Sound Therapy
The power of sound and its ability to heal and soothe the soul has been recognized and practiced since ancient times.
The power of sound and its ability to heal and soothe the soul has been recognised and practised since ancient times. Christina Auerbach works with instruments and voice in such a way that generate high frequency overtones. These frequencies can bring instant relief from mental stress by bringing the brainwave frequencies into an alpha state.
The whole body can be balanced and restored to its natural harmony through sound. Centuries of Gregorian Chant have certainly passed the test of time from a human voice perspective. A session on the Soma Monochord ( like a wooden bed with strings underneath ) has been described as;
... lying on an ocean of sound.
One person said;
I feel like crying for the beauty of it. It is like floating on a wave of love.
Christina also offers sound workshops throughout the country and runs local sacred chant groups.
The whole body can be balanced and restored to its natural harmony through sound. Centuries of Gregorian Chant have certainly passed the test of time from a human voice perspective. A session on the Soma Monochord ( like a wooden bed with strings underneath ) has been described as;
... lying on an ocean of sound.
One person said;
I feel like crying for the beauty of it. It is like floating on a wave of love.
Christina also offers sound workshops throughout the country and runs local sacred chant groups.
The Power of Sound
The power of musical sound and its ability to heal and soothe the soul is as old as time itself. It is also part of the very essence of being human, originating in the mists of antiquity.
Centuries ago in ancient China, Emperor Shun, in the second month of every year, could be found journeying eastward in order to check up on his kingdom and to ensure everything was in order throughout his land. He did not do this by auditing the account books or observing the state of the life of the populace or by interviewing regional officials. The Emperor Shun tested the exact pitches of the instruments and their harmonies. When the central government was inefficient, he listened to and checked the five notes of the ancient Chinese musical scale. He had the eight kinds of Chinese musical instruments brought before him and played by musicians. He listened to the local folk songs and also to the tunes sung in court, checking that all this music was in perfect correspondence with the five tones of the Chinese scale.
It was believed that all civilisations are shaped and moulded according to the kind of music performed there. It was also recognised that if different territories were all tuned differently to one another, unity would ultimately be lost with conflict as the inevitable result.
In ancient times, sound itself was thought to be intimately related to non-physical and sacred dimensions or planes of existence. Audible sound was considered to be an earthly reflection of a vibratory activity taking place beyond the physical world. Inaudible to the human ear, this cosmic vibration was the origin and basis of all the matter and energy in the universe. To the Hindus, this cosmic sound was known as ÔM, to the Ancient Egyptians, the word of words; to the Pythagoreans of Greece it was the music of the spheres and to the ancient Chinese it was the celestial energies of perfect harmony, the very source of creation itself. The phenomenon of sound was regarded with great reverence.
So, what about music now? What is the sound within each of us? Do we listen? Are we in harmony?
Lynne Gidish in an article called ‘The Mozart Effect’ , writes how vital it is to nurture the musical being within us to ensure both wholeness and balance. Jeanne Bull who used to be chairperson of the Music Therapy Society of Southern Africa commented that due to a daily overload of sound and sensory stimulation, the modern-day person has simply stopped listening to life. “Our ears are like passageways to the soul yet our conscious awareness of hearing is greatly neglected”. We have developed selective hearing and this results in a lack of communication and connection with what is really going on in the present moment. Through simple exercises of sounding and listening, one can reconnect again, learn to pay attention and thus restore the ability to listen. This is significant work and will make an enormous difference to the quality of life.
Singing Groups
At 26 Symonds Lane, George, every Monday, 5:15pm – 6:15pm people gather to sing sacred song and chant. The songs are mostly in Latin making use of the long vowel sounds which are most beneficial and balancing to the being. All are most welcome. Some come just to listen but often end up singing because the songs are simple but beautiful. There is no charge.
The power of musical sound and its ability to heal and soothe the soul is as old as time itself. It is also part of the very essence of being human, originating in the mists of antiquity.
Centuries ago in ancient China, Emperor Shun, in the second month of every year, could be found journeying eastward in order to check up on his kingdom and to ensure everything was in order throughout his land. He did not do this by auditing the account books or observing the state of the life of the populace or by interviewing regional officials. The Emperor Shun tested the exact pitches of the instruments and their harmonies. When the central government was inefficient, he listened to and checked the five notes of the ancient Chinese musical scale. He had the eight kinds of Chinese musical instruments brought before him and played by musicians. He listened to the local folk songs and also to the tunes sung in court, checking that all this music was in perfect correspondence with the five tones of the Chinese scale.
It was believed that all civilisations are shaped and moulded according to the kind of music performed there. It was also recognised that if different territories were all tuned differently to one another, unity would ultimately be lost with conflict as the inevitable result.
In ancient times, sound itself was thought to be intimately related to non-physical and sacred dimensions or planes of existence. Audible sound was considered to be an earthly reflection of a vibratory activity taking place beyond the physical world. Inaudible to the human ear, this cosmic vibration was the origin and basis of all the matter and energy in the universe. To the Hindus, this cosmic sound was known as ÔM, to the Ancient Egyptians, the word of words; to the Pythagoreans of Greece it was the music of the spheres and to the ancient Chinese it was the celestial energies of perfect harmony, the very source of creation itself. The phenomenon of sound was regarded with great reverence.
So, what about music now? What is the sound within each of us? Do we listen? Are we in harmony?
Lynne Gidish in an article called ‘The Mozart Effect’ , writes how vital it is to nurture the musical being within us to ensure both wholeness and balance. Jeanne Bull who used to be chairperson of the Music Therapy Society of Southern Africa commented that due to a daily overload of sound and sensory stimulation, the modern-day person has simply stopped listening to life. “Our ears are like passageways to the soul yet our conscious awareness of hearing is greatly neglected”. We have developed selective hearing and this results in a lack of communication and connection with what is really going on in the present moment. Through simple exercises of sounding and listening, one can reconnect again, learn to pay attention and thus restore the ability to listen. This is significant work and will make an enormous difference to the quality of life.
Singing Groups
At 26 Symonds Lane, George, every Monday, 5:15pm – 6:15pm people gather to sing sacred song and chant. The songs are mostly in Latin making use of the long vowel sounds which are most beneficial and balancing to the being. All are most welcome. Some come just to listen but often end up singing because the songs are simple but beautiful. There is no charge.