Drums of Power, Drums of Life
The Banaswadi Temple Festival 2023,
a Chakra Report by Tarun & Celia Cherian
Bone-rattling. Incessant. Knitting the neighbourhood. Some welcome it. Some curse it. Some dance with it. Some are unleashed with it. To some it is assault. To some catharsis. To some it is the fist that hammers on God’s sleeping ear.
Once a year, in spring, Banaswadi, Bangalore has its festival. For a week, there is music. A carnival. Giant temple chariots decked in flowers, crisscross the neighbourhood, often taking the idol out of its stone fastness, bedecked in precious stone and garland on garland, accompanying, carrying the power around, are frenzied drummers that start at 6 as the day wraps its work, and till 8 when the sun peers down curious, and exhausted arms, feet and tattered eardrums take a rest.Listen before reading On!
Across India, are many festivals like this. In the Banaswadi festival the drummers are the piece de resistance, the frantic heart, the restless soul of the celebration. And it is to them today we turn and examine them, if that is possible, for is it not they that surround, encircle, transform us?Before we look at the Dancer-drummers we ask ourselves, especially those who did advanced courses with us, what chakras do you expect to come alive?
Okay what is your answer?
As we look at the dancer-drummers, not unexpectedly we see The Root Chakra, blaze with classic reds. And the Solar-plexus Chakra shines with flaming yellows.
And what of the listeners?
Here is where things get interesting.
Chakras and Attitude of Listeners:
> The root chakras of those who actively listen, are aroused. It is usually orange-red.
> Those who are indifferent, half-listening, the navel and Solar-plexus Chakras are principally aroused, yellows, are the colours here. Their root chakras respond, but less so, and with a wider range of colours. From orange to green and purple.
> The root chakras of even the people who fear the music are stimulated. But it is often dark-purple at the root. Those who feel it is a religious assault often have white blinkers on either side of the head.
Intensity of Drumming and Chakras:
Now the drum beats vary in intensity and speed and so does the effect on the chakras.
> When it is a slow, heavy regular beat. The Root Chakra responds.
> When the tempo picks up, the navel chakra perks up, as if it is a call to action.
> Then there are phases where the drums become insanely frenzied. The Solar-plexus and other chakras like the Heart, Throat & Bindu Chakras are involved. It is as if the rules have changed, and so the self is involved in relooking at entire patterns… Okay advanced students what happens when the Solar-plexus looks at changed rhythms? The Heart? The Throat? The Bindu?
The Feet Chakras: And The Power to Get Land to Listen.
Now critical chakras linked with the feet and knees also come alive. Many have been taught that these chakras are linked to the root chakra. True and not true. As humans have become increasingly urbanized this is true. But each are highly significant points. In fact the feet/ below feet chakras are the primal earth connect chakras, more significant than the root.
The feet {and knee} chakras come alight with the root for a few people. This signifies, a point of human connect with the earth, with ancestors, with the neighbourhood. It also represents a point where man senses rhythms of the earth, the seasons, earth shifts, agricultural and cropping shifts.
Now as a major connect it comes truly alight only for a few. Who are they? Let us sketch the main categories.
> First are those with socio-economic-political power, who also have a deep involvement with the neighbourhood. Like Zamindars who dictate the shape of the land. These typically pay for the temples, and the festivals. This group can be positive or negative to the overall land spirit. For example, one can have a leader who creates a check dam and one who welcomes a toxic factory.
> Another group is that of the dispossessed, for example, tribals with a deep identification with nature, but little socio-economic power. While their power is insignificant in human hierarchy they can call storms, rain, lightning, drought, epidemic. This is deepened in the case of tantrics, as opposed to priests, who can speak directly to nature.
> Another category is that of dancers, musicians who feel the rhythms of life, but are often subservient to power hierarchies. But their influence can transcend localities and time.
> Another category are Gandharvas and ascending human spirits who have knowledge of ways of life, these connect mostly to Temples and Temple Priests, as opposed to Tantrics who attract a different kind of spirit.
Drumming and Animals:
Now animals in the neighbourhood are obviously impacted by the roar of drums.
> Largely, the drumming reminds animals of the power and ruthlessness of Man, and his distance from nature. It is as if man has harnessed Thunder.
> When it comes to animals, typically predators feel it in the ‘navel’ chakra, and so it deals with power. They look at it either as act of aggression, or if the animal identifies with Man, the animal sees it as empowering.
> Herbivores feel it differently, usually at the abdomen area or the heart. The Heart typically when they are seeking reassurance.
> The drumming can petrify some animals and some birds can have heart attacks.
> Insects are affected to some extent. Bees & ants show behavioural shifts.
Drumming and Trees and Land, Hills, River, Storms:
As we looked at the drumming we largely saw that trees ‘heard the drumming’ from their roots. They heard two things, vibrations and etheric shifts of the celebrants. They also sensed rhythmic shifts.
> Trees broadly respond to the drumming by shifting their aura with more pinks above ground, more brown below ground. From this one can conclude that they are seeking to spred calming pheromones/ enzymes, and shifting root patterns so they cling to the soil stronger.
> Trees with more human ghosts responded more to the drumming. Sometimes joining in the singing or screaming quiet, quiet…
> The drumming in the Banaswadi festival is more urban in character. And while it may pay tribute to nature, its essential character is not harmonizing with nature. However, seeking to connect and synchronise with nature is a key part of all tribal festivals and many village festivals. The further a village goes from agriculture and towards socio-economic-political power we hypothesize that the drumming will include greater navel chakra drumming patterns.
> Now drumming can affect Land, Water, Storm Spirits… Remember the post we put out of how the energies of the Ganga heard the Aarti?In the Banaswadi Temple Festival Drumming we principally saw some ancestral spirits roused by the Drumming force. Only one of the 6 well spirits in the neighbourhood stirred to take notice.
{Who remembers the article on The Earthquake spirit?}
Drumming, Silence, Music, Life
As I type this article it is morning, and after the rambunctious night, there is a blessed peace. This energy pattern is centered at the back of the heart. The psyche is looking at the world again, and reconnecting to it.
On either side of the navel are two energy points, much more prominent in those more invested in the neighbourhood, as if forming pillars for Life in Banaswadi, and the Indian heartland. For those harbouring a sense of being sidelined, by history or society, energy formations below the navel form… these trigger fierce pride, and in a few, even hatred. Hatred that healers can address and transform.
Now among those who consider themselves to be ‘bosses’, or protectors of the neighbourhood, two spinning chakras/ formations on either side of the navel emerge. Are these the same in different parts of the world and different religions? Furthur study is called for.
Another question we turn to is that of energy permanence. How long does the energy generated persist?
Using intuition we got that in the Banaswadi area and energy shift occurred roughly 200 years ago, and reading reveals the Banaswadi Anjaneya Temple is 150 years old! As we study it we get that there is some persistence of energy. Roughly 10% stays after 2 weeks. Mostly in people’s aura, but about 0.1% in the land and energies surrounding it.
Rhythm, Cosmic Power and Divine Perspective
As we were discussing the festival and drumming with Our Cosmic Guides and The Gods, they gave us a set of insights.Most of the Gods love festivals. The 'aliver' the better. They see it as a way a species, a land, the cosmic are united. In fact many species before us have festivals. Like Wolves howling at the Moon, Elephants, Gorillas... Many insects have festivals. For Nature the seasons are festivals.
Another aspect that they uncovered was multidimensionality. While we were wandering through the clouds we met a maid at the festival. For them, they saw the 27 encounters with the maid in 3 lives happening simultaneously. And so as the maid picked up a samosa for her kids it exploded in 20 different directions.
Multidimensionality also means deep interconnectedness, so the drummers feed of the audience which feeds off their frustrations, which is recycled through the use of the temple... Sometimes in the heart of a drummer is the feet of a child tumbling around at hearing the music...
As far as drumming is concerned crudely put the very cosmos is a vibration. But not a vibration of sound, but a vibration of significance, meaning from which existence is birthed.
They also pointed out that just as the drumming continued days after the drummer's stopped, pounding in our consciousness... So too silence can drum with frenzy thought it does not make a cheep... There are times, they say, when everything that constitutes us is extinguished... Not just us, but everything, our planet, galaxy, universe, all universes, but the roar of the worlds persist in the silence... Unextinguishable... Not there... But very present... Practice this form of being they urge...
Drumming Up, Summing Up
As we look at the article, we realise we have covered great psychic distance. And it is time to gather sum of the learnings.
1. Stimulus-Chakra Link is Complex: Normally when one looks at Chakra notes, one speaks of a direct link between stimulus and effect. For example, drums stimulate the root chakra. Or red turns on the root. We realise that is a simplification.
2. One's Attention to a Stimulus impacts its Chakra effect: If one is listening to music or just having it in the background makes a difference.
3. One's attitude to a Stimulus impacts its Chakra effect: So if one loves drumming, hates drumming, sees drumming as an assault it will modulate the effect on a chakra.
4. Music, Drumming, Dancing Can have a strong effect on Chakras, Society, Mass Behaviour:
5. Specific Chakra Patterns exist that stimulate Power and Social Stability:
6. Music, Drumming, Dancing Can Influence Animals, Plants, Even The Land:
Opportunity Musicians, Singers, Healers!
7. Drumming, Rhythms & God are related:
8. The Gods give us insights into Aliveness, Multidimensionality, Interconnectedness, Existence... Giving us keys to the Cosmos, without spoon-feeding...
Love & God,
Tarun & Celia Cherian
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