Chaplaincy Student Channels Ancestral Rhythms into Transatlantic Healing Project

For Eric Hicks, the path to becoming an HIU eco-chaplaincy student began in the waiting room of a Veterans Administration hospital, where he would chat with veterans to keep himself busy every time he took his relative for a three-hour dialysis treatment. 

“Some of them were jacked up pretty good; they had legs blown off in war," Eric said. He was fascinated by their stories because he knew other veterans closely. “My heroes were my brother, father, and cousins who served in the military in different wars. I had a son who was a Marine as well.”

The conversations started to have a different meaning when one of the veterans began ministering to Eric. "One of them used to start ministering to me, to help me feel better, to help me look at things in a positive way, and that was just spontaneous," he said. "At some point, from doing this repeatedly, it dawned on me that I really care about these veterans."

When praying, he asked: How can I be of service to them? The answer he received was unexpected: "Pick up a weapon."

Confused at first, Eric sat with the message until its meaning became clear. "I am the weapon," he realized. "What I do with my life will enable me to be of service to them."

Now in his second semester studying interfaith chaplaincy at Hartford International University, with a focus on eco-chaplaincy, Eric is merging wisdom acquired from diverse sources into a singular mission. 

For approximately 30 years, he has studied shamanism across different cultures and expressions. One of his most significant immersions came through studying with a Zulu traditional healer, a Sangoma, in Africa. "In their system, they have a deep connection to the ancestors," he said. "The ancestors were ingrained in me as a student early on as a collective of individuals who have our best interests at heart."

He also has a lifelong passion for music. Introduced as a teenager to Latin jazz, salsa, and Afro-Cuban music by his conga-playing brother, Eric developed a deep appreciation for drumming that led him to participate in drum circles in Laguna Beach, CA.

And when he got involved with the Transformational Travel Council, an organization promoting regenerative travel, Eric conceived an ambitious idea: a sacred pilgrimage following the footsteps of ancestors affected by the transatlantic slave trade.

"I'm calling it Drums of Return," he said of the project, which would incorporate ethnomusicologists, ceremonial work, and traveling drum circles across Africa, Brazil, Cuba, and Trinidad. "The idea would be to connect with drum masters and dance teachers, to have an exchange of education, and play and dance together."

The pilgrimage would honor ancestors who survived enslavement while celebrating the resilient cultures that emerged. Eric became fascinated by how similar mixtures of African slaves, Europeans, and Indigenous peoples produced such distinct musical forms, such as Rumba in Cuba, Samba in Brazil, and Calypso in Trinidad.

"Music as healing, music as uplifting," he said. "People are happy when they're dancing. They're free from the worries of the world."

This is where eco-chaplaincy enters the picture. As a shamanic practitioner, Eric had long worked with ritual on the land. His research project last semester explored connections between ethnomusicology, ritual, and ecology, demonstrating how Indigenous drumming creates vibrational sounds that literally enter the earth.

"When you drum, the open part of the drum creates a vibrational soundscape that goes into the land," he said. "Ethnomusicology as it pertains to Indigenous ritual is inherently an ecological framework. It's healing and restoring harmony."

For Eric, eco-chaplaincy combines his Master's in Public Health, his shamanic training, his musical passions, and his desire to serve veterans under a single spiritual focus. "It allows me to focus my last years as a senior citizen on sacred intent, ethics, and care of the environment," he said. "It's a great way to top off all of the spiritual work I had been doing."

While Eric raises funds through GoFundMe to build the infrastructure for the Drums of Return pilgrimage, he practices the presence that chaplaincy requires, whether with veterans, the land, or the ancestors whose resilience continues to inspire new rhythms of healing.

If you’d like to support the Drums of Return project, here is the GoFundMe link.