It’s no coincidence that it was at the end of Perinatal Mental Health week when I birthed my own medicine drum. I had been wanting to make my own medicine drum for a couple of years. But time or money kept getting in the way. And then one day it all just fell into place. I had noticed there was a workshop the next weekend and I was free so I emailed to register and was excited there was still space. It was meant to be.
I gathered some of feathers and crystals I had at home to decorate my drum with but I wanted to take some time to sit with what words I would write inside my drum. But I also wanted to just let it flow. I did some meditation and just found myself thinking about my eldest daughter a lot and the struggles we had when she was born. I assumed this was because I had been sharing our story as part of Perinatal Mental Health week.
I spoke to a friend the day before the workshop who told me to surrender to the process. She also told me that making the drum was like the birthing process. As soon as she told me that I realised I had already been going through the labour. I could feel the energy of the long, hard labour of my first coming up. It felt like everything was bubbling up to the surface.
The drive up to the workshop was cathartic in itself. The drive up the hills is always great to get away from the city and be amongst the trees. But this felt different. I could feel the shift in vibration. And then I received the messages from my soul about the words that would be the medicine of my drum. They were all about liberation. “Be free and rise up.”
We began the day with some beautiful ceremonies and then we were all asked to introduce ourselves and our intention for our drums. I had originally wanted my drum to use with my clients. I hadn’t thought about the drum being medicine for myself. But that was exactly what John said it was. Through making our own medicine drums we would be making our own medicine. Birthing our magic. So when I introduced myself I shared that my intention was to bring healing for me and my family, my ancestors and my community. I wanted the healing to ripple backwards and forwards in time for all who needed it.
And then it was time to decorate our hoops. I pulled a card and it was Freshness. This card spoke to me about busyness and how this can lead to burnout which has definitely been a pattern for me in the past. This was my second message about busyness that week. My counsellor had asked me if I was always busy? Just being asked the question made me realise I wasn’t a victim of my circumstances making me busy. I had always struggled to just be present and keeping busy was a way to avoid it. So as I took note of the message I understood that through pausing and simply being, more joy would arise within me and burst out with freshness and enthusiasm.

And so the words I wrote inside my drum were:
Be present and surrender
Let go and trust the process
Be free and rise up with freshness
After I finished decorating my hoop I pulled a card from a different deck that was laid out. This card was Connection and the message was that I was on my journey home. Love and divine connection with all living things was my way home. Every cell of my being knows the way and my destination is guaranteed. I felt so much peace and stillness as I sat with this message.
After a break it was time to thread the skins onto the hoops. I found this part quite relaxing. The sequence was simple to follow but I still made a mistake towards the end and had to re-thread the last few. It was a really hot day and even hotter in the teepee so we had to keep spraying the kangaroo skins with water. By the end of the day the words I had so carefully and intentionally written in the morning had run. The perfectionist that still lives within me struggled with this but now I love that those words are so infused into the wood that their resonance will vibrate with every beat of my drum.
The next stage was the wrapping and we did this out on the grass where it was much cooler. I found this step more challenging and it really brought up more of my perfectionism and not wanting to make mistakes. I did notice that I had no problem asking for help and I felt like this was a huge step for me because asking for help was one of my biggest struggles as a new mum.


I also received some ant medicine during this stage. First a bite from a bull ant and then a large fire ant was on the toe of the lady next to me but in her words “it had its eyes on me”. Ants are known for their strength, hard work and being part of a community. The next day I searched the meaning and loved this page because it started with ants are so common – so unnoticed – so much a part of the world ‘below’ us that we may not take the time to really pay attention or connect to them. If you have ‘Ant medicine’ you are content in knowing that “what is yours will come to you”. This knowing is good medicine. It shows trust in the Universe to provide. I loved this message because it is something I had always believed but had forgotten about – I had lost the connection in the busyness of life.
Then I was lucky to have a ladybug walk all over my drum. The message of the ladybug is worries will quickly disperse when ladybug appears as they shield us from our aggravations, paving the way for new found happiness – aim high, you will get what you focus on. However, ladybug also cautions us not to force things or try to hard to fulfil your wishes, go with the flow and let things take their natural course. Your wishes will come true when they do – in their own time!
The final stage was making our drumsticks with sheep wool. We moved back into the teepee for this and the mood was more fun and lighthearted. Then to finish off we had a ceremony to thank the spirits that were part of our drums and our day. This was done in the dark and was just a magical way to end the day.
It had been a very long day and we had finished later than planned but my heart so full. After we were finished I found myself wishing I had connected more to the spirits that had been around us but I had truly been present and in the now. That night as I lay in bed I received light codes and just knew that the spirits had been with me and were always around me whenever I needed to connect to them.

Since making my drum I have felt more inner peace and I am so thankful for the experience. I haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly what was healed in me and my ancestral line but I can still feel the ripple effect flowing through me and it just feels so good. So once again I give thanks and gratitude to the spirits of the kangaroo, the stick people, the sheep and the kyanite, the elementals and all those who have come before me.
My drum is proudly on display in my clinic room and every time I look at it, it just fills me with joy. It really did feel like bringing a new baby home and always feeling unconditional love when looking at it. And just like the births of my daughters have changed and healed parts of me, so has my medicine drum.