Original Medicine: Where Healing and Creativity Meet
A personal story of how rhythm, art, and community can open the door to authentic healing — and why we’re inviting others to co-create the journey.
When people ask me what Original Medicine is all about, I often say this: it’s a space where creativity, community, and healing come together. It’s about remembering that rhythm, art, movement, and story have always been part of what makes us human — and rediscovering them as living medicine for today.
My own journey into this work began in my mid-20s. At the time, I was moving through a major life transition and searching for something deeper than the roles and identities I had carried up to that point. One night, sitting around a fire with drums, music, and laughter, I felt a spark of recognition — a sense of aliveness, connection, and authenticity that changed me forever. That moment opened a path that has guided me for decades, leading me to explore ethnomusicology, deep ecology, depth psychology, wisdom tradition teachings, music, and the creative arts as ways of healing and transformation.
Original Medicine is the living culmination of that path. It isn’t just a set of programs or events — it’s a call to gather, create, and remember together.
So what can you expect when you step into an Original Medicine experience? You might find yourself in a circle of drummers, moving with rhythm and sound. You might witness dancers, painters, or poets creating in the moment. You might feel invited to add your own voice, movement, or instrument — or simply to receive and be carried by the energy of the group. Every gathering is alive, evolving, and co-created.
Right now, we’re inviting people to step in at the ground level. We’re forming two founding groups:
The Rhythm Collective — a core group of percussionists, musicians, and movers who will shape the heart of our rhythm-based gatherings.
The Nine Muse Collective — a circle of artists, therapists, and visionaries who bring diverse creative skills into shared projects of healing and expression.
If this vision resonates with you, consider this an invitation to join us in co-creating what’s ahead. And if you’d simply like to stay connected, you’re welcome to join our mailing list and be part of the unfolding story.
This is just the beginning. Original Medicine is growing into a community of people who believe that healing and creativity belong together — and who are ready to bring that medicine to life.
— Michael Elliot Frisby
