Thank you for your praises of the Ceremonial Systrum™!
WE ARE MOST GRATEFUL FOR YOUR TESTIMONIALS
The sistrum Tahya designed has an authentic appearance and rich volume of sound …great for outdoor concerts and processionals.
– Glen Velez, Master Percussionist and Composer; Founding Father of Modern Frame Drum Movement
Permit me to express my delight in this unique and marvelous musical instrument! It is surprisingly lightweight and perfectly balanced in the silky rosewood base with beautiful Hathor face and tinkling cymbals…. my compliments to Tahya for the elegant design and to those who are crafting these well-made instruments….
Besides the ancient history of this instrument, I hope this current production will inspire the use of the systrum with its infinite creative potential, to be used in music again today and for future generations.
Tahya is a master at her art and craft of Ancient Sacred Dance Practices,and is responsible for unearthing the Ancient Egyptian Systrum of the priestesses and devotees of Goddess Hathor. Thank you for an inspiring high caliber presentation, lovely lady!
Barbara Gail
Dynamic alchemist in the teaching arts of rhythm & movement
This sistrum is a thing of beauty… I recently used it on a National Geographic FB Live event. It’s a treasure.”
– Kara Cooney, Egyptologist, Professor of Ancient Egyptian Art & Architecture, Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures, UCLA
This is an incredible product.Quality construction throughout.I also love the weight and balance.When I showed it to my wife, she immediately placed it on her altar…Everyone who has seen it loves it.
– James Wasserman, author, editor & designer, NYC
Tahya had the good fortune to meet renowned Egyptian percussionist extraordinaire Hossam Ramzy and presented a Systrum to him when he played at the State Theatre in Easton, PA January 2016,when he was on tour with Joe Bonamassa.
Poem to Hathor: Shhhhh…she shimmers and sashays through soft shade in rushes on river-shore she shields her conscious shape she shakes papyrus shivers Living Sistrum to release herself in a rush of sound and light that shafts into my cells and I shift my ears, my shimmying feet catch her sheer breath in the fresh breeze.
– Sophie Nusslé, Granada, Spain
The systrum polarizes and filters people with its cleansing magic. Aloha and blessings to you!
– SKY Dangcil, internationally-acclaimed musical artist and DJ
Tahya has re-introduced the Sistrum in our modern erawith the power, beauty and dignity of the ages past. I feel fortunate enough to have one and to play it…words cannot express how light, how special and divine this feels and sounds to play! Amma Iset!
– Auset Gypsy / James Jacob Perri , Jersey City, NJ
I LOVE my Tahya Ceremonial Systrum!! I highly recommend this exquisite and masterfully crafted musical instrument to anyone who loves hand drumming, frame drums, ethnomusicology and the ancient arts!
-DZ, California
This sistrum is fantastic! I can just imagine such a sound in the temple of Upper Egypt. Bless you ~
I am ecstatic! This is the most beautiful instrument I’ve ever seen! That is, to say this sistrum is one of the most sacred and beautiful gifts I’ve ever received is an understatement. I do not have enough words to describe the feeling of holding it… The craftsmanship is exceptional, the quality is superb, and the music it creates is positively heavenly, sacred indeed! And I was so surprised at how light it is! Thank you for gifting the world with such sacred beauty ~ Amma Iset!
– Jade Scarlett , NYC
The Hathor Systrum has been a wonderful instrument to add to our recording! It adds a distinct voice that conjures images of ancient rituals and primal connections with the past. I love how it fits into almost every track so easily!! [Take a listen: Click here]
Tahya, the systra have arrived!! I’m literally over the moon with them! They are even better in reality than in photos. The quality is excellent and the sound is amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time to manifest these so that we can experience their wonderful sound.
– Jacquie Taliesin El Masry, UK
I love my new systrum and play it each day to clear my personal space and energize myself. I am so very grateful that you heeded the call of the Universe to bring back this ancient instrument for us to use to reclaim our balance and personal power.
– Nancy Lovecchio, Monroe County, PA
Thank you for this incredible Ceremonial Systrum.
I loved initiating it in the Hathor chapel ~ especially in these times when we need the sacred feminine to rise, to lead by love, to feel and act for the collective. On my journey through Egypt, the days I felt most connected to Hathor brought out a softness in me, a joy, a celebration of trees and flowers, a divine wish to sing and dance in sheer gratitude at the miracle of life.
May all of us who connect with Hathor and the Egyptian mysteries find our hearts ever lighter, though we dance from light to dark and back again, on the soul’s journey.
I love my systrum; it is stunning and so well made! – Lori Sweet, Pennsylvania
I am thrilled that she is so light! I was also very impressed with the beautiful customised ‘case’ you have created for this instrument – this will be useful for transit in the future. I have been following the video and slowly coming to feel an ease and understanding of the nuanced technique/delicacy of touch required. Simple yet demanding – a dichotomy! From a very happy sissssster. – Juliet Le Page, Melbourne, Australia
My sistrum arrived yesterday (and) I was BLOWN AWAY by it! Not only is it beautifully made – and beautiful to look at – but the sound is fabulous. I can tell that it was designed with ritual purpose in mind; however, of course, someone could easily use it simply as a percussion instrument ~ the sound is powerful! It is a real bargain and I will keep it as a cherished ritual tool for the rest of my life.
– Isidis St Claire, Beverly Hills, CA
I had a very strong experience as I opened the package affirming what I already knew – this was not the first time I held a Systrum in my hands… There is so much ancient wisdom woven into this sacred instrument and I thank you for bringing it back to life, making it available to those of us who still remember. Thank you with many blessings!
Hanna Rosvall, Malmö, Sweden
” The Systrum is BEAUTIFUL. I’m a Reiki Master and intuitive channel. In addition to the shamanic healing tools I incorporate in my healing practice – turtle shaker, crystal bowl, hand drum . . . there is now the divine Systrum too with a percussive CLAP energy sending out such a powerful healing wave. WOW, talk about breaking up any blocks! … and then there’s the shimmer: Sparkly energy flows out and dances around!” – Brent Goodman, RMT, Wisconsin
I open our Sacred Comedyshows playing your sistrum to accompany a prayer to ceremonially clear the space in the room, as I learned in your lecture! It most definitely works like a charm. Thank you!
I used the systrum at my May Day gathering ~ as part of a procession of women walking between me (with systrum in hand) and another woman on tambourine as they passed through several stages of purification. Lovely! I want you to know the loveliness of the systrum birthed by you (and the goddesses before) is being used to honor this fertile and rich time of year and all that it carries in meaning and practice.
– Kitty Holzmer, Cape May Court House, NJ
I received my Ceremonial Systrum and think having it in my house may have kept Hurricane Gustav from it’s original projected path. It truly was a miracle not just for my area but the whole state of Louisiana. The hurricane was predicted to hit as a category 3 but it was downgraded at the last minute to a category 2.
– Sydney Landry, New Iberia, LA
Here is a pic of the altar with our two beautiful systrum we ordered from you. The ceremony was wonderful and we joyfully played our systrum for Lady Auset and all the guests present… a blessing and honor to have on my altar at the Initiation Ceremony at the conclusion of my Priestess Training Intensive Program. – Auset Nebet Seshen, Amherst MA Ordained & federally licensed Priestess of Isis Member of Fellowship of Isis since 2000
In December (2022) I received the two very beautiful sistra!
It was a long way to get them here (to my home in Netherlands) but gracefully I now start playing them, and have a lot of fun and make beautiful music . So thank you again.
In mid-January (2023) several friends gathered to celebrate my birthday with a beautiful drum workshop …. (in which) we also did a ritual with the sistrum and all the ladies liked it very much.
~ Ria Hak, Netherlands
Kylie (L) and Treelo (R) with Systrum!
I am astonished with the quality of this instrument. It is absolutely beautiful! The sound is something that is so much more than I could have imagined. Truly, this is wonderful. It’s a very special addition to my life. Thank you so much.
In this picture you see me with my guitar , the Systrum and Kylie who is one of my guitar students who also happens to share a strong passion for guitar, Egyptology and the Systrum.
– Treelo, South Australia
Jerry Taylor (L) with Joany Gauvreau happily holding Ceremonial Systrum™
Your work lives in that sacred space between rhythm, devotion, and remembrance.
Thank you for the way you steward this lineage and weave beauty into the world.
My purpose is to present an instrument that replicates the percussioninstrument associated with ancient Egyptian ceremonial rituals with the intent of blessing and creating sacred space, igniting an energetic, which I found remains omnipresent at the ancient temple sites even today!
May we create a similar sound wave igniting a positive force field of attraction, facilitating the manifestation of our dreams. Furthermore, may shimmering the systrum bring balance to our lives and peace, harmony and restoration to the planet.
May the re-emergence of the Systrum empower hand-drumming enthusiasts who previously may have found themselves challenged to learn techniques associated with various hand drums & thus discover the joy of playing percussion ala this wonderful & historic instrument associated with millennia-old traditions; shed light on Egyptian (ancient and contemporary) culture and Goddess cults of Hathor & Isis, etc.; and re-inspire meaningful intentional ritual and creative authentic living in our daily lives.
