BEFORE YOU REGISTER FOR THE DRUM CIRCLE, PLEASE READ THIS INFORMATION TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO, WHAT IT MEANS TO US AND HOW WE DO THE VARIOUS ACTIVITIES IN OUR CIRCLE.

Drum Circle 

by

Fierce Feminine Fire

Led by

Mary Ellen Connett MacDonald

Information and Etiquette

Registering for the Drum Circle

Before you register for the Drum Circle, please scroll through the Fierce Feminine Fire Facebook page 

https://www.facebook.com/Fiercefemininefire?mibextid=opq0tG

This will give you a good idea of what we do and how we do our activities in the drum circle. I also give information about drumming so it's educational and beneficial for the first time participant. This should help you decide whether you would like to participate in our Drum  Circle. 

By registering, you are deciding to participate in our Drum Circle. There may be one or two activities you prefer not to engage in but you are fully a participant. 

PLEASE NOTE: We do not open our Drum Circle up to those who want to “observe us” in the Drum Circle. The Facebook page is for observing. 

Please respect our circle, our members and our sacred space and DO NOT REGISTER if you do not intend to participate.

The Fierce Feminine Fire (FFF) Drum Circle

The FFF Drum Circle is a Psycho-Spiritual and Physical Healing and Meditative Experience through the vibration, sound and rhythm of playing a variety of drums and percussion instruments. 

Our bodies are naturally tuned to this vibration and rhythm because of the fact that we have a heartbeat that pulses through our body continuously. We are all natural drummers! No extra training needed! 

You will be shown how to hold and play the drum and different beat strokes. The rest is your own creativity! No need for worry! We create a judgment free space for you to be your true self! 

So the experience is relaxing, meditative, healing, invigorating, fun and spiritually grounding. 

There is a lot of excellent research on the health benefits of drumming. You can Google it and you'll be amazed at all you see! 

What the FFF Drum Circle IS NOT 

This Drum Circle is not a religious experience. It is, however, a sacred space. We come together to celebrate our lives through rhythm and vibration without adherence to any religion. We pray as anyone would pray to connect with our Creator and our Spirit within. We express gratitude for our time together and ask our Creator to bless us. We also may pray for certain aspects of personal healing.  

PLEASE NOTE: although we honor some indigenous cultures for their traditions around drumming, we do not try to imitate these practices. This is not a wicken or pagan practice or community. We may have different names for what we call our Creator - God, Great Spirit, Yahweh, Higher Power - and we are all invited to celebrate our joy in our creation and the creation of the world, including animals, plants, and all living beings

Influences in the FFF Drum Circle Creation. 

Drum Circles are created by the Drum Circle leader. Each circle will be different and follow the personality and experiences of the leader. 

I started the FFF Drum Circle in 2017 due to the psycho-spiritual and physical healing aspects of drumming in circles. I wanted to facilitate healing through the active participation of people receiving vibrations, moving in rhythm and fully enjoying the activity within a supportive, accepting community. 

I bring all of these influences to my Drum Circle leadership: 

• 40+ years as a psychotherapist, educator and group leader

• study of healing through indigenous shamanism

• 24 years of therapeutic horsemanship

• various training in drum circle leadership

• passion for Native American spirituality

• life experiences as an artist

• and my prayerful life as a lover of God as our Creator   

Entering the Drum Circle

When you enter a drum circle, you are entering sacred space.

We like you to be cleansed of all that has passed as you step into the present moment.

You will be offered the opportunity to receive a sage spray cleansing smudging.

As you are cleansed, you will have the opportunity to step into your spirit self - full of light, love and joy, alway stable, secure and grounded.

Using a Drum

If you do not have a drum of your own, you will be offered a drum and beater by the drum circle leader to use in drumming in the circle during that circle. You'll return them  back to the basket when finished. 

By being loaned this drum, know that we consider the drum a living spiritual being, a re-birth of the animal whose hide the drum is made from, and who’s creation has prayerful intention.

Treat the drum as a living soul being that has something to teach you, whose voice (vibration) you can follow for guidance. Listen to the drum.

To receive the loan of a drum,  it must be offered to you by the person who birthed the drum. You are not to “take” a drum that you want to play. You can ask the person who birthed the drum if you may play the drum and the person has the freedom to say “yes” or “not at this time” depending on how they feel when the request is made.

If your request to play a certain drum is denied, know this is not personal but it is about the intimate relationship between the drum and the person who birthed the drum at that particular time. 

When putting the drum down, never place the face of the drum downward unless there is a cloth or covering (case) that the drum is laid in. The drum’s face should alway be positioned upright. 

These guidelines are also true of the steel drums, djembe drums or synthetic Remo drums we play in our drum circle, even though they are not “birthed” by us. They have been designed by us and we also have a soul connection with them.

Photography

We will take certain photos or videos of our drumming to help introduce this experience to others who can benefit. We will ask if anyone would rather not have their photo taken and to step out of the area where we’ll be taking the photos. Let me know if you don’t want to be in pictures that are posted on Facebook or sent out in emails.

Additionally, we ask participants NOT to take any pictures of our drum circles UNLESS you are asked by me to do so for my use for purposes of spreading the word about drumming on the Fierce Feminine Fire Facebook page. You can always save photos you like from the Facebook post on the FFF Facebook page.