Back to Healing through Unity newsletters

______________________________________________________

HEALING THROUGH UNITY

December, 2001

A monthly newsletter dedicated to serving the principles of

physical and spiritual health envisioned in the Baha'i Teachings.

Volume 5, Issue #4

______________________________________________________

Contents

---------------

- Using Music to Heal a Premature Baby
- Music and Healing
- The Exchange
- Baha'i Writings on Music
- Response from a Reader About Dealing with Death
- Announcement
- Question of the Month
- Website
- Purpose of the Newsletter

************************************************************

USING MUSIC TO HEAL A PREMATURE BABY

************************************************************

This story is taken from "The Mozart Effect - Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit", 2001, Don Campbell, pp. 13 - 14.

"Weighing just over one-and-a-half pounds, Krissy was born prematurely in a Chicago hospital with a life-threatening condition. Doctors put her on total life support. Other than an occasional pat on the head, the only positive stimulation she received was from constant infusion of Mozart that her mother begged nurses to pipe into the neonatal unit. Doctors did not think Krissy would live; her mother believes that music saved her daughter's life. Krissy could not sit up at age one and did not walk until she was two. Her motor skills were poor, and she was anxious, introverted, and uncommunicative. Despite all this, at age three she tested far ahead of her years in abstract reasoning. One evening, her parents took Krissy to a short chamber music concert. For days afterwards, Krissy played with an empty tube from a paper towel roll, which she placed under her neck and 'bowed' with a chopstick. Enchanted, her mother enrolled Krissy in Suzuki violin lessons with Vicki Vorreiter in Chicago, and the four-year-old girl could immediately reproduce from memory pieces several levels beyond her physical ability. Over the next two years, her strength and coordination on the instrument began to catch up with her mental capacity. With the support and encouragement of her parents, teachers, and fellow students, who were trained to perform in a group spirit, Krissy stopped wringing her hands in fear and began to socialize. Through a combination of pluck and grace, the little girl who was born weighing less than her violin could now express herself - and be whole."

***********************

"What a wonderful meeting this is! These are the children of the Kingdom. The song we have just listened to was very beautiful in melody and words. The art of music is divine and effective. It is the food of the soul and spirit. Through the power and charm of music the spirit of man is uplifted. It has wonderful sway and effect in the hearts of children, for their hearts are pure, and melodies have great influence in them. The latent talents with which the hearts of these children are endowed will find expression through the medium of music. Therefore, you must exert yourselves to make them proficient; teach them to sing with excellence and effect. It is incumbent upon each child to know something of music, for without knowledge of this art the melodies of instrument and voice cannot be rightly enjoyed. Likewise, it is necessary that the schools teach it in order that the souls and hearts of the pupils may become vivified and exhilarated and their lives be brightened with enjoyment." (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 52)

******************************

MUSIC AND HEALING

******************************

By Terry Pratt, The Netherlands

As a musician turned sound healer, I would like to share some thoughts on the subject of sound healing which has not received the credibility which it deserves. The following summary of some of the different streams (impulses in the work) may give an idea of how I am endeavoring to incorporate it into my practice. I feel that this is a time in history when the book will be opened, and much ancient knowledge on healing is now being shared and brought to the west by people like Deepak Chopra, Mantak Chia and Ibrahim Karim and others. Sound healing is an old science while at the same time developing into a new one with potentials which have yet to be discovered.

Music played a central part in the culture and healing forms of all ancient tribal and folk traditions. The American Indians had special underground rooms in which they toned in preparation for healing rituals. Ibrahim Karim, an Egyptian architect who works with healing through specific forms, shapes and sounds says that the pyramids in Egypt were also used for this purpose. Listening to Gregorian choral, or Hildegaard van Bingen, also has a healing effect on the heart. As well, the Tibetan sound bowls have proven to have an amazing healing effect. What is the reason behind all of this?

Many traditions speak of sound as being the basis of creation. “In the beginning was the word, and the word was sound.” Frequencies called harmonics come from a fundamental or basis tone. These have qualities, which correspond with the stepping down process from energy into matter. The first harmonic, the octave, gives the space, or ether element, in which the creation can take place. The 2nd and 3rd harmonics form the fifth, and fourth intervals correspond to the yin and yang principle (sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine) - the two forces which interact thus creating the four elements: air, fire, water and earth. The four elements are represented in music by the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th harmonics.

When there is a vibration, sound and form are created. One cannot exist without the other. From the smallest atom, to the planets, and the universe, there is vibration, and therefore sound and form in all of creation. Within our bodies, three basic rhythms exist: breathing, heart beat, and the cranial sacral rhythm. In addition, each organ and each system of the body has its own pattern of vibration. Surrounding the body, the energy system has also its own unique pattern. In the ayurvedic tradition, each chakra has its corresponding vowel sound, and note. When this is sounded, it activates the chakra into movement, and a form also emerges. Hans Jenny, MD, an anthroposophist, adherent of Rudolf Steiner, did extensive research concerning the effect that sound had upon form in the sixties. He took pictures of the results of playing tones to different materials as sand on a metal plate, on water and various other elements. Beautiful symmetric mandalas were formed, differing according to the pitch of the sound played. It was discovered that the old yantras, or mandalas, representing the chakras, 2000 years old in the ayurvedic tradition, corresponded exactly to the forms created by singing the sounds of the chakras. It is possible to change the crystal formations of water with music. Masaru Emoto has recently done extensive research on this. When one considers that the human body is made of 70% water, the possibilities of sound healing in the body can only be imagined. According to the ayurvedic tradition, all illness begins at the energy level, and by releasing blockages at this level, it can have an effect upon the physical body helping to bring it back into balance. When a person is in balance, he will not get sick.

It is a preventive way of medicine. By chanting vowel sounds, one activates the chakras, creating a positive force around ones body. M. Gaynor, an oncologist, has helped cure cancer patients by having them chant vowel sounds as a, e, i, o, and u. Ibrahim Karim has made a CD of silent vowel sounds corresponding to the chakras. The CD is being used by farmers in Holland on an experimental basis, to help restore the immune system of cows because when they have a strong immune system, then they would not be affected with the diseases such as hoof and mouth disease. The CD has had positive results.

All of creation is formed by energy. Energy is influenced by sound. The human body is made up of many different levels, what we see physically, as bones, muscles, lymph, blood, organs, and what we can not see, but which can be photographed with special cameras and computer programs. All of these different levels can be affected by different frequencies.

It is well known knowledge that a chandelier can be shattered by a singer singing a resonating pitch. It happens because the frequency goes into resonance with the object, and they begin to vibrate together. Using frequencies for healing follows these same principles. It is possible for example to change the energy of a weakened organ by introducing the corresponding frequency even to eradicating parasites by the use of resonating frequencies. Mantak Chia, a master in healing Tao from Thailand, uses healing sounds to activate the fascia surrounding various organs, as the lungs, kidneys, heart, liver, and spleen. According to his system, each organ has a different sound, and each organ responds to a different emotion. For example, if one is afraid, it is because the kidney energy is low, and if that is stimulated, it will lessen the fear. Changing the energy field around the organ, it can have a positive effect upon our emotional state.

Another example of sound-healing is the use of Tibetan Sound bowls. Tibetan sound bowls are made from several different metals. Each bowl is unique. The bowls produce several harmonic sounds simultaneously which resonate with one’s body. It creates a relaxing, soothing, stress releasing state in which the body balance is restored. Another aspect of sound healing is the use of mantras or chants. Different world traditions have used the repetition of short texts upon a melody, which has a very healing effect. In India, they have different ragas representing for example the different seasons and times of day. American Indian chants, Celtic songs, Rhineland mystics, Buddhist and Hindu, and Persian chants are all effective in their own way. Singing these chants creates a direct contact with ones emotions and feelings. Chanting Allah’u’Abha ('God is Most Glorious' - said by Baha'is) 95 times is also an example of a mantra.

Samuel Lewis, a Sufi, created in the 1960’s, Dances of Universal Peace, which are circle dances, whereby one sings a chant. The chants are taken from many different cultures and traditions, such as Jewish, Zoroastrian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and American Indian. It is a pleasant group activity which helps people connect feelings and emotions and with each other. In Holland there are plans by the Baha'is to integrate these songs and dances into spiritual education for children of mixed cultures.

I have incorporated aspects of all the above in my practice. I give sound bowl and polarity massages. I use songs, dance, and tone with groups of people. This enables people to find their center, a feeling of peace within themselves. My own experimentation has led me to believe that SINGING Baha’i prayers can create the same effect as toning. Why is one emotionally moved when one hears the chanting of a Persian prayer much more so than when it is read? It has a healing effect upon all levels of our existence, the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. It has a much deeper effect than reading them. INTONE, O MY SERVANTS…. are the words of Baha’u’llah. It is a way of healing ourselves, if we are open to it. Do not leave the chanting of prayers just to the Persians. Try it yourself, in your own language.

Sound healing is no substitute for medical care. When one is sick, it is imperative to go to a physician and be under medical treatment. It can be used as a supplement and as preventive medicine.

Please feel free to share your own experiments with me. I am interested in contacting with others who are doing this or related work. I feel very much a pioneer in this work. You can reach me at: t.pratt@hccnet.nl , after February 1st, tpratt@kabelfoon.nl

***************************

THE EXCHANGE

***************************

Question:

Music is an important means to the education and development of humanity. Music is also nourishing for healing our body, mind and soul. Please share your experiences, stories and thoughts about using music for health and education.

"We have made it lawful for you to listen to music and singing. Take heed, however, lest listening thereto should cause you to overstep the bounds of propriety and dignity. Let your joy be the joy born of My Most Great Name, a Name that bringeth rapture to the heart, and filleth with ecstasy the minds of all who have drawn nigh unto God. We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high; make it not, therefore, as wings to self and passion. (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, paragraph 51)

Answers:

I have learned to use music for its effect upon myself and others. Long ago, I learned that I could change and direct the mood of a room of people by my selection of music. I could put on music which reflected their present state of mind, which got them in touch with their feelings, then move along on more and more positive lines by gradually taking them, as it were, on a journey musically.

Of course you can do the same for yourself. It is like prayer...you can start with a prayer which reflects the way you feel, and bring yourself into alignment with the will of God through the selection of further prayers.

I have found that music takes me out of myself. I have Fibromyalgia, but have determined it will not stop me from living the life I want to live, just more moderately! I sing in a band, and when I am performing or even just practising, I cannot help but move with the music. And dancing to music in my own home is the same. These type of activities are my very best therapy, as they come naturally, instead of a superimposed exercise programme, which may strain you beyond your own limits. Music lifts me up and energizes me so I can forget my body, my aches and fatigue, and joyfully do more than I would think I have in me to do.

At the end of a night of performing, I am beat, almost reeling, but so very happy and healthier I am sure than if I weren't doing this and letting myself languish in my limitations instead. Thank you for letting me share this, and realize once again how fortunate I am... - Nancy Lee, Ontario, Canada

***************

Music and sound has played such an important role in my spiritual life that I cannot sometimes separate the two. My happiest memories of my earlier childhood and my oftentimes strained relationship with my sisters include singing and jumping with joy at songs coming over the radio that we sang together, or singing my mother's favorite old hymns, which I still have ingrained in my soul and memory.

As an adult, and although I have not been trained as a musician, I am a graduate of Don Campbell's "Power of Sound School of Transformational Music". I use my knowledge giving classes to teachers on how to use sound and music in the classroom to accelerate learning. My husband is a chiropractor, and I use my sound knowledge to show patients how to use sound to heal, as well as offering classes on sound and music to other health professionals, like nurses and massage therapists. I give workshops in the public on using sound techniques to deepen meditation and profound listening skills, and how to use music and sound in businesses as a type of Sonic Feng Shui.

My current "musical love" is using Biosonic tuning forks in the classroom and in small groups. My Baha'i community has embraced the process and frequently asks me to facilitate tuning fork circles along with prayer sessions. At the evening before our last Convention, we had a drum circle of 80 and a tuning fork circle for over 40 people. The meditative state that was met was very profound and many shared vivid and personally profound experiences with the other participants along with tears of joy and release. The process is also "healing" and at various Fairs I present the tuning fork balancing as an art form in galleries and often times get automatic healings. For example, I was asked to participate at a local community Fair and over 100 people over two days participated in a free tuning fork sound bath. Three individuals had physical shifts, two with chronic conditions that "disappeared" automatically. Everyone had an emotional or a spiritual surge and reconnectedness.

- Genevieve Metro, Nevada, U.S.

***************

TUNING UP FOR SURGERY

A recovery room or intensive care unit is extremely noisy; it is not, ironically, a health-producing atmosphere. Following surgery and heavy medication, you may awake in an uncomfortable, dream-like state, made more anxious by the din. Listening to music can serve as a guide in these circumstances, allowing you to awake after the operation in a safe, familiar auditory environment.

If you know that you will be hospitalized, spend a few days beforehand rehearsing for your recovery. Find an album of slow and beautiful baroque or classical music. Each day before the procedure, listen to the album while lying down with your eyes closed. Tell yourself that you are well, you are healing, that the operation is over, and that you are now in a safe environment. The music will mask the noise and help to reassure you.

Many hospitals now provide music systems for recovery, surgery, and preparation. Check beforehand and, if not, bring your own portable cassette or CD player, ideally one that plays music continuously. Ask the nurse or nurse's aide to turn it on when you are brought into the recovery room, so that it can be playing when you are awake.... Popular music, fast music and vocal music do not work as well in this environment because of their emotional content and dynamic beat. Music for recovery need not be your favorite music. But it should be transparent and calming.

- Taken from "The Mozart Effect", Don Campbell, 131.

*****************************************

BAHA'I WRITINGS ON MUSIC

*****************************************

"The musician's art is among those arts worthy of the highest praise, and it moveth the hearts of all who grieve. Wherefore, O thou Shahnaz, play and sing out the holy words of God with wondrous tones in the gatherings of the friends, that the listener may be freed from chains of care and sorrow, and his soul may leap for joy and humble itself in prayer to the realm of Glory."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 112)

"Whatever is in the heart of man, melody moves and awakens. If a heart full of good feelings and a pure voice are joined together, a great effect is produced. For instance: if there be love in the heart, through melody, it will increase until its intensity can scarcely be borne; but if bad thoughts are in the heart, such as hatred, it will increase and multiply. For instance: the music used in war awakens the desire for bloodshed. The meaning is that melody causes whatever feeling is in the heart to increase.

Some feelings occur accidentally and some have a foundation. For example: some people are naturally kind, but they may be accidentally upset by a wave of anger. But if they hear music, the true nature will reassert itself. Music really awakens the real, natural nature, the individual essence". (Abdu'l-Baha's words to Mrs. Mary L. Lucas, as quoted in "A Brief Account of My Visit to Acca.", pp 79-80)

*****************************************

RESPONSE FROM A READER

ABOUT DEALING WITH DEATH

*****************************************

By Cindy Catches, South Dakota, United States

I just read the November issue, Volume 5, Issue #3, about dealing with grief which made me think of a story about a death that is very precious to me. I lost my brother when I was sixteen in a car accident. It was devastating to me as he was nineteen and my father figure. About two weeks after I had lost him, he came to me in a dream. He took me with him. He showed me the beautiful place that he was at and for me not to be sad. He was so happy. It helped me and from then on, he was always helping me. When I was about 25 years old, after a nine year search, I found the Baha'i Faith. I read a quote by Abdu'l-Baha which describes the loss of a young person like a loving Gardener seeing a plant that was not doing well in a certain place (that was my brother) and the gardener doesn't take the plant out and throw it away. He lovingly transplants the plant in an area that it can grow and develop better. Yes, this had been just what my brother had shown me. Now that I had the Faith, I knew that I could let my brother go so he could grow even better.

After many years had gone by, I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life. I was very concerned about it. I said a prayer to my brother "Oh, how I wish you were here to help me with this decision. I need your wisdom." I expected him to come to me in a dream as I had asked him to help me with a dream. But nothing came. So I just let go and knew that I would do what I had to do. One morning my best girl friend called me to come over. She said that something so scary had happened to her. She said "your brother came to me last night in a dream and that she doesn't even know my brother! He said to tell you that you did the right thing and not to worry about it. Do you know what he was talking about?" I said that I did and told her what I had done. My friend is someone who doesn't like spiritual things, they scare her and she doesn't even talk about them. She said "don't ever do that again, it scared me so that I woke up crying and my husband had to help me go back to sleep." For a while I wondered why he came to her and not me and then it was so clear. You see, this decision was one I would guilt about all my life and yet, I knew if I did not do it, I would die. This way, I am more gentle with myself, I know in a clearer way, that I did the right thing for me.

*****************

"The death of that beloved youth and his separation from you have caused the utmost sorrow and grief; for he winged his flight in the flower of his age and the bloom of his youth to the heavenly nest. But he hath been freed from this sorrow-stricken shelter and hath turned his face toward the everlasting nest of the Kingdom, and, being delivered from a dark and narrow world, hath hastened to the sanctified realm of light; therin lieth the consolation of our hearts.

The inscrutable divine wisdom underlieth such heartrendering occurrences. It is as if a kind gardener transferreth a fresh and tender shrub from a confined place to a wide open area. This transfer is not the cause of the withering, the lessening or the destruction of that shrub; nay, on the contrary, it maketh it to grow and thrive, acquire freshness and delicacy, become green and bear fruit. This hidden secret is well known to the gardener, but those souls who are unaware of this bounty suppose that the gardener, in his anger and wrath, hath uprooted the shrub. Yet to those who are aware, this concealed fact is manifest, and this predestined decree is considered a bounty. Do not feel grieved or disconsolate, therefore, at the ascension of that bird of faithfulness; nay, under all circumstances pray for that youth, supplicating for him forgiveness and the elevation of his station." (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, pp. 199-200)

*************************

ANNOUNCEMENT

*************************

THIRD ANNUAL BAHA'I CONFERENCE ON HEALTH AND HEALING

Desert Rose Baha'i Institute, Eloy, Arizona, USA

Yes, it is happening again! The dates are February 15 (Friday evening) through February 18 (Monday lunch), 2002. The theme is: ARE YOU WELL? ARE YOU HAPPY? -- "The bounty of good health is the greatest of all gifts." (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, 151)

Registration costs less than $90, including eight meals. Motel reservations must be made early because of other area events held during the same weekend. For registration or other information, please contact: Desert Rose Baha'i Institute: E-mail: drbi@casagrande.com, Phone: 520-466-7961

************************************

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

************************************

Dreaming is an important aspect of our health. By achieving a better understanding of our dreams, we can then have a better understanding of our relationship to ourselves, our community, family and work. Please share your experiences, stories and thoughts about using dreams as a medium to guide and heal our lives.

****************

WEB SITE

****************

You can visit the website, obtain back issues and the Healing Through Unity Course at: http://www.healingthroughunity.org.

********************************************

PURPOSE OF THE NEWSLETTER

********************************************

"Healing Through Unity" is published for the purpose of sharing thoughts, comments and experiences on how the teachings of the Baha'i Faith are being applied to physical and spiritual health. Other than the quoted Holy Writings, the material in this newsletter represents the thoughts and opinions of the writers and has no authority. You are free to copy articles, provided you indicate the source of the article. There are 10 issues per year; it is not published during July and August. The newsletter is produced in Ontario, Canada.

Please send your stories, comments, suggestions or "Question for the Month" ideas to Frances Mezei by e-mail: -- .

PLEASE NOTE:

Many thanks to all of you who send such wonderful contributions for "Healing Through Unity" Newsletter. The decision to select and edit material submitted for publication is determined by the editor. If you have a change of e-mail address, please inform me with your old and new email addresses. To cancel the subscription, please send message to: --