THE ANCIENT PATH OF SOUND

Myths in many cultures speak of sound as being the creation of the universe.

Egyptian God Thoth was believed to have accomplished the work of creation by the sound of his voice alone.

The Greeks know this Master of Occult Wisdom as Hermes Trismegistus, the scribe of the Gods. The sacred writings of the Ancient Mystery Schools were attributed to him as mediator of divinely revealed wisdom.

In the Ancient Mystery Schools of Egypt, Rome, Greece, Tibet, India and other centres of learning, knowledge of sound was a highly refined science based upon an understanding of vibration as the primary causative form of the universe.

In Ancient Mystery Schools, the priests and magicians were often also the musicians. Many of the great scientists of ancient times, such as Pythagoras, were also versed in esoteric knowledge. Their wisdom stemmed from an understanding of the universe that is only now being quantified in arenas such as quantum physics where the scientific and the spiritual can become one.

In around 324BC the music of the lyre restored Alexander the Great to sanity.

The Old Testament records that David played his harp and lifted King Sauls depression.

Principles from ancient teachings: Everything in the universe is in a state of vibration. The chair you are sitting on is in a state of vibration, as are the floor, the trees outside. Sound may be understood as being vibration.

Resonance is the frequency at which an object most naturally vibrates. Everything has resonant frequency, whether or not we can audibly perceive it. From the orbits of the planets around the sun to movement of the electrons around atoms, everything is vibrating.

HOW SOUND WORKS

Every organ, bone and tissue in your body has its own separate resonant frequency.

Together they make up your own composite frequency, a harmonic that is your own personal vibratory rate. Through resonance, it is possible for the vibrations of one vibrating body to reach out and set another body into motion.

This can be easily observed, e.g. when a singer breaks a glass with their voice – the singer is able to match the resonant frequency of the glass and sets the glass into vibration. Then, over-resonation of its exact frequency structure shatters the glass.

There are a lot of examples of resonance which you will be familiar with.

You may have seen a film of a bridge that has been vibrated by a heavy wind. The bridge begins to sway and then starts to vibrate and soon it breaks apart and falls into the water.

This phenomenon is well-known to architects who now create structures which aren’t easily resonated by external vibrations such as wind.

This concept of resonance may explain how Joshua was able to bring down the walls of Jericho as related in the Old Testament. Joshua and his men began marching around the walls of Jericho beating drums and blowing trumpets. They marched around the wall seven times. Then they stopped and suddenly “the people gave a great shout” and the walls came tumbling down.

Do you think that Joshua had knowledge of using resonance to collapse the walls of the city?

How about when two people fall in love?

Their frequencies co-mingle and resonate together-it is recognizing and feeling the identical energies in both people – then it is amplified and resonates with far greater intensity.

The images of the glass shattering and the bridge collapsing and the walls crumbling are all examples how sound can be used in a destructive way. Yet, as sound can be used to destroy, it can also be used to heal and transform.

Just as it is possible to set an object into its own natural motion through resonance, so it is possible to restore the natural vibratory frequencies of an object that may be out of tune or harmony.

When an organ or another portion of the body is vibrating out of tune, we call this “disease”.

As Jonathon Goldman describes this so wonderfully:
“Let us conceive the body as a wonderful orchestra which is playing this marvelous symphony.

When we are in a state of health, the entire orchestra is playing together. However, when disease sets in, it is as though a player – the second violin for example, has lost its sheet music and begins to play in the wrong key and the wrong rhythm. First it begins to affect the rest of the string section. Ultimately this person causes the entire orchestra to sound poorly.

Traditional medicine currently has several approaches to the problem I have just described. One solution is to drug the violinist, sometimes to death, in hopes of getting this person to stop playing. Another more frequently utilized solution is to cut out the offending organ as occurs in surgery. But what if it were possible to give this suffering musician back their sheet music and let the whole orchestra return to normal.

What if it were possible somehow to project the proper resonant frequency back into the organ that was vibrating out of tune and harmony?

When an organ or another part of the body is in a state of health, it will be creating a natural resonant frequency that is harmonious with the rest of the body. But when disease sets in, a different sound pattern is established in that part of the body which is not vibrating in harmony. Therefore, it is possible, through use of externally created sound that is projected into the diseased area, to reintroduce the correct harmonic pattern into the part of the body which is affected and effect a curative reaction.

Through the principle of resonance, sound can be used to change disharmonious frequencies of the body back to their normal, healthful vibrations.

The high water content of the bodies tissues help to conduct sound and the overall effect is likened to a deep massage at the atomic and molecular level.

ENTRAINMENT

The different rhythms of the body may also be changed through sound. This is entrainment and involves the ability of the more powerful rhythmic vibrations of one object to change the less powerful rhythmic vibrations of another object and cause them to synchronize their rhythms with the first object.

Through sound it is possible to change the rhythms of our brainwaves, as well as our heart beat and respiration.

Different brainwave rates have been equated to different states of consciousness. There are 4 basic categories of brainwaves, based upon cycles per second(hertz) the measurement given to sound.

They are:

BETA Waves
from 14 – 20hz – our normal waking state of consciousness

ALPHA Waves
from 8 – 13hz – when we daydream or meditate

THETA Waves
from 4 - 7 Hz – states of deep meditation and sleep, as well as shamanic activity

DELTA Waves
from 0.5 – 3Hz – deep sleepa and in very profound states of meditation and healing.

The use of music in sacred ceremonies and shamanic rituals has occurred since ancient times. It has been recently been verified that sound can be used to effect and change our brainwaves. The changing of these rates creates changes in consciousness, allowing mystically altered states to be induced.

These principles of using resonance and entrainment are the fundamental concepts behind the use of sound to heal and transform. From the Hindu use of mantras to shamanic use of chanting and drumming, reveals a commonality in these principles of resonance and entrainment as the basis of sonic transformation and healing

INTENT

Sometimes people use different sounds, frequencies and rhythms to heal the same problem. There is something that is equally as important in sound. Sound is a carrier wave of consciousness.

This means that depending upon where your awareness is placed when you create sound, the sound will carry information on that state to the person receiving it. Eg: if you are angry and you create a sound, even though it may be a pleasant sound you will be sending anger incorporated in sound to that person.

This will be perceived by the receiving person on some subtle level.
Intent – the consciousness of the sound being created. This encompasses the overall state of the person making the sound and involves the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of that person.

A more advanced understanding of intent involves the alignment with the purpose of our higher selves or divine will.

Audible/non-audible sound - Sound as a therapeutic force in our lives is not to be taken as just any audible vibration that enters our energy field and impacts on our nervous system.

Sound in our environment affects the balance with our health. Even inaudible vibrations in the form of ultrasound, may have subtle adverse effects. Each of us has particular sounds that are upsetting or irritating, either physically or psychologically, because they are out of synchronization with our unique set of frequencies.

For your well being, you should live, wherever possible, in a sound environment in tune with nature and develop discrimination about the forms of sound you absorb. When you develop a taste for the sounds, in whatever form, you will discover “sacred sound” - that which gives you wholeness.

VOICE

One of the major keys to the character and state of a person. People continually change the sound of their natural voice to project an image of themselves. (John Beaulieu – voice energetics – elemental qualities)

Religious and philosophic traditions of the East have known for centuries the power of the voice as a healing instrument and a means of leading yourself to higher states of consciousness.
We can use the voice consciously and therapeutically for our body, mind and spirit.

Working with the sound/voice needs to be non-judgemental.
Therapeutically, your vocal sounds have as much potency as any trained voice – especially with intent behind it. Most of the time others are there to interact with your sound and not just to listen to you.

Thought pattens stored in the cellular memory of your body may have already hindered you – need to let go of any insecurities about your voice (not good enough, tone deaf, always told to be quiet etc)

NATURAL SOUNDS

Laughing, crying, groaning, wailing, screaming, sighing, yawning, whistling, humming – these sounds are our birthright and are intended by nature to be purifiers, releasing positive and negative feelings.(How do you feel after a great big belly laugh? Or a big cry?)

These sound are not consciously produced but are consciously suppressed – thought to be childish, or been taught to maintain some false sense or dignity by minimizing or even withholding such sounds. Yet done with vigour, these sounds hold within them great power for healing.

SINGING

The natural inclination of the voice and next level beyond the act of speech is becoming a lost source of natural healing.

In singing, the voice box can create far greater resonance effects than it can in speaking.

In slave times, workers accompanied their tasks with song to eases the hard labour they had to do.

Choirs – the healing powers, vibrations are multiplied.

People don’t seem to gather round pianos and have a sing a long any more. Too many people are becoming passive receptors of music instead of creating music and sound themselves. Future generations will lose touch with a natural source of healing if they leave singing to entertainers who are not necessarily models for creating good vibrations. A lost source of enjoyment and healing

CHANTING

Offers the opportunity to be in unity with the cosmos.

Overtones exist in every sound – sets of harmonic frequencies related to the main pitch.

Overtone chanting offers therapeutic possibilities, inner stillness and security, enhanced sensitivity to outer sounds and a profound, meditative pathway to wisdom.

Mantras are words or sounds that are made inwardly, that reverberate silently upon the spiritual body as they are repeated in a meditative state eg OM/AUM – often have a high vibratory potency – Sanskrit.

TONING

The sustained, vibratory sound of single tones, often vowel sounds, without the use of melody, rhythm or words bypasses language entirely, allowing us to express the heart and soul directly, quietening the over-active left brain.

The highest form of healing vibrations using the voice – much greater power than singing.

SOUNDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT

As human beings we are thoroughly a part of Nature – the mineral, plant, animal and human kingdoms.

Some mystics tell us that we have actually evolved through each of them - that within us is the knowledge of being a crystal, a flower and a bird. Some scientists tell us that we are the very stuff of stars.

Therefore we find ourselves in harmony with the sound of the oceans, rivers, streams and waterfalls, the wind and its passage through trees, the rustling of leaves, the creaking of branches, rainfall, the songs of birds, dolphins and whales, the cries of certain animals and at the human level, singing in all its forms, from the sweet sound of a solo folk singer to a 200 voice choir, as well as all sorts of musical ensembles whose instruments are constructed of natural substances.

With these kinds of sound we remember, either consciously or unconsciously, that we are universal beings on a journey to kingdoms of even higher frequencies.

They are catalytic forces in our spiritual unfoldment that can carry us eventually beyond the current third dimension of our existence.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jonathon Goldman – Healing Sounds

Kay Gardner – Sounding the Inner Landscape

Don Campbell – The Roar of Silence