Dragon Lore: Curse of the Shadow Dragons have long been a subject of fascination and awe for humans. These mythical creatures possess immense power, unmatched beauty, and a mystique that captivates the imagination. However, as with any great power, there often comes a curse. In dragon lore, the Curse of the Shadow is one such dark and mysterious legend. According to ancient tales, the Curse of the Shadow is a curse that befalls dragons who succumb to their inner darkness. It is said that these dragons become consumed by their own pride, greed, or rage, transforming into dark, malevolent beings.

How to Host a Drum Circle

Drum circles are a lot of fun, and if you’ve ever attended a public Pagan or Wiccan event, chances are good that somewhere, someone is drumming. You may not be able to see them, but you’ll feel that pulsing rhythm off in the distance. In addition to being entertaining (and a great stress reliever), a drum circle serves another purpose – that of raising energy. Typically what happens is something like this:

First, one or two people will sit down with their drums. Usually, they’re experienced drummers, but not always. One will begin a slow, steady beat, and the other will chime in with something a bit faster and more up-tempo. Eventually, other people will notice that there’s something going on, and they’ll join in, each playing their own rhythm and beat. A few more people may be intrigued, and join in with rhythmic clapping, stomping of the feet, or other sounds. A few folks might start dancing. What’s really magical about this is that there’s hardly any verbal communication going on at all–it’s all about the music.

As the drumming continues–and there may be as many as two or three dozen people joining in–the beat speeds up, the pace quickens, and you can literally feel the energy in the air. It’s a palpable humming that courses through your veins. Finally, the drumming reaches its peak, and at the same time–without any pre-planning at all–everyone stops. Afterwards, there’s typically lots of laughter, socializing, clapping… and then the whole thing often begins again.

Although many drum circles are impromptu, if you want to have one at your event it’s a good idea to let people know that a drum circle may take place. That way they can bring their drums and be prepared. If you decide to host one, here are some tips for making it a success:

• Make sure you have one or two competent drummers to set the pace. If you have nothing but beginners, it can be awkward. Experienced drummers will help you get things started, and maintain the energy level that you want. They’ll also be able to focus on the collective sound and feel of the group, rather than just their own performance.

• Leave room for dancers. When a drum circle really gets going, no one can hold still for long. There will probably be people there who aren’t drumming, but will need room to move around.
• You may wish to have extra drums, as well a few non-drum instruments available for people who didn’t bring their own–maracas or other shakers, sticks to tap together, a triangle, etc.
• If you plan to have children present, understand that not all kids have rhythm. For that matter, neither do a lot of adults. That’s normal. Don’t discourage anyone from playing along; there’s something truly magical about the complete lack of inhibition in small children, and they may drum or dance to their own beat.
• If you’re having your drum circle in a public place, watch out for local noise ordinances. You don’t want the police coming by to break things up because you stayed out drumming too late. Likewise, if you’re on private property, be considerate of neighbors. If there are other homes nearby, wrap things up at a reasonable time.

Have refreshments available both during and afterwards. There is almost always food available at any Pagan event, but at a drum circle, it’s extra important. Drumming raises a lot of energy, and it can be draining as well, especially for people who aren’t used to that kind of activity. Make sure you have plenty of water to drink, and light snacks on hand. You may even want to have a blanket spread out in case someone feels disoriented and needs to lie down and get grounded for a moment.

Nature Spirits and Drumming – the effects of music, voice, drums and instruments in ritual

For the last couple of months I have wondered why the Archangels do not come or answer when invoked while other witches are drumming. It was a curious bit of realization for me to notice; that no matter how you called them or what invocation you used, they did not manifest or make their presence known when folks were drumming. (I have witnessed this occurrence more than once)

I have clairvoyantly observed many elementals and fairies manifest themselves in the physical, as well as the tree spirits/dryads that have come out to see what is going on and dance and play when drums were sounded. The effects should not be mental as if some empty ritual, but the physical place, space and even lighting can be seen and felt physically when done properly; both with the angels and with the nature spirits. So why do the Angels seem to not manifest themselves when witches begin to sound their drums?

The first thing I should probably answer is, “how do angels manifest themselves?”

The angels do not usually manifest in full form or even out of the corner of the eye like the nature spirits and fairies do. This is because their bodies are made up of much finer materials and matter than the bodies of fairies, spirits and elementals that have astral bodies similar to humans. Typically, I will witness the angels manifest in a golden light that permeates a space or a room. This golden light is not the angel itself, but the matter that is needed so that the angels have the ability to manifest within and gently speak to us. (This may be why we probably have ages upon ages of drawings of angels with white billowy robes, golden crowns and golden/blonde hair?)

Because the angels are not terrestrial, we have to create a space in which they are able to manifest in. Fairies and nature spirits are of our terrestrial world and work within the astral matter – angels are not of a terrestrial nature. Because of this, there is only special ways you can call on them within the terrestrial sphere.

Within a selected and secluded space for ritual, the witch or theurgist can call the angels to manifest within that golden space of fine ethereal matter, which is produced by the body of a witch or theurgist that is capable of calling forth these particular particles of moving energy from out of their bodies. Not all witches have this particular ability, and in truth, more might have the ability if they work in a coven that develops this skill. To make a phone call, you need a phone. To speak with angels, you need to produce a space in which their presence can manifest within.

The space that seems to be best conducive to this type of working is a quiet, unfrequented place. This can be done in a number of ways, such as one way our coven uses in which the ritual area is sealed off ritually for twenty-four hours.

You would not want to call upon the angels in the busiest areas of your home – angels come in quietly, whispering their short messages to us for brief periods of time. In that space, they respond well to long taper candles – as the flame of a candle seems to be related to the particles that which makes up their bodies. Pleasing incense seems to be a big assistance to help with this work. The sorcerers of old would use fragrant woods within a thurible to make a thurible-fire that incense can be burned upon, but today, the self-igniting charcoals do the trick.

Now, let’s discuss why I decided to finally engage in these clairvoyant sessions of when the angels choose to manifest or not…

As I said, I noticed that the angels did not come when drumming was present, but other nature spirits did. Secondly, after witnessing this effect a number of times, I spoke about this topic with a couple of members of the coven at a birthday dinner. At our coven gather in the woods that we had this year in Maryland, we were talking about what classes, rituals or lectures we were going to present. One of the ladies of our coven, who is a wonderful drummer, said: “You guys don’t do any drumming do you?”

I responded with, “Correct, very little if any. In fact, most folks in our coven do not even own a drum. Even looking back on the generations of witches before me, they did not drum either!”

I also followed up with, “I’m not sure exactly why that is, but it would be a great thing for you to share – especially since it is something that most of the folks in the coven had not been attracted to or even interested in. We have witnessed witches having drum circles at other open pagan events, and even then, it seems like a far-out foreign concept to the methods of work that our coven is used to conducting. This class is definitely one that will introduce us to a possible new skill and tool!”

After this conversation, I knew that I had to think more critical of my observations about why the angels don’t respond to drumming and now add to that, why I find that I am not drawn to drumming. Why is most of our coven also not drawn to the practice of drumming?

The first thing we should always look to is the practical – firstly, it is not something that was part of our traditional Wicca line. We have no mention of drums and nothing our collected writings about drumming instruments either. Even without the presence of drumming, the magical hypnotic state occurs very quickly in our rituals in which an infusion of vitality bombards the vital body, which is of course wrapped and made up of astral matter.

Are there any instruments that we use that are mentioned?

Yes, the shofar or horn…

We sound the shofar in our rituals and also bells are rung. These instruments, along with the sound of our voice, correctly applied to tonal calls and vibrations during invocations are part of the releasing of the power necessary for angels and spirits to have a space within the aether to manifest within. Also, I have noticed that fairies of the air element are closer to human intellect and one of the most common of nature spirits that we stereotypically think of when celebrating Beltane and such. They seem to respond very well to wind instruments and the shofar. I have also used a bull-roarer as well, made from apple-wood, to call up the fairies of the air. On top of that, angel magic is an important one to our coven, and these angels seem to respond very well to this.

Are there are any instruments that I have recently clairvoyantly observed will help with the manifestation of angels? I’ve found that most string instruments and wind instruments do the trick! (Come to think of it, maybe that is why we see cartoons with Angels playing a harp?)

(Angel with harp – La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain)

Instruments that rattle, shake and strike seems to attract water spirits and fairies. This is because of the sounds of rain and even crashing ocean waves as they beat down upon the shore.

The elementals of the earth – the earth fairies and gnomes – seem to be the most attracted by drumming. The rhythm of the thuds and beats are reminiscent of the work I have clairvoyantly seen them conduct in nature. The sound of hooves and walking, the sound of the heartbeat or pulse, the sound of deer in high speed or a slow and graceful walk all add to the heartbeat of nature.

What about the fire elementals? Well, they seem to not respond to any instrument in particular. This may be because of the special effect that fire has, being the only element that seems to always “rise up.” Heat ascends and takes condensation and vapour upward with it.

The one strange exception I have noticed with the earth elementals in the forest involves the tree spirits or dryads. These spirits are connected to the earth but have a unique spirit separate from the gnomes of the earth. The tree spirits also best respond to voice and wind instruments as they seem to love the breeze as it blows through their foliage. Drumming will also get the attention of tree spirits though, as they will step out to see what is going on. If you make friends with them through voice or wind instruments, you might be able to get the tree spirits to dance with you while drumming. Once you win over the appreciation of the tree spirits, they will show great affection to you!

In our coven lore, trees are highly important to us. We work with tree spirits, the dryads and all other sorts of trees. They have their own nature separate from earth spirits. It is also possible for tree spirits to take a disliking to certain people, so treat them kindly and as the friends they are – as they are dear friends of ours!

Lastly, I wanted to describe what I have noticed on the effects of drumming from an occult and clairvoyant perspective.

I have noticed clairvoyantly the effects of drumming on the astral matter that our astral bodies and vital bodies are cloaked in. Drumming seems to pull the energy down towards the earth. It roots us in the dirt, both wet and dry. That is probably why so many shamanic workers love the effect that drums have in their ceremonies – it is a tool that forces the descent within. It assists to bring on the descent down into the nether realms and probably why it is so valid in helping to recover what is called “soul pieces”, or the parts of ourselves in which the soul becomes fragmented through spiritual trauma. The stimulation of thuds and beats produced by drumming seems to push the consciousness within and makes the body feel heavy. You notice this in African drumming in which the shoulders, hips, legs and feet constantly make heavy, down-ward steps as if they are pushing towards the earth. Occasionally even, the spine is tilted downward in the dancers as they drive the pulse and rhythm earthwards. The movements almost strike the earth like a blacksmith pounding out iron on his anvil. Drumming of this sort is connected to earth magic and communication with our Mother Goddess.

(Dancing at a drumcircle… )

Wind, string and air instruments (including our voices) most of the time seem to have the opposite effect on us by almost picking us up so that, when strong enough, it feels you will float in midair or at least pushed forward. It makes you feel light. These instruments draw you upwards toward the Supreme Being and the communication with the Father God and the divine messengers, the angels. These instruments have a celestial and stellar quality, while drumming has a terrestrial quality. You can even witness the movement of Middle-Eastern dance where the hips, naval arms, hands and neck are highly accentuated with most of the movement – a curling up like the smoke of incense. The spine many times is aligned straight or at times, tilted back some as if the upper body will pick up and float at any moment. The moments are air and water that bends smoothly. Depending on the instrument, it is air or water magic.

Both of the above methods are valid techniques. One method allows you to “find yourself” and travel within at times when in a spiritual crisis we feel fragmented and disconnected and the other method pulls us upward towards our celestial, heavenly home in space to our cosmic parents when we were first, as the late and great Carl Sagen would say, of star-stuff.

Overall, the knowledge of what I was able to clairvoyantly observe assists to aid in methods of invoking the correct division of celestial being (angel) or the correct division of terrestrial being (fairies and elementals). You will also note that different tones will evoke different angels and air spirits within the aether, while different drum patterns will invoke different classifications and divisions of terrestrial fairies. Put them all together – voice, string instrument, wind instrument, drum and rattles with the spiritual fire of the spirit or inner-monad in the centre of our own beings and it sounds like we have what you need to call any classification of spiritual intelligence that we like. We can then communicate our messages to them by concentrated thought, mimic sympathetic dance, contagion and mummial magic combined with sympathetic action. When the desire of our emotional involvement is applied to turn up the heat on our desire, we have one effective ritual in the creation of potent thought-forms, wrapped in the corresponding mental and astral matter and builds power by attracting additional like thought-forms and elementals to it within the astral light.

I thought this occult observation would be an interesting one to share as I have not seen anyone discuss before what instruments the angels, spiritual intelligences and the elementals respond to and potentially give an opinion why based on occult clairvoyant means.

I must end this article with the statement that these are only my own clairvoyant observations on how these beings respond. It is possible they could choose to communicate with you in a different way than they have chosen to communicate with our coven. I do personally look forward to expanding my own understanding as time progresses forward.

By Thorn NightWind, Wolfa Coven of the Horsa Tradition, Pennsylvania, USA

References

Appendix:

When checking this article I noticed the word ‘mummial’. I wasn’t sure what it meant so I wrote to ask Thorn NightWind for more background information. He wrote, ” I just realized when you said that, that most witches today probably haven’t heard of the term “Mummial Magic” before. (Sorry about that – We sometimes still use the old obscure occult words and spellings that no one else typically uses anymore) For us, basically, Mummial Magic is using “mummies” in spells – today, many practitioners in Hoodoo practice call these “tag-locks” – like a piece of hair, nail clippings that are used in an act of either contagion magic or sympathetic magic. I’m not sure what it would be called in witchcraft today, like I know some folks in Hoodoo call those items taglocks? (Maybe “relic” or shed cells that retain the DNA of the individual?)

There is a chapter in one of Sybil’s favorite grimoires – The Great Book of Magic Art (photos of the first page of chapter and cover). This Grimoire here, our copy here from the 1930s, was one of Sybil’s favorite grimoires! This is the section it goes on about witchcraft & sorceries as they knew it at the time. This could be why Sybil used the term Mummial possibly?

(Great Book of Magical Art, Hindu Magic and East Indian Occultism and the Book of Secret Hindu, Ceremonial, and Talismanic Magic, by L. W. de Laurence – originally published in 1915 )

About Us

The first incarnation of Pentacle Drummers were formed on 28th July 2001 for the Eastbourne Giants (Herne and Andred), to beat a path for them at the very first Eastbourne Lammas Festival.

However the group was just known as the Eastbourne Giants and Drummers for a couple of years.

Eventually the drummers took on more of a separate identity and became Pentacle Drummers, the chosen name to reflect the pagan origins of the band.

The Pentacle Drummers continued to perform with the Giants at parades and gatherings, but began to receive enquiries to perform on their own.
Bookings for the Pentacle Drummers grew and grew until it was decided to separate the two groups, the Drummers and the Giants.

Since then, the Pentacle Drummers have grown into the premiere drumming troupe in England, and have performed all over the country at events small and huge. Often imitated, but never equaled.

The Pentacle Drummers' main livery is green and red and our tatter coats and face paint and kilts help lend a theatrical touch to events. At medieval festivals we enter into the spirit of the events by adopting full medieval attire. At the Sussex bonfires however we adopt a much darker look. You will recognise us by our more sombre costumes and make-up.

Being a professional performing group, Pentacle Drummers hold £5M Public Liability Insurance, so you can be secure in the knowledge that booking us comes with this level of cover.

"The Pentacle Drummers are truly a sight to behold. I don't think I have ever seen so much energy from a group."

It is said that these dragons become consumed by their own pride, greed, or rage, transforming into dark, malevolent beings. Once cursed, they are forever trapped in their shadow form, unable to return to their true dragon form. These shadow dragons are known to haunt desolate and forgotten places, lurking in the shadows and preying on unsuspecting victims.

It is believed that they derive their power from the shadow realm itself, drawing strength from the darkness that surrounds them. Their eyes glow with an eerie crimson light, believed to be a reflection of the souls they have tainted. Legends speak of brave warriors who have encountered these cursed creatures. These warriors have recounted tales of the shadow dragons' insidious abilities and cunning tactics. They exhibit powerful shadow magic, enabling them to manipulate darkness itself. This darkness can be harnessed to ensnare their prey, cloak them in fear, or unleash devastating shadow-based attacks. While the Curse of the Shadow is seen as a tragic fate for dragons, it is also a cautionary tale for humans. It serves as a reminder of the dangers of succumbing to one's darkest impulses. Just like the shadow dragons, humans too can be consumed by their own inner darkness, losing their humanity and becoming agents of malevolence. Some believe that the Curse of the Shadow can be broken, offering hope to those who have fallen victim to their own darkness. The solution may lie in finding redemption or embracing the light within. Only then can these cursed dragons be freed from their shadow form and return to their true dragon nature. Dragon lore is filled with tales of bravery, heroism, and redemption. It is a testament to the power of the human spirit and the unyielding pursuit of light in the face of darkness. The Curse of the Shadow reminds us of the importance of self-reflection and the constant battle against our own internal demons, lest we too be consumed by the shadows..

Reviews for "The Shadow's Curse: Legendary Tales of Redemption and Betrayal"

1. Sarah - 2/5 stars - I was really excited to read "Dragon Lore: Curse of the Shadow" but I was ultimately disappointed. The plot was confusing and hard to follow, with too many characters and subplots that didn't seem to tie together. The writing also felt amateurish, with cliched dialogue and predictable twists. Overall, I found it difficult to engage with the story and found myself skimming through the pages just to get to the end.

2. Mark - 1/5 stars - I have to say, "Dragon Lore: Curse of the Shadow" was one of the worst books I've ever read. The characters were flat and one-dimensional, and it was hard to care about their fates. The world-building was also lacking, leaving me with more questions than answers. The pacing was slow and uneven, making it a chore to get through each chapter. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating fantasy read.

3. James - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for "Dragon Lore: Curse of the Shadow" but it fell short of my expectations. The writing style was inconsistent, veering between overly detailed descriptions and rushed action scenes. The dialogue felt unnatural and forced, and the character development was minimal at best. The plot had potential, but it lacked depth and originality. All in all, it was a forgettable read that didn't leave a lasting impression.

Beneath the Veil of Shadows: Secrets of the Ancient Dragon Lore