Amulets by Merlin's Blog

I was once on the “circuit”
– touring from one festival to another
offering my services and art to fair goers up and down the east coast.
When it got dark and folks could no longer see my jewelry and sculpture,
I would close up shop and head down to the fire and listen to the drums.
Problem was I wanted to play with them
– but I really didn’t know how.
I had spent much of my childhood at a keyboard
playing the piano
– learning classical music and such
but this drumming thing was beyond me

When I met some drummers who offered me a chance to drum
I gladly gave it a try.
At first just keeping the down beat was my job.
Because of my background I caught on quickly and became the metronome of the circle
Keeping the beat going as the advanced musicians danced on the edge
And the dancers pulled me forward
I started experimenting with rhythm

One night – I was cut off.
“Get your own drum” I was told.
I was advised to get the “biggest drum I could find”
And so the one I found was being used as a coffee table by a drum maker
Huge, standing tall and holding up a dinner tray.
the sound was amazing
And so I started with this oversize, much too heavy Djembe
When I started drumming at the fire of Starwood
it felt like I was in the surf and a wave caught me
carried me for a very long time
Later I looked up to discover the full moon was nearly setting
I and been drumming all night!

Djembe of Fire Amulet

Years later, a good friend asked me to make an amulet
which represented the drum and it’s power
A Djembe: fire licking the sides of the bell
two hands poised over the rim
playing

The Djembe of Fire Amulet
is for those people who love the drum
The Drum Circle
and music made around the fire!