DrumMaker

About Me...
I have always had a connection with the helping spirits, even as a young child in a very rational and conventional family. Many years ago, I had a good corporate job working with computers. Now, I have a very nice life making drums and rattles and helping people.

I begin each day by drumming and giving thanks. I also do ceremonies in the medicine wheel constructed from the rocks of my land. I love the creative expression found doing spiritual work. (The images on my painted drums and rattles come from my shamanic journeys.)

I'm originally from urban California but now live in rural Kansas -- quite a change and I'm happier for it. My wife and I live with our two dogs, Chance and Silver, and our two cats, Jetta and Pumpkin.

About My Work...
I make drums and rattles to honor those with whom I have worked and those who have helped me. I have been fortunate enough to have sales in 20 countries and nearly every U.S. state. I have sold hundreds of drums, hundreds of rattles, and hundreds of my drumming and rattling journey CDs.

I work with the hides and spirits of Bear, Buffalo, Elk, Horse, Moose, and Wolf. (The hides I obtain are always the byproduct of something else, and I give them a spiritual use they would not otherwise have.)

About My Teachers...
The books of Carlos Castaneda (The Teachings of Don Juan, Journey to Ixtlan) spoke to me when I was in my twenties. They were my first source that balanced the ordinary world and the hidden, nonordinary reality. The books of Sandra Ingerman (Soul Retrieval, Welcome Home: Life after Healing) and workshops had a profound effect on me as they introduced me to other spiritual traditions.

I've studied extensively with Michael Harner's Foundation for Shamanic Studies and completed the FSS Three Year Program in Advanced Shamanism, a series of life-changing experiences. I've also studied with Betsy Bergstrom, Carol Proudfoot-Edgar, Sarangerel, and many others.

http://www.beardrum.com/index.html