SoL - Medicine Drumshield

SoL

Janine Weber 09

My newest Drum-Creation, it took me a good year to give birth to "SoL".

SoL was born in a circle of wonderful newly met friends. A drum-making potluck on a beautiful summer day. Each of us there with the intention to build our own native medicine drum.

I like to give the drums I make, their choice of time to dry. To find its heart-tune naturally. During the drying process I start to communicate with the drum to be painted, refreshen our relationship. My heart listens, feels, touches the drum. I like to write the impressions I feel, sense, down on paper. Sometimes I make sketches of what might be the spirit of the drum. There is no negative or positive here, the urge to judge is put aside. Only feelings count, giving them color, form, sound, movement. Within a couple of days the skin starts to tighten and takes on its final form. Lines and wrinkles now become visible on the stretched drying hide, its spirit pressing through.

"SoL" revealed itself as a surprise to me. At first I had the idea to paint a subtle landscape touched by a full moons light. I saw a glowing lake and a white Elk. The drums hide is Elkskin. But, the painting process became tiring and so, I put the drum aside. A few days later I gave it a glance and noticed that somehow it was now turned around. At this moment SoL became alive and visible to my eye.

SoL awakening

After months of diving into the beat of SoL's song, expressing it through color and form, the drum had been given a second skin. It was now more a drum-shield. First I was shocked, the sound of the drum was ruined. It no longer had this deep resonate sound, just a thump thump. I tried various versions of drumsticks, the sound was gone. So again I put it aside, hanging visible now on a nail in the wall, a decoration and a feeling of sadness.

Feeling guilty I took it down on a very hot dry summer day and gave it a beat. The sound was back! Happy of course, I played it awhile and gave my apologies for neglecting it. The next day the sound had disappeared again. I understood, heat is the spirit which awakens this drum, its name was given: SoL (Spirit of Life).

I still hope to find a way to play its song even on wet westcoast winter days. Heat, lots of heat. I can try the sauna without splashing water, a little song before the sweat. :)

SoL resting

Janine Weber 09

When I look at SoL, with no set images or judgements, just look with the heart, I see many things. It starts with a feeling, specific lines catch my imagination and an image appears, a symbol, a story, an animal, spirit. I see Life, Creation, Cycles, a burning Flame. I feel joy, lifejoy, the spirit of being alive.

SoL's song is about Life's wish to experience itself. All living forms are filled with SoL, the Spirit of Life. SoL's song wishes to remind us that all living beings are Life, simply experiencing itself, to consider this and to show respect. What we do, we do to ourselves. Humans, animals, plants, trees, any being that lives and dies within the Cycles of the Earth, the Sky, the Universe, Space & Time is filled with Spirit.

SoL sings to be cautious of what we choose to experience, as Life representing itself on this earthly plane. SoL sings to be aware of which memories we wish to remember in our moments of Death. We are born with the memories of all our ancestors, of all Life, our memories are our feelings. We die with new memories of Life Experience, what we remember is what we felt.

May they be beautiful and filled with Lifejoy.

SoL in the Garden

Janine Weber 09

I have now two other drums waiting in the corner to be recognized. Actually they are two huge vases which a friend of mine gave to me, found on the street. They are made out of fiberglass and have a long coneform. It will be an experiment, an interesting project, all I need now is the space and the LifeSpark to start.

Heartbeat to Heartbeat

May SoL be with you.

Janine