Spirit Holes

What does it mean to have a hole in the drum?

Occasionally, we have Shamanic Drums on our online shop with holes in the drumhead, known as Spirit Holes. 

A Spirit Hole is a naturally formed hole in the hide that has held strong during the drum birthing process. These drums are very rare and considered very special in some traditions because of their associations. 

While we usually work around any holes in the hides, when preparing our drums, we do occasionally include them as Spirit Holes, if we feel called to. One of my own personal drums, and the first Shamanic Drum that I made, has a Spirit Hole in it, and rather than an “imperfection”, they are actually quite a blessing.

The Breath of the Spirit of the Drum

One of the blessings of the Spirit Holes is what happens along with the drum beat. Often, as the drum is played, a puff of air is blown through the hole with the beat, and this is commonly regarded as the breath of the spirit of the drum.

In my shamanic healing practice, I used to work with the breath a lot, and so to find that my healing drum also had its own breath was truly magical.

The Wounded Healer

The Spirit Hole is also often associated with the archetype of the “wounded healer”, as despite the “wound” of the hole, the drum head has stayed strong and continues to share its magic and medicine. As such, many find these drums make great companions as healing drums, whether for oneself or for working with others.

Is it a weak spot?

While this all sounds wonderful, the question often remains as to whether or not this means the drum is more likely to break.

Our experience is that these holes stay strong for many years: my own drum with a Spirit Hole has shown no inclination towards retiring after more than a decade. 

3 Year Guarantee on the Spirit Hole: All of these Shamanic Drums with Spirit Holes are covered by an extra year on top of our two year guarantee where we will repair, replace or refund, as necessary, if there are any breaks due to the Spirit Hole.

To see our Shamanic Drums with Spirit Holes, see the links below.