Drum Building Workshop (6-20-09)

Honey in the Heart Drum Company
Date: June 20 - 21, 2009
Raleigh, NC
Drum Building Workshop

Join Tom Harris for an exciting weekend of drum building. During this two day workshop, participants will be introduced to the joy of building a West African drum. All tools and materials are provided. Choose one of the following drums to build:

Ashiko - this Nigerian hand drum is a tapered cylinder with a goat skin across the large end. Dimensions are 12'” x 7" x 26". The drum shell is made from 18 wooden staves. The head is mounted using the Mali weave.

Dun Dun or Sangban - These Malinke drums form the bottom of the djembe ensemble. They are built Guinea style - Dun Duns are 15"x27", and Sangbans are 12"x22". They are constructed of 27 and 21 wooden staves, respectively. They have thick West African cow skins for heads and are played with a stick.

Djembe - The shells for this Malinke drum are from the Ivory Coast. Drum shells are imported, and participants re-finish them and mount the heads on themselves. New rings, rope and goat skins are provided.

This weekend workshop is intense and joyful. While Tom is able to share the experience and skill he has acquired from building over 1000 drums since 1996, each person is faced with a significant challenge to bring their first drum to completion. Most people finish the weekend feeling a deep sense of satisfaction while also feeling like they have finished the equivalent of a marathon. It is also a strong bonding experience for the participants who have shared this process.

Saturday

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM - Oil and wax. Wrap rings with fabric, tie cradle loops around rings.

1 PM – 4:00 PM Lace on skins, pre-tighten skins and level rings, shave heads.

Sunday

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Pull vertical ropes tight, tie diamonds to tune the drum, re-shave head, add handle and strap.


Drum Order Form

Workshop Date: _ Date: June 20-21,2009


Name________________________________________________________


Address______________________________________________________


Phone_______________________ Email____________________


Drum Type (except for djembe, indicate paduk (bright orange), purple heart, bloodwood, cherry or black walnut for wood)

Wood Type

Ashiko ________ $240 _____________

Super Dununba $475 _____________ (18”x36”)

Dununba _______ $395 _____________ (15 1/2” x27”)

Sangban _______ $375 _____________

Kenkini_________ $350 _____________

Djembe _______ $340

Decorative Metal Work $75 ________

Guinea Wrap (red/green/gold) $75 ______

For more information, contact:

Tom Harris
5014 Lakemont Drive
Douglasville, GA 30135
cell – 770-843-3556
email tomharris57@comcast.net

Joshua Project Rites of Passage Summer 2009

Any men interested in mentoring younger ones into manhood encouraged to consider the following:

2009 Rites-of-Passage Camp

for Young Men (13-19)

June 28 - July 5

Welcoming Weekend

for Adult Men

July 3 - 5

Camp Grier, near Old Fort, NC

Joshua Project

This camp is designed especially to help usher boys toward a mature and generous manhood, with the support of a community of soulful men (including fathers and male relatives) interested in offering a meaningful initiatory experience for young men.

One week in a beautiful, natural setting with rustic accommodations

Experiential learning about the tenets of mature manhood, community councils, survival skills, group-designed rituals, relationship skill-building, arts/crafts, music AND including a 24-hour solo Vision Fast

Not your typical summer camp, but rather an experience for young men to intentionally step toward an authentic sense of themselves as men-in-the making

Costs: $650./young man ($600. if reg by 6/1)

Partial scholarships available, please inquire

$150./adult men (for weekend)

Registration of Young men must be before June 14,

as preparations are necessary (Deposit of $125)

Adult men may register until June 27th (Deposit of $75).

Deposit to: The Joshua Project 3214 Stoneybrook Rd. Charlotte, NC 28205

Call 704-342-3456 (Philip Loydpierson, Director) for information

or visit: www.Joshua-Project.us.

Mission Statement: The Joshua Project is dedicated to providing meaningful rites-of-passage experiences for young men moving into manhood, to exploring the meaning of mature masculinity with men and boys, and to providing a vehicle to encourage adult-youth mentoring relationships. While the Joshua Project forwards no particular religion or creed, it is dedicated to the encouragement of spiritual practices that inform a man's authentic nature.

Hello Gents,
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Spring.

Below is some information about workshops being done by John Lee the author of Flying Boy. I have attended a mens' weekend with John as one of the leaders. He does an excellent job as the leader of workshops. I hope some of you will consider attending one of these workshops. The workshops are at a place called Hawkwind in northern Alabama.
I hope to attend the one in July and possibly October.
If the links below don't work then you can go to johnleebooks.com.

(posted by Ethan)

New Workshops for Men from John Lee
If you can't view html emails, click here.
Men's Weekends at Hawkwind
with John Lee, Tarwater and Others
PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE 3 MEN'S WEEKENDS AT HAWKWIND IN 2009:
March 27-29 • July 24-26 • October 2-4
Read full brochure
Join John Lee for a series of three unforgettable men’s only workshops at Hawkwind.
Now you can experience John’s work in the beautiful and natural small group setting that Hawkwind offers. Take a deeper journey into the wounds, wonder, anger, grief and joy that comes from being a healthy man in the 21st Century.
MARCH 27-29, 2009
Beginning or Continuing the Journey Inward
Exploring and explaining the father-son and mother-son relationships and how they impact the development of all our relationships, our masculinity, careers and the way we give love (or don’t) and receive love (or don’t) to the degree we long for.
A deeper understanding of the male psyche and soul as it relates to the way we were fathered or not
What shut men down in the first place
What it takes to open back up.
Register Now
JULY 24-26, 2009
Men and their Struggle with Intimacy
Men and their held in, repressed, bottled up or explosive anger can have very negative consequences if not expressed appropriately on a regular basis. Unexpressed anger turns into rage and chronic emotional tension which robs us of valuable energy, vitality, and health, and thus can lead to us not only hurting ourselves, but also those we love or work with.
This is a safe, supportive, non-shaming setting to do anger work and grief work (they go hand-in-hand), whether it is dealing with loss, death, divorce, disease or childhood trauma. Grieving is a key to healing.
Register Now
OCTOBER 2-4, 2009
Boys to Men to Elders: Understanding Emotional Regression & Passivity
This weekend we will explore and expand the term “regression”—the best kept secret in Psychology and Recovery and passivity—the compulsion to be attached to not having the things we say we really want and desire which keeps men living a half-lived life, half in and half out of relationships and not being able to commit to their own creativity.
During this down-to-earth, fast-paced workshop you will:
Learn why we regress and what to do about itIdentify the red flags of regression
Explore the five things that will grow you or your client back up every time
Examine the causes and pre-conditions for regression
Experience the grace in regression
Register or Get More Info Now

Hello Gentlemen,
In memory of our friend Harold Earl Myers I am posting the Rumi poem below. Harold has attended the Spring Gathering for past few years. He died last week.
His gentle soul will be missed.

For safekeeping, gold is hidden in a desolate place, where
no one ever goes, not

in a familiar, eary-to-get-to spot. The proverb goes, Joy
lives concealed in grief.

The mind puzzles with this, but that strong beast, the soul, a
lively animal, will break

such a tether. Love burns away difficulties, as daylight does
night phantoms. Look for

the answer inside your question. Cornered in the edgeless
region of love, you'll

see the opening that leads neither east nor west, nor any
direction. You're a mountain

searching for its echo! Whenever you hurt, you say, Lord
God! The answer lives in that

which bends you low and makes you cry out. Pain and the threat
of death, for instance, do this.

They make you clear. When you're gone, you lose purpose. You
wonder what to do, where

to go. This is because you're uneven in your opening:
sometimes closed and unreachable,

sometimes with your shirt torn with longing. Your discursive
intellect dominates for a

time; then the universal, beyond-time intelligence comes. Sell
your questioning talents, my

son; buy bewildering surrender. Live simply and helpfully
in that. Don't worry about

the University of Bukhara with its prestigious curriculum.

(post by Ethan)

The Joshua Project Fall Camp 2008

Men and Creative Imagination
The Joshua Project
Fall Camp
St. John's River Valley Camp
October 3-5, 2008

"What exists was only once imagined." William Blake

If the problems of life are to be solved, the solutions must first be imagined. The death of creative imagination is the harbinger of death in all areas. But when a man can tap this enormous resource, he himself becomes the solution. For a man (or young man) to step into his purpose, to be able to offer his gifts to the community, he must first ride the wild uncertainty implicit in the powers of Imagining.

You are invited to gather with men and young men (ages 13 and up) - to share a warm fire in the cool mountains, to pool our collective resources to create meaningful ritual that brings us together within the community of men, to share stories or a song,
and to imagine a better world for our sons.

$150./adult man $75./young man (ages 13-25)
Healthy meals and rustic cabin lodging provided.

Must register by September 26
Send deposit (half fee) postmarked by September 26 (please include email address or phone number) to:
The Joshua Project 3214 Stoneybrook Rd Charlotte, NC 28205
Directions sent upon registration
Info @ 704-342-3456 or ploydpierson @carolina.rr.com Also visit website: www.Joshua-Project.us

Mission Statement
The Joshua Project is dedicated to providing meaningful rites-of-passage experiences for young men moving into manhood, to exploring the meaning of mature masculinity with men and boys, and to providing a vehicle to encourage adult-youth mentoring relationships. While the Joshua Project forwards no particular religion or creed, it is dedicated to the encouragement of spiritual practices that inform a man's own authentic nature.

Posted by John A.

John Lee's new book

Hello Gents,
You may have been wondering, as I have, will we ever see another book to add to the spicy mix of mytho-poetic men’s books. Well, I am happy to report the answer is “Yes.” However, it may not be quite what you expected. John Lee, author of Flying Boy, Growing Yourself Back Up and many more, has released his first piece of fiction. So far it has just been released on-line. He is waiting for the publishers to line up at his door to fight over who gets the rights to the book.

Here is the author’s description:
It is about spiritual growth and faith. Simultaneously it is a romp through my home state of Alabama, which is known here in the South to be “The Heart of Dixie.” When The Buddha Met Bubba is a whimsical, fantasy that deals with the integrity and surrender that comes when a likeable redneck (Bubba) meets his magical mentor, Pu Tai (one of the many names for The Buddha), as they set off on an unusual journey. It has at its center a love story between a man and a woman and the devotion of a beautiful gay couple. Throw in the struggle to heal a father-son wound, old South prejudice and bigotry, then add a little humor and true Buddhist/Christian compassion and you end up with a quirky novel that is not only different but just plain fun.

I would add that the book contains a healthy dose of knowledge John learned from his work with AA and Al-anon.

Like all good rites of passage myths, this story takes the main character on a journey into the unknown marked with dangers that must be dealt with. I have not completed the book, but my guess is that the classic myth will end with the main character returning to his homeland where he will share the knowledge he has gained.

You can read the entire book free at:
http://dixiehartwell.com/pdfs/When%20The%20Buddha%20Met%20Bubba_Final.pdf

A comment of any type or length would go a long way to boosting the delicate ego of this blogger.
Ethan

Bo Taylor - Gang Peace activist in LA

I wanted to take a few moments to pay respect to a man who sincerely tried to make a difference in the lives of young men trapped in a world of violence.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Darren "Bo" Taylor, an activist who brokered a truce between warring inner-city gangs after the 1992 Los Angeles riots, has died. He was 42.
Mr. Taylor died of cancer Monday in San Diego, his sister, Adrienne Galloway, said Wednesday.
Mr. Taylor was a member of the Crips street gang as a teenager. He joined the Navy and was honorably discharged before returning to gangs. He said he finally turned away from the thug life after being repeatedly shot at while dealing drugs.
He became a gang peace activist, respected by gangsters for his street credibility and by officials for his success.
He founded UNITY One after the 1992 riots. The group worked to prevent gang violence through intervention and education. One program involved teaching life management skills to thousands of county jail inmates.
Five years ago, Mr. Taylor worked with gang leaders to help quell a series of violent jail brawls between black and Hispanic inmates.
"Bo knew how to change lives for the better. He did it very well," Sheriff Lee Baca said Tuesday.
Mr. Taylor considered gang members to be disenfranchised youth, he told National Public Radio last year.
"They don't really have all the tools to make the right decisions that's necessary in today's society, and they don't fully understand the system," he said.
Civil rights attorney Connie Rice said Mr. Taylor was extraordinary.
"You don't find many in the gang-intervention world who can be effective in the street, effective in the courtroom, effective at City Hall and effective in the prisons," Rice said. "He could calm everyone down and make us work together."
On April 15, 2007, NPR’s All Things Considered had this report:
April 5, 2007 · In Los Angeles, a former gang member has taken to the airwaves with a radio show that's become a listening post for some of the city's most troubled, gang-plagued neighborhoods. For many, the program has become something resembling 'community therapy' over the airwaves.
Bo Taylor, at 41 bald and tattooed, works as a gang interventionist, motivating young people to get out of trouble through the organization he founded, Unity One. With his new radio show, he invites folks in the community to give him a ring.
Taylor asks God to bless the mike, then lays down a few ground rules, like no cursing, and no hogging the line. He gives a shout out to his friends — like Rocky, Tick, Psyche, Dashe, Tracy, and others. Taylor turns it over to his callers, saying they don't have to give their full names.
Many nights, the talk revolves around gang violence in their neighborhoods.
His work will continue in many forms. Michael Meade is still working in the LA area with youth to help them find a voice in writing. You can learn more about his work at http://www.mosaicvoices.org/.

Funny how the circle turns around
First you’re up and then you’re down again.
Though the circle takes what it may give
Each time around it makes it live again.
Funny how the circle is a wheel
And it can steal someone who is a friend.
Funny how the circle takes you flying
And if it’s right it brings it back again.
Though you always look for what you know
Each time around there is something new again.
- “Full Circle”, The Byrds

[This post was written by Ethan]