Recently I have been delighted to observe an increased emphasis on music and sound as a medium for healing. Perhaps because music has been an integral part of my life I am more keenly aware of this phenomena. On occasions when I have felt my soul inspired by a particularly beautiful piece of music, I have realized that I would literally wither if music were not a part of my daily life. For me, music assumes many forms and I am as deeply touched by the musical sounds of nature as I am by a beautiful concerto.

Many cultures recognize the importance of music and sound as a healing power. In the ancient civilizations of India, the Orient, Africa, Europe and among the Aboriginals and Native Americans, the practice of using sound to heal and achieve balance from within has existed for many years. The Tibetans still use bells, chimes, bowls and chanting as the foundation of their spiritual practice. In Bali, Indonesia, the echoing gamelang, gong and drum are used in ceremonies to uplift and send messages. The Australian Aboriginals and Native American shamans use vocal toning and repetitive sound vibration with instruments created from nature in sacred ceremony to adjust any imbalance of the spirit, emotions or physical being. The priests of ancient Egypt knew how to use vowel sounds to resonate their energy centers or chakras. This practice is called toning. There is a direct link between different parts of the body and specific sounds.

Everything in the universe is in a state of vibration and the frequency at which an object or person most naturally vibrates is called resonance. Resonance is the ability of a vibration to reach out and trigger a response in anything of a similar frequency. The chakras, bones and organs in the body all possess a different resonating frequency. When an organ or part of the body is vibrating out of tune or non-harmoniously, it is called dis-ease. A body is in a healthy state of being when each cell, each organ creates a resonance that is in harmony with the whole being. Vibrational medicine is based on the idea that all illness or disease is characterized by a blockage in the energy channels which causes the organ to vibrate at an unhealthy frequency.

Since sound can be translated into color, the body may be seen as visible frequencies that produce an auric color field which reflects emotional states of consciousness and thus the physiological status. Kirlian photography has already verified this. The visual spectrum has the same wave frequency as the auditory spectrum. Through sound and light, one can breakup, dissolve and release energy blockages which have developed in the auric field.

There are seven musical notes that correspond to the seven colors of the rainbow. These are related to the seven main chakras of the body which correspond to different areas of the endocrine gland system. Crystal bowl music emits a pure holographic template of radiant light that corresponds to the octave of sound within our etheric body. The pure tone of crystal bowls produces a vibrational sound field which resonates the light body chakra and corresponding physical area.

Crystal acts as an oscillator, magnifying and transmitting this pure tone. The pure crystal tones affect brain wave activity and one can make a positive brain shift or even travel into an altered state of consciousness. Human bodies are composed of many crystalline substances — the bones, blood and DNA are crystalline in structure as well as the liquid crystal-colloidal structure of the brain — which gives the human body quite a bit of resonation potential. This concept is explored in-depth by Robert 0. Becker in his book The Body Electric.

Crystal bowl music is all the more powerful as it can be programmed. Quartz crystal as a holographic light template is able to hold, transmit, and receive thought forms. In Healing Sounds, The Power of Harmonics, Jonathan Goldman writes that the intention behind the sound is of extreme importance. The power of thought is the means by which we create our reality — nothing can be created if it has not first been thought. When using crystal to heal, the crystal amplifies the thought programmed within. Crystals have created the Communication Age: the heart of all communication devices is a crystal. Transistors, computer chips, frequency-generating signal devices — all are crystals. Our own imagination is the Master Crystal — it is symbolic of the higher level communication that we are coming into and symbolic of the clarity that we are approaching. Imagination is like a gateway into other dimensions, just as crystals are. The combination of the two helps open us up to the non-ordinary realms that the shamans have never left behind.

HEALING MUSIC

Music is once again an important part of the healing process. In Russia, Germany, and the U.S., recorded music is being used in a wide variety of hospitals: V.A., general, clinics, mental health, physically impaired, children's and hospice. Examples of current uses of music therapy include heart problems, pain control, stress reduction, surgery, respiratory disorders, infants, stroke and physical therapy. Hemispheric synchronization (Hemi-sync) technologies developed by The Monroe Institute promote a condition in which portions of the electrical wave patterns of both the left and right hemispheres of the brain are synchronized — an optimal condition for harnessing more of the brain's potential. The synchronizing occurs through a system of sound signals accompanied by voice instructions and neutral sound or non-rhythmic music. This state of hemispheric synchronization occurs naturally for random moments including when we drop off and awaken from sleep. Hemi-sync has been applied successfully for sleep, for concentration/mind work, for relaxation, for small children and for specific symptom reduction.

Music is natural — it has no side effects, is proven to be effective, is an enhancement to your healing process and is enjoyable. We are on a pathway which has many surprises that resolve into challenges, sometimes daily, and often, it seems with no respite. However we can choose to ride the waves and take advantage of the magic which is there waiting for us to use and enjoy.

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Julianna Souza is founder of A Healing Place located in Rochester, MA, and serves on the staff of several holistic healing centers in the area. She is pursuing studies in Traditional Native American healing techniques, sound/music therapy, aromatherapy, flower essence therapy, and will begin working toward her degree as a Naturopathic Physician in the fall.

This article was originally published in Spirit of Change Magazine—not to be confused with OfSpirit.com Holistic "Internet" Magazine & Resource. We thank Spirit of Change, New England's Premiere Holistic "Print" magazine, for allowing us to give new life to this article and share it with OfSpirit.com visitors for education, entertainment and empowerment.
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