May 25, 2025

Drumming and Summer

Dear all,

Meeting Yes, I agree its better to do the drums together and wait till we can all gather. There are a few keen drummers who cant make it.

I was just thinking, as summer approaches, should we have a period through summer of smaller meetings for those who aren't travelling ? Then in September we could start the bigger meeting again.

Drumming It did occur to me that not everybody might be as keen on drumming as some of us are, or see the benefits of it, but I might well be wrong there ? What are the benefits, I wonder? My first thought was – well, it’s something we can do as a community. So it could help lead people out of the individualism and isolation that create such unhappiness today? It’s both individual and communal.. You have to create your own drumbeat. You also have to harmonise it with the rhythms of the group.

Westerners seem to me too individual. And I see people coming from Africa, India, SE Asia and I ask myself; what’s it like to be so communal? They seem happier. They are so good at communal activities. But do they understand the inner freedom, the sense of self which is for me the good side of Western individualism? I’m not sure.

The other thing I like about drumming is this. There are no words (good for me – I’m so wordy !!). It’s bodily experience, but it’s a bodily experience in community. It draws you out from yourself to listen to everybody elses’s drumbeat. Anything that can draw you out from your own anxiety, angst, ego, is good, in my book. And the whole community can do it, from young to old.

How our group has changed me.

I’ve had lots of letting go experiences as a priest over the last few years. These are parts of a journey to cure my clericalism - ie everything has to involve or centre on, the priest. You guys have helped me enormously. So has my heart attack. Also, moving out of parish leadership. It’s a spirituality of descent - dropping all sorts of things which may have been useful once but aren't anymore. Simplifying your life. But gradually I realised what lots of religious sisters and brothers have realised - a group who decide by consensus is a really good place to be. Why ? Because you really have to have harmony and ego-freedom to make this work. I think it works with us. I love our little community. Its futuristic. Am I making sense or not ?

I’ve just spent a day with an old friend, John Butler. We worked together in Bangor. We had a fascinating chat, talking about communities that are marginal, but connected to, the mainstream. He goes to the quakers on Sunday, loves the silence and consensual thinking. Also they have no borders, like us. They’re open to anyone and believe people of different views can interact and flourish together.

They have a different drumbeat and yet we can learn to enjoy creating harmonic rhythms together.

Wishing you all lots of blessings, sunlight and good rhythms.

Charles