A Brief History.

 by Connie Cooper

As with many avenues of alterative healing and meditation, the use of sound is thought to date back before the time of Christ.  Surviving only in the Far East in ritualistic use, for millennia, some believe that the use of the bowls originated in Tibet , while others suggest that the bowls were brought into Tibet with the Chinese during the invasion of that region in 1951.  There is some speculation that as early as 1100 B.C., metalsmiths were deliberately producing scull shaped bowls which when properly struck, would produce a major 3^rd harmony.  While the Tibetan bowls are metal…brass or bronze usually, and much smaller than the crystal bowls which we use discuss here, the concept is the same. 

It is an ancient concept indeed that sound can affect the human spirit; transport it to a different level of consciousness, enhance or destroy a mood, even have a physical effect on the human body.  Almost all peoples have used music for expression, communications and prayer since the dawn of time.  Initially, the voice and simple instruments such as drums, rattles and simple wind instruments were the choices to work with.   Gradually we have progressed to an incredibly complex method of creating all sorts of sounds, some pleasurable and some not so pleasurable, to express our thoughts, feelings and prayers. 

There are references throughout history to the use of sound for healing.  In ancient Egypt , the priests seem to have known how to balance their energy through chakras.  Hopi Indians have a prophecy concerning “the Rainbow people” or the keepers of the crystal bowls.  Edgar Cayce and Nostradamus, as well as Rudolf Steiner predicted use of pure sound in healing in the late 20^th century, especially as related to cancer treatment.   

WHAT IS A CHAKRA?

 

Chakra means “wheel” in Sanskrit.  To put it simply, Asian teachings describe Chakras as whirling energy centers for the body.  Although there are many energy points on the body (over 300 “minor” chakras), the 3 Master and 4 Major Chakras are the primary points, i.e. the centers of the body’s energy flow.  These are measurable areas of electromagnetic activity with discernable patterns  It is commonly believed by those who study this aspect of the body, that blockage of any of these 7 points causes a state of Dis-ease, which weakens us and allows us to become ill.  Yoga, acupuncture and acupressure are all examples of chakra-based therapies.  Each chakra represents a certain set of organs and emotions, thought process and spiritual base.

It is important to understand that color and sound are related.  Perhaps this explains it as well as can be done here: "…vibrations at 1000 cycles per second are easily audible. If you double the vibrations to 2000 cycles per second, that is one octave higher. If you double it again to 4000 cycles per second, that is another octave. A normal piano spans a bit more than seven octaves. If, hypothetically, we could extend the piano keyboard another 35 to 50 octaves higher, the keys at the higher end would produce colors, rather than audible sounds, when played." (Sound Health-The Music and Sound That Makes Us Whole, p. 182-183).

‘Don’t you think so Pooh?
’Don’t I think what?’ said Pooh,
as he opened his eyes.
’Music and life…’
’Amount to the same thing”, said Pooh.

  Benjamin Hoff (The Tao of Pooh)

 WHY CRYSTAL ?

 

There is an awful lot of information out there that will explain all the technicalities of what crystals do, how they work, how the sound vibrations translate into light and how it affects the resonance of our bodies.  Ultra-sound technology has been in use for years for viewing fetal development, for instance…and is now used for treatment of clogged arteries. 

Crystal bowls emit a pure and consistent sound when played which corresponds to the levels of sound and light energy that our bodies use.  In other words, our bodies understand it.  Vibrations (sound waves) help break up energy blockages and restore our energy flow to it’s normal and healthy state, thus promoting healing.  The crystal bowls can actually be tuned to an exact note in the scale, which corresponds to the proper color for each chakra, remembering that chakra energy is defined by white light broken down into the spectrum (rainbow), each color resonating to  a particular chakra

One More Thing…

It is our belief that we are on a journey in this life;  a journey that takes us from a place of fear, into which we are born, to a place of love.  The act of transmutation of this fear (negative energy flow/blockage) into love (positive flow) is the sum total of our lives.  It is our reason for being .  In every text or doctrine of every major faith of humankind, there is an urging to be in the present, and be filled with love.  This is the essence of us.  One person does not heal another.  One person simply helps another to heal themself by promoting love and positive energy flow.