Tambourines

Tambourine plays a major role in shamanic ceremonies. Its symbolism is complex and magical functions are diverse. It is necessary for the implementation of the session because he carries the shaman in "The middle of the World ', allows him to fly in space, and encourages the 'charms' spirits, and, finally, because the hum drum allows the shaman to focus and re-establish contacts with the spiritual world, the journey on which he is preparing. As we remember, some initiation dreams of future shamans include the mystical journey to the 'Mid-World', to the place of the Cosmic Tree and the Lord of the Universe. One of the branches of this tree is the Lord allows to fall to the shaman made her rim of a tambourine. The value of this symbolism, in our opinion, clearly comes from the complex, in which she (symbols) are included: the link between heaven and earth under the mediation of the World Tree, ie through the axis, which is located in 'Center World '. Precisely because of its hoop drum made of wood of the Cosmic Tree, the shaman, beating a tambourine, magically transported to that Tree, he moved to the 'Middle of the World' and, simultaneously, can ascend to heaven. Viewed from this perspective, the tambourine can be identified with the shaman tree, the steps which the shaman symbolically ascends to heaven. Climbing on the birch or banging a tambourine, a shaman is approaching the World Tree, and then successfully it climbs. In the Siberian shamans have as their personal trees, which are nothing more than a prototype of the Cosmic Tree, and some also use the 'upside-down trees', that is set back up, which is known to be among the most archaic symbols of the World Tree.