Cosmic Dust

Nature is an infinite sphere whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. Blaise Pascal

Yet, There is no chance and anarchy in the universe. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Order and structure prevail.

Plato described astronomy and music as "twinned" studies of sensual recognition: astronomy for the eyes, music for the ears, and both requiring knowledge of numerical proportions.  Pythagoras identified the proportions of Celestial bodies to define the music of the spheres which Kepler later believed to be inaudible except by the soul. Boethius described it as musica mundana or musica universalis reflecting the beauty of God.

Due to the marvels of science we can now listen to the sounds of the universe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzL10r8AeQ8&ab_channel=SkyNews

 It has been said that if men would but rest in silence, they might always hear the music of the spheres. Arthur Helps.

Recently I had the opportunity to meditate within Matramandir. This 24k golden orb is the spiritual centre of Auroville in India.  Ascending the walkway towards the upper chamber we transcended from  the hot dusty gardens into a white domed chamber of palpable silence. A single beam of light from the centre of the ceiling cut through the darkness to a large crystal orb surrounded by 12 white marble columns.  In minutes I felt at One, as One.

Oftentimes clients relate a similar feeling after a gong bath.  If We are all of us just stardust shaped into conscious being. S.J. Kincaid then wouldn’t we expect the  universe to affect us profoundly in all possible ways? Steve Madison

The gongs are the means to open this portal of silence to connect with the cosmic sound.

say what?

Noise pollution is the price we pay for living in cities. Henry W. Kendall.  It is a public health problem that can no longer be ignored. Richard Neitzel

The WHO states that noise (unwanted sound) pollution is the second most significant environmental health risk after air pollution. It can cause hearing loss, tinnitus, stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart disease and sleep disturbance.

Hearing does deteriorate with age however permanent damage occurs from prolonged exposure to high levels of noise such as a vacuum for 8 hrs (80dB) or an intense burst of noise for a short duration such as a plane taking off for 5 seconds. (130 dB). Once lost, hearing is irreparable.  Loss of hearing accounts for 8% of dementia patients, leads to decreased sense of balance and compromised quality of life.

Of all the varieties of modern pollution noise is the most insidious. Robert Lacey

The third Wednesday of April is Noise Awareness Day.  A day to consciously notice your sound environment and introduce new behaviors.

Listening to and understanding our inner sufferings will resolve most of the problems we encounter. Thich Nhat Hanh

Maybe you change your route to work to avoid the pile drivers; spend 15 min in a park listening; or simply start wearing earplugs on the street. Awareness is the first step towards change. This week, tune in to silence.

Silence, healing. Heraclitus

“Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.” John Muir

Silence is the absence of sound or a period of time without noise and can be seen as a blessing or a curse. Currently the World Record in an anechoic chamber (sound proof room) is only 2 hrs.  Yet there is something quite magical and sacred to knowingly seek it.

Silence when found will rest of the mind. It is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.” William Penn

It is a source of great strength. Lao Tzu and also inspiration. Listen to it, it has so much to say. Rumi

So this week I invite to you proactively immerse yourself in nature, Through (its) portals of silence, the healing sun of wisdom and peace will shine upon you. Paramahansa Yogananda

Sounds and Silence

Silence is essential. We all need silence, just as much as we need air, just as much as plants need light. If our minds are crowded with words and thoughts, there is no space for us. Thich Nhat Hanh 

The dictionary definition of silence is the complete absence of sound or to prevent one from speaking. In music silence is the opposite of striking a note and is called a rest. Something we could all use more of.

Silence is a metaphor for inner stillness bringing one to connect with one's divine nature, or yoga. Anechoic chambers are rooms designed to completely absorb reflections of sound or electromagnetic waves. Steve Orfield, founder of the quietest place on earth (according to Guinness) explains that within thirty seconds to a minute, you start to hear the sounds that your ears make … within twenty minutes, the sounds of joints….. thirty minutes –your heartbeat and maybe the sound of your lungs. And eventually as John Beaulieu discovered, the sound of his own nervous system. Ironically we enter a noiseless space only to discover we are the noise.

Eckhart Tolle says silence can be seen either as the absence of noise, or as the space in which sound exists, just as inner stillness can be seen as the absence of thought, or the space in which thoughts are perceived. To make the right choices in life you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of because in the silence you hear the truth and know the solutions. Deepak Chopra

This week park your monkey mind, ignore the FOMO (fear of missing out) and make space to simply be. Be still. Be quiet. Be connected.

Silence heals.

John Beaulieu, a leader in the field of sound, began his career in an anechoic chamber. After calming his mind he tuned into the sound of his breath, heart and eventually the hum of his nervous system. This revelation was the source of his life’s work.

In sound healing we believe that every moment of our life and every action is in harmony with the Universal Energy Field. Abraham Maslow, called it ‘cognition of being in the peak experiences’, others,  being ‘in the flow’.

 The starting point is silence. Yet, most people are perfectly afraid of it. EE Cummings

The anagram of silent is ‘listen’. And the first step in meditation is withdrawing the senses and coming to a still point.  Here your soul is at peace with your thoughts. Here wisdom awaits. BD Schiers Silence has much to say and is a source of great strength. Rumi and Lao Tsu

Try listening to the sounds around you one at a time until you listen to your own breath and heart to see for yourself that Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom. Francis Bacon

rise above, reach out

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. Charles Swindoll 

I prefer to climb in the dark.  I am fully present, listening to the sound of my breath, comfortable in my own company, focused where to put my foot next. Each step takes me further away from the city towards solitude, simplicity and peace. I meet the occasional toad, the rustling of grass, a breath of wind. I break out of the forest, the stars guide me onwards.  Eventually rounding a bend to a spectacularly clear view past the day glow glittering towers of Shen Zhen.  I am home.
 
Transcending the world does not mean to withdraw from the world, to no longer take action, or to stop interacting with people. Transcendence of the world is to act and to interact without any self seeking. Eckhart Tolle  And to express gratitude. Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world. John Milton 

Every day I express gratitude for my life, my family and friends, my studio and for myriad opportunities to share my talents. August 22 is ‘Be an Angel Day’.   I invite you to make the world a kinder place through a random act of kindness, volunteer or simply smile at strangers.

rise above, reach out

Sound of Silence

Sounds of Silence

Everyday the political unrest sweeping the streets of Hong Kong is in the press. My belief is that the vast majority of Hong Kong citizens are peace loving, law abiding contributors to society and simply wish their voices heard. This song came to mind this morning as I read the paper.  Peaceful non-violent protests historically succeed but they take courage, patience and determination.  Their voices will be heard if only they follow the advice of history's inspirational leaders to 'be the change'.

Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
 
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence
"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
 
In the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence