Looking for Something Special?
|
|
"Steal This Book of Shadows"
ver 2.0
by
Azzerac
~PAGES~
Prev
HOME
Next
Page 48
Spellcasting #15
Triggers #4 - Audio
(Brought To You By,...)
Now, in the last installment, I covered Aroma. That is simply one “Area-Covering Trigger”. Audio has to be listed in among that classification. Not just what you bring in, but what you keep out.
Ask any audio engineer, and he’ll tell you how a passing siren can annihilate a movie-mood. One person behind the camera sneezes, and the director yells “CUT!”. The mood requirements aren’t as stringent in a circle environment, but the wrong sound can be disruptive (See Afore-Mentioned “Fart”). It can start a case of the giggles that will help the Chaotic Practitioner, liven a wiccan circle, or destroy the somber settings of the High Magician.
Now that we’ve covered what it shouldn’t be, let’s look into what it should be.
Chants, Beats, & Rhythms:
It’s as old as the circulatory system. It’s as comforting as the womb. It’s as certain as life it’s self! The constant thrum-thrum-thrum of a heart is with you until your life is over. It was there, in the womb with you, before you ever had a heart of your own or ears to hear it. It impacted your very being, as a hydrostatic lullaby, there in the comfort-zone of comfort-zones. It is intrinsic to human life.
The constant beat is a tool to trance. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bearskin drum, or a crown of Gregorian Monks. It can be the ever repetitive “nam myoho renge kyo” or the shaking of a rattle. Through continuous, repetitive rhythms, a change takes place in the mind. There is a certainty of the safety in that rhythm, and hypnosis, (be it self- or external in classification, is to the discernment of the reader).
This rhythm state is a trance state. In this state, a level of certainty & focus (Faith & Concentration) is achieved that aids dramatically in the success of the spell at hand. Though it may be out of keeping in the “Thematic Associations” of certain ritual types, other rhythm generation methods can be incorporated into even the most strict rituals.
The Drone:
Also a great trance device, from running water of a mountain stream, to the long-winded bellow of a didgeridoo, the ‘white-noise’ effect can modify the actual brain-wave patterns of the listener, leading, again, to a trance state. In the first case, the ‘mellowing’ effect can lull one into a meditative state, while in the second example, the louder, low-pitch droning, becomes a form of “chaos”, that (it is told) in the hearing, the brain waves attempt to emulate.
The word within the new-age community, bandied about with great enthusiasm, is “Entrainment”. There is a tale (Read: Myth/Hearsay) that a practiced Transcendental Meditation Guru had, upon request, had his brainwaves recorded while within this state. The tale goes on to say that this wave-set was played-back to test subjects, and on listening to the sounds produced, their brainwaves began to imitate the sound: Instant Sympathetic Samadhi!
The metaphysical community is thick with tales about ‘the profound effect of sound upon the human condition’ but to be honest, very few are able to site concrete references. Most simply restate the usual hearsay, or regurgitate the latest lecture. Having worked within the sound healing, enlightenment, & metaphysical convention circuit, I’ve attended a number of lectures & demonstrations, professed to alter your body & mind. I must say that on two occasions the effects were actually noticeable, let alone profound.
Of these two cases (Antique Singing Bowls & Accu-tonics Tuning-fork Therapies), they are interesting tools, with a good deal to offer, but still are tools to an end, and should not be taken as a “Whole Tradition”. Through research & experimentation, these systems & techniques may have more than an impressive amount to offer to your practices.
Notes & Melodies:
Certain compositions can not only invoke, but in fact overwhelm the mind with images of landscapes, events, or even social environments. Places you’ve never been or dreamed of, tales you’ve never heard told, sights you’ve never seen: all of these can be conjured in the mind of the listener. It isn’t even a mater of the composer, or the listener, but simply the relationship between the two. Likened only to two speaking a shared tongue in a foreign nation, one communicates only to the other. Two people listening to the same piece will very likely draw differing mental imagery from the same sitting. What is important is what the spellcaster (you) hears. Any tool that summons up the visual imagery with greater ease, is a tool worth adding to your practices.
My best examples are the piano styles of George Winston & Danny Wright, or the Duet Violin & Guitar of “Watson & Company”. When I wish to produce a weather change, I listen to “Shadows”, by Wright. If I wish to produce strictly snow, George Winston’s “Winter Solstice” or “December” is just the thing. For a wider perspective enhancement, I go with “Holographic Projections” from Watson & Company, as the imagery travels across the board, from classical compositions to original experiences. My favorite is “Eye of the Storm”, when you have the opportunity to hear it performed live.
That’s enough Endorsements for my favorites , and enough on melody.
Let’s look at simple notes:
We mentioned, in charkas, that each chakra is associated with a different note. To be completely precise, each is associated to a sustained frequency. Whether or not the “European Scale Note” is the same as the chakra isn’t dependent on any one aspect, but all aspects of the variables. Nowhere is it more important to remember that You are NOT the middle of the bell-curve! Your individuality will produce variation from the ‘norm’ that must & will be compensated for, or you will end up using this useful tool as an obstacle as opposed to an ally.
When working with sound-chakra relationships, I would suggest a variable sound generator. Barring that, a halfway decent synthesizer or keyboard will help you tune in on the right sound. Use the suggested note as a starting point, and note how the energy center responds. If there is a tactile reaction, and the sensation is pleasant, you are at the right frequency, or at least in the ballpark. If the sensation is unpleasant, heavy, or painful, sift the frequency.
Barring a technological tool, the best tool in fact is your own vocal chords. Not only can you shift the frequencies faster, but also the response is reflexive in the face of discomfort. (Something as minor as the discomfort inflicted, mercilessly, by a device can chip away at ‘empowerment’, and reinforce the personal perspective of ‘Victim’. More on that later) As well, the best idea is to steer away from ‘tool dependency’, and make your castings as independent, or self-reliant, as possible. I will ever accredit Crowley with his “Triune Resonance” as the perfect amalgam of Chakric Theory and the Portability of Magic!
As these initial Hundred-Some-Odd Pages are only intended to be the broad-strokes, we will be digging deeper into this subject (as well as others) after we have covered the ‘basic toolbox’.
Next installment, Twenty-Something Pages on the Twenty Something Laws of Magic!
Copyright Lodestone and Lady's Mantle 2005-2008
All rights reserved
(Back to Articles Index)
Home Site Map Updates! About the Owners Ameriqve's Test Cauldron Introduction Shop Counter Spell Book Sound Sage Advice Dusty Tomes The Augur Craftsman's Counter Community Resources
Copyright Lodestone and Lady's Mantle 2007
All rights reserved
 |
