Women's Drum Day: a birthing review
4.29.2007
by
Joy
Krauthammer
Shalom,
I want to share with you
something of my journey yesterday written in letter form to Women's Drum Day festival
organizer, and her response to me. I had closure last week in Jewish community
and with my daughter and sister, with a meaningful, deeply thought out,
ritual matzeivah /grave monument unveiling for Marcel, z'l. Now I am
able to continue to transform and transition to my own life in joy, as I
reclaim and renew myself. There is a photo of the unveiled matzeivah,
and if you want to receive it, let me know.
Yesterday, at Remo's
Women's Drum Day, I was an early in the day Tibetan singing bowls meditation
presenter following the opening of the Spanish women announcing with
conch shells and incense, the Four Directions, the ancestors and
honoring mother earth. Each year, a few different women are asked to come
to lead a day for women.
Wanting to dress as
feminine and magical as possible, I wore a tubular purple head-band across
my forehead, with sprinkles of seed beads and sequins that I had purchased in
Jerusalem, in the Old City. My hair was wild, wavy and grey, held
in place a little by the head-band. I wore a goddess outfit by URU, purchased
over a dozen years ago, sewn and layered from pieces of sheared purple, pink
silks, light in color and billowy feeling. I wore a sheared silk purple jacket
over, with designs of stars and swirls and matching plum colored soft ballet
like shoes. I went barefoot in my purple painted toes. I wore my triple amethyst
purple dangly earrings and I wore my Mogen Dovid on my neck as always, and
my triple birthing in the shell pearl necklace that I bought in Tahiti.
I am happy to let you know
that yesterday, I was asked by the organizer, Laney, to please return
each year to the circle of women who come together at this time. That felt good
to me, and it means that I am being and doing something right. I shared
lavender from my garden and other sweet things of nature. I shared poetry. I
shared sound and chanting. I share the reverberating sounds of the crystal and
Tibetan singing bowls, bells and gongs. I shared color and textures. I had lying
around my altar space, the immense white silky Tibetan shawl I purchased in
Tibet. I had purple-lit candles floating in a round clear bowl of
water. I was surrounded by visual memories of loved ones-- friends,
ancestors, sister (a crocheted bag she made for me filled with my mother's
Chinese bells. There was a lot of purple in the sensual environment that I
prepared for the women. The purple scarves were from everywhere, and made
by friends, and orange oil from Morocco, coral and stones from spiritual spots
in the universe.
I welcomed the next
generation of women. With all my flowing grey, I could do this.
I shared a Brucha for hamotzi / blesSing for bread. I invited
others in to lead with me, like the woman becoming ordained next month, as
Chaplain. I was more expansive than a couple years ago when I have
presented but then had my absence from greater community. It took courage from
me, along with my joy and intention. I felt greater freedom to be me. I
think that when I am at the pearly gates, the Compassionate One will not have
to ask me if I "was like Zushia?" It is growth for me. I asked
Hashem to give this gift to me so that I could share. I was received. I am
grateful.
I am doing a healing
meditation somewhere else, Gaia Festival, in a deep canyon, Temescal
Canyon, after Shavuot, in a month. I return hopefully from my
son-in-law's Boston graduation, and a Reb Zalman Torah retreat in the
Berkshires, the night before.
Because it is Remo's
Women's Drum Day, I am glad to be playing a Remo drum, even if an Ocean
Drum, not a djembe, in addition to my singing bowls and bells and
gongs. I transformed my WUHAN large gong into WOMAN gong. I
surrounded the bamboo gong stands with purple-feathered boas, and purple silk
scarves.
I thought to bring doubles
of Ocean Drums and rain sticks to make the room fill with sound more easily,
so the women did not have to wait longer to receive. I asked Christine to
double partner with me, as I had in the past. I love the combination of the
levels of sound in the pairs of rain sticks and the pairs of Ocean
Drums. I had purchased the large Remo Ocean Drum many years ago in
Abinante Music Store in Monterey, 1992?, way before I even was present at Remo
and I am drumming at Remo for ten years. I concentrate on making the Ocean
drum sound as natural as possible in its movement, because it is easy for it to
be jumpy in starting and ending. The same smooth movement is attributed to
the rain stick. Later I taught Valeska how to use the rain stick more
easily by twirling it. I also gave Valeska the opportunity to try the Crystal
singing bowl. This is a young woman, a child, of extraordinary experience and
wisdom.
I am so glad that you were
happy with my sound meditation yesterday.
I had not shared this with
you, but yesterday, in addition to it being the day of the # 1 Jewish
Festival of the year, the day also fell into a season within my religious tradition
of not celebrating with "music." Yet the days are filled spiritually
with purifying ourselves, so this we did! True. The season of 49 days is called,
the Counting of the Omer-- A time from Pesach to Shavuot, the 25th day, exactly
in the middle.
Laney, thank you for the
opportunity to be myself, to receive and to give, to grow, and to continue the
transition time I have been in with great transformation since the years of sickness,
death of my husband, z'l, a year ago, and grieving period filled with religious
ritual, and healing.
Today I shall eat my plate
of bean sprouts, left over from yesterday's Thai meal.
Maybe you will go to Gaia Festival
with me and discover and play.
One love, shalom
and abundant blesSings of health and joy to you,
Joy
"Serve G*d With
Joy"
From: "Clevenger,
Laney
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007
To: Joy
morning o
joyful one,
Thank you so
much for your sweet heartfelt words. My heart is very grateful...for you
and your presence yesterday. It was a truly wonderful day!
It was somewhat
hectic when everyone was leaving, that I didn't get to give you a final hug of
gratitude and love before you left.
I thought your
presentation was perfect. I watched you move around with such grace and
ease...I felt you played from your heart and soul...and it was beautiful.
The bowls are such a valuable tool for us to have at the WDDs...and I'm sure
the ladies all enjoyed them, felt them, and valued the energy you shared with
us all. I can't think of anything you'd need to change...even with all
your pillows and scarves...it was beautiful. ...I play the ocean
drum....so next time, I'd be glad to do that to assist you.
It was a
perfect day! Thank you again, for your sweet feminine presence
yesterday...you played an important part of the day...and I know everyone is
grateful.
see you
soon, great blessings to you,
Laney
From: JOY
Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2007
To: Clevenger, Laney (NBC Universal)
Dear Laney,
Again, congratulations on a lovely, expansive, sacred
Women's Drum Day.
You put so much effort
into creating the womb for us to be birthed into drumming and dancing and
breathing, feeling, seeing and touching, tasting, hearing. You too had the
lovely lavender for aroma senses to be activated into gentleness. I
offered mine, hand picked from my garden this morning, from my glass bowl
for other to enjoy. I gave my flowers in my vase to women who helped me. Thank
you for remembering the water bowl for my floating round small purple
candles. I thought that would add to our senses.
Each subtle touch you
prepared so thoughtfully was appreciated in setting the environment for
pleasure, play, safety and joy.
Your tent of hanging
colors, loose and knotted are so feminine and enclosing of space-- An open tent
for the women of the tribe.
We transformed the
billows of chiffon into another setting when the "four
directions" women led us. Hearing the conch shell and receiving the
incense and translated words felt universal.
Shaking shakers and
turning four times felt inclusive as a beginning.
The women leaders were
wonderful.
I loved being greeted by
the delights of the senses: your dark chocolate soy nuts, altars, flowers
beginning at the front door with ribbons dancing, candles, flowing water
fountain, even seeing a stone called Joy, and at the entry, Christine with
her pelican feathers and smudging and inner joy sparking as always. I
liked how we could each flow with the other.
For the morning session,
I listened to what the women said about why they were there, and I
tried to pay special attention to how I played the Tibetan singing bowls for
them, when I walked around, especially, when there was an
individual need expressed. I was glad that the women were able to get off
their chairs with encouragement at my invitation and lie down on the floor. I
wanted them to have the most relaxing effect from my intentions in bowl
playing.
One woman later told
me how she loved it when the hem of my long silk skirt of many purples and
textures, touched her skin as I walked around the women lying on the floor in
their meditation. She said it was like the "hem of the skirt from the New
Testament." I am ignorant of that, but know of the bells and pomegranates
on the hem on the Kohanim in Temple times of Old Testament.
This year I shared a
little poetry of sound at the beginning in addition to my words of meditation
guidance. I shared a little "Ohming"
at the end. I wonder if these were helpful, instead of my going
straight into the bowl playing...
I did not play my bells
from my ancestral matriarchy. I wonder if more of my gong playing would have
been better, or was that enough? I have paid people to gong me for
an hour. I pay to have people "bowl" me for half an hour, or less. I
wanted the women to experience the individual sessions as I played over
their bodies, with the bowls, ocean drums and rain sticks. I gave my all in
offering the healing sounds for magic, relaxation and transformation. I
chose bowls that I felt would resonate best for the very large space as
the women were throughout the area. I hope that they received the sounds even
when I was not directly by each one. At times, I played sitting by my
altar space mixing, overlaying the sounds. I would appreciate any feedback from
you to learn for next time.
I do think that I offered
sensory overload at my own altar. I was so happy finding so many sensual pieces
of scarves, purple feather boas, pillows etc., etc. I may have over done it.
Next time, I think I need a simpler setting. Although I must say, I felt like I
was in a favorite place of mine, a Moroccan casbah, and felt good
that I could offer that experience. I did have Moroccan pillows with me,
purchased from my journeys as well as unusual ethnic instruments, like the
Indian jingles on long brass frame. I loved bringing the energies of the
sacred places I have been, and the people who have gone to the next world,
whose memories I have inherited with their tools, their textiles, their gongs
and bells.
I love it when Chris blended
in and played didgeridoo and flute with me (as arranged before hand) Christine
carried the ocean drums and the rain sticks with me (to double up in the room
space), and dear child in age, Valeska, too, carried a rain stick,
taking her place in the "tribe" as leader and learner. I felt
badly that I did not thank them publicly when my set was over, but I did
introduce them at the beginning. No many musicians acknowledge others at the
beginning. I did thank them privately.
I loved it when Christine
invited me back in with the singing bowl at the closing circle to
join her "Indian drum" and Chris joined on didgeridoo as all the
women sang and danced. At times, I offered Chris my singing bowl to play into,
as the ancestral sounds of the 'didge' reverberate and become deeper, fuller,
bellowing when in more enclosed space.
The spontaneity was lovely
as we danced with my large, happy purple-ribboned (circusy) scarf while
dancing with our small colors of scarf as mirrors and beyond. That was
delightful, fun, joyous. I loved Christine's first time, original exercise.
I loved it when the immense scarf became a canopy for us to dance
through.
Chris really got us all
into the Afro-Cuban mix. She is so skilled. I never knew to hold the claves
like a hot dog!
I was glad for the deep
breathing by Janice. It was fun to choose a color to sit by, although I
would have liked for the facilitator to open up to us earlier, to why we
chose those colors for ourselves at that moment. I did not go to the
purple triangular slice of color, but I chose RED. I fell asleep so
am not sure what transpired during her hour except that I had some weird dreams
(about a rabbi, former teacher of mine, recently deceased. (If you
get a chance, let me know what I missed, if you were awake. Hearing others
snore, I know I was not alone. Shivasana / resting was always my
favorite part of yoga, like being in kindergarten.)
Young Valeska was brave
and open enough, alone, to share the experience she had, when asked to
share. Such a model. I am glad that I acknowledged the next generation.
In Hebrew, our blessings
and teachings include "L'Dor V'Dor" / from generation to
generation.
Valeska exemplifies this
and she is always so inclusive of others, motiivating us to come into the
circle, and offering leadership to others. Is she nine years old?
I felt toward the end of
the day, that I needed some Sufi type of intimate face-to-face interaction with
all the women, close up, and sure enough we had the dance at the end where that
happened and all smiles and eyes could be witnessed. A great ending. The women
played the Indian hoop drums. I played the crystal singing bowl as we greeted
each other in the circular dance.
Some wonderfully helpful
ladies helped me put my instruments into the car, couple trips each. I
felt cared for. Of course I had to do the ten trips into my home on
my own. I should take the women home with me. Jerry
graciously helped me in the morning and was there for us at Remo to have our
day. I am grateful. And as you heard, most of the women used the word
"grateful" in the closing.
It was Kris,
the creator of the next "Gaia Festival", who really helped me along
with other women, to carry my instruments. She understood the word,
"help". She learned a lot today from us at Women's Drum Day, and I am
grateful that we could make space to announce her festival, and others'
books, workshops, and music CDs and spiritual cruises...
Laney, I hope that you
feel really good about your Women's Drum Day. It felt so good to finally see
the chairs fill in the circle. The women came. You are always so
gracious, peaceful, creative, trusting, humble, responsive and sweet.
In addition to all the
organizations and news places that I sent PR, I tracked down some goddess
temples in greater LA, and sent all the contacts the flyers on WDD. Did you
ever find out how today's women found us? How many from prior WDD's?
It was fun to do
brainstorming, gestating, with you months ago, even if Women's Drum Day
did not happen at the Spring Equinox. But you surely birthed, anyway. You had
faith and were supported. Thank you, my friend.
May
you be blessed to go from strength to strength.
You
Are A BlesSing.
One
love, shalom and abundant blesSings of health and joy to you,
Joy
"Serve
G*d With Joy"
Cc:
Christine Stevens
Jerry
Zacarias
+Joy.jpg)
