Shrine maker

Shrine maker                                                                                                                                                     11/12

(For Lillian Blades the Artist)

By  Zarah I. Rose

She: Surrounded by virtue

Bejeweled in ancestor spirit.

Protected by Uma Shrines, Iya visitation

You, my sweet friend, are always free.

Free to simply be

Yourself and anyone else you wish to be.

Your hands a comforting sage of color

A gratitude of visions

Your mind full of generous devotions

Sweet dancing soul of innocent wonder, nurturer of womban wit

Celebrate your shiny crown

Pose on your golden throne

See you are free, to be anyone

You wish to be …

And free to simply be.

Free to channel your Most High visions

Into masterpieces of reverence

Quilting a city in layers of rainbows

Telling the shaman tale

Speaking the good Goddess into

Color and textures

You are free my dear, free to be into whatever you want to be

Or simply be

And this is what the world needs

“Sistas Buy a Drum” By Queen Mother Imakhu 2011

Do you know that, in spite of what the so-called spiritually conscious Brothas may say, Sistas had the drum first. There is a little known Orisha pataki (spiritual lesson demonstrated through cultural tale) about the female Obatala owning the drum first. A young Shango wanted desperately to play Obatala’s drum and pleased to his mother, Yemaya, to get Obatala’s drum for him to learn, play, and own. Through a series of comical circumstances, Obatala allowed Shango to have her drum. However, in Afro-Caribbean countries, a large honorary drum is always displayed with a white bow to show that the drum first came through Obatala. Through the arrogance of Shango’s energy that runs through the male drumming community, our Brothas have forgotten or refuse to acknowledge who owned the drum first. As a result, Orisha traditions frown upon women playing drums like djembes, claiming the heat of 
playing them will “fry a woman’s reproductive eggs.”

Says who? Sounds more like a patriarchal fear of an inability to procreate. And or possibly, male fear of what happens when drums are put into womens’ hands.

As a professional djembe player/percussionist, I’m here to tell you that more than a few Brothas 
became embarrassed when I could outplay them. There have been fellow musicians who hoped to intimidate me off the stage, only to become frustrated that I more than held my own and my ground. And then there were the Brothas who resented me because I could play, they could not, and the only male ego solution was attempted rape. I say attempted because, in terms of acquiring female upper body strength, drumming has its advantages…
But another side to that is the fact that some Brothas were intimidated because they knew I was a priestess, metaphysician, and witch. They had legitimate reason to fear. Juju and drumming are as natural for women as bearing children.

From a metaphysical standpoint, women are natural receptors. As such, we, often unknowingly, pull in the energies of our environments. The added bonus is that we also have the bonus ability to transmute. Any toxicity we pull in can be changed and released to the community or cosmos for greater benefit. Personally, I become much more psychically in tune with my environment when I drum, and can feel when something is in or out of sync. Our ancient foremothers knew these secrets as they gathered in secret during the mooncycles to trance dance and drum these energies into personal and collective empowerment. Today’s woman has lost touch with these practices, but tries to subconsciously transmute by partying, obsessive exercise, drinking, shopping…all in an effort to shift the toxic energy that has been built up from daily living.

Buy a drum.

You will be delightfully amazed at how beneficial just five to fifteen minutes of drumming is for you. And when you drum, pray. Mentally focus your intention. Bond with the energy of your instrument and make magick. Extend the time as you go further into your drumming meditation. You’ll find yourself trancing out as Queen Nyabinghi’s drummers did as they were possessed of her warrior spirit. You may have ancestors come to your aid.
Or perhaps Queen Nyabinghi will pay you a visit.
Sistas, buy a drum. Gather with other drumming Sistas. Change your world. Change OUR world.
c.2011 By Queen Mother Imakhu