Sound Light and Form

By: Benedick Howard

Edgar Cayce, the "Sleeping Prophet" claimed that sound would be the medicine of the future. The vibroacoustic uses of sound in the past decade have brought many verifiable scientific discoveries of the drug-free possibilities of sound as a powerful therapeutic tool and healing modality. Sound vibrated deeply through the body is used for a wide range of conditions- from chronic pain to chronic fatigue, from serious trauma to creativity.

Throughout history, the sounds in nature have evoked in man a wide variety of emotions- the chilling howl of a wolf in the forest, the soothing roar of the ocean, and the laughter of children playing. Traditional cultures have used drumming as a tool for sonically altering the body's response to the interconnected physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Sounds as rhythmic patterns of tones and chords, or music, throughout history have entrained man's consciousness to our cultures, from the ringing of a Tibetan bell to the soothing chakra balancing of Pacabel's Canon, to the very empowering lyrics of Phil Collins. Whatever the period in history, these highly ritualistic compositions have tuned man to his earth - bound culture and its inherent trials and tribulations, providing a release from the mundane, and insights into other possibilities. The Shaman shaking his rattle during a healing is a good example of the high-pitched rhythmic patterns used to loosen the associations with another world, or, contrastingly, the integrative effect of the peaceful, stress reducing, passage from a New Age composition during a massage.

Sound is perceived in two ways. Firstly, as an external source, such as someone talking to you, the TV, or the sound of a bubbling brook. Secondly, internally from the body organs, and especially the voice. The resonance properties of the diaphragm in the chest cavity bring depth to the voice- the throat, roof of the mouth, the tongue and the lips articulate the sound. The way we think we perceive sound is through the ear. The way we feel we perceive sound is through the whole body. Until recently, most sound therapy was directed at the perception of sound through the ear. But recent developments in current medical thought through pioneers such as Deepak Chopra M.D. are stressing the integration of the body as a whole. Various inventors over the last 20 years have been producing sound beds, the surface of which vibrates to the music rather like the vibrations of the skin of a drum. During this experience, the music is felt deep within the body, treating not only the ears but every fiber to the soothing vibrations. The music vibrates every cell of the body synergistically, loosening the tissue like a musical massage.

In a relaxed state the energies in and around the body flow freely and smoothly. In stressed situations the energy flow is no longer coherent (smooth and laminar) and, starting with the emotional and mental bodies, the energy meridians become blocked. Ayurvedic medicine refers to the crystallization around muscle fibers as muscle armoring. These crystallized patterns are the result of stress within the body, which in the main correspond to unresolved emotional conditions.

Sound is a slower vibration of light. There are exactly 44 octaves between middle C at 256 Hz and the color of deep red 44 octaves higher at 4.6 x 1015 Hz. The colors of the chakras correspondingly have tonal aspects to them. Middle C corresponds to the root chakra and so on up through the scale. In harmonious states, our chakras correspond (some of the time) to these equivalents. In nonharmonious states these color/tone/chakra relationships are less stable. In states of denial and in addictions, the relationships may displace one chakra or more. This "offness" energetically locks the belief system into sets of denial. The Universe then mirrors that set of beliefs to the person until they choose to change.

The body may be thought as being composed of many vibrational patterns working synergistically as a whole. Thus, long thigh bones have a longer resonance wavelength than a small bone in the finger. The larger muscle groups and organs have a deeper resonance than the smaller ones. Similarly, the blood system will have a lower resonance than the nervous system. Specific pieces of music naturally have the capacity to resonate these different groups. Thus, a strong rock rhythm with a rhythmic bass pattern will vibrate the denser tissues, and in doing so help to loosen the crystallized patterns that have become entrained there. As these old beliefs are released, the pitch of that tissue will deepen and acoustically the whole body will vibrate to a lower note. In a highly stressed individual their body will have a higher pitch, and this in turn is reflected in their voice patterns and body language. A voice analysis of this person will display the lack of certain tones. The person may then be treated with music or tones predominantly composed of those tones which are lacking

Next Month - Music, Geometry and Addictions