The Power of Sounding
“And God said, ‘Let there be Light.’”
In the book of Genesis, creation is spoken into Being.
Sound is vibration — “words” are vibrations that are given a particular pattern and order, frequency expressed into form.
All of life is vibration and frequency. Modern physics, in its own terms, shows us that what we perceive as solid matter is not actually solid. Atoms are mostly space, with oscillating patterns of energy. The human body itself is flowing and rhythmic… the heartbeat, breath, brainwaves, nerve impulses, cellular signals, circadian cycles, etc. We are not a static “solid,” but rather an orchestra of frequency continually communicating within itself and with the world around it — physically and etherically.
Sound directly influences the nervous system, the fluids of the body, and the etheric field surrounding the body. The body’s waters — which are the majority of our physical form — conduct information throughout the entire system. Internally and externally, we are continually encountering vibration around us in the form of sound, emotion, and thought. Energy. Often, these systems are functioning in varying degrees of misalignment and discord. We suppress our voice, emotions, thoughts, and show the world what we’ve been mechanically conditioned to believe is acceptable, while concealing our inner world. In that process of concealing and hiding, our Light is dimmed and the development of our inner world is stunted. Our protection and control mechanisms, unresolved fight/flight patterns, and disconnect from the body, feed the inner divisions of Mind and create chaos… ie rhythms and frequencies that are out of harmony, or inner conflicts that can only be transformed by reconciling the paradoxical opposites we are immersed in.
Conscious use of the voice – whether speaking or sounding – can be a tool for restoring harmony and resonance in the energy-body. Speaking… the words we express and the energy we express them with… chanting, humming, singing, and intentional sounding, act almost like a tuning fork. Vibration travels through the fascia, the body fluids, the energetics, and the breath, creating a foundation for regulation and coherence.
Every time we hold our tongue, every time we suppress our laughter or tears, shut down shouts of joy, anger, or excitement, we reinforce the separation between our bodies and our voice — or the separation between the Upper and Lower centers {see Energy Systems}. Many of us live in cultures where open physical and vocal expression is discouraged. Throughout the course of the day, we constantly moderate ourselves to fit within societal expectations.
Don’t be too loud, don’t draw attention, don’t fully express who we are and how we feel.
This pattern of pushing down, pushing away, and limiting vocal expression goes all the way back to infancy. Society considers a “good baby” to be a quiet baby, one that sleeps well, doesn’t get easily fussy or make too many demands. Self-soothing. Whether it’s intentional or not, children are given the message that being “good” translates to being quiet and still, making things easier for the adults around them to manage.
From a biological perspective, silencing ourselves is connected to survival instincts and is associated with the freeze state of the autonomic nervous system. Shutdown and conservation are the last response of the body’s defense system. When expression feels unsafe, the body learns to become smaller, quieter, and less visible.
That said, the opposite extreme of full expression isn’t necessarily a sign of maturity either. The authenticity of young childhood, while beautiful in its innocence and spontaneity, is also immature — energy is unconscious and one-directional, either directed towards “self” or the “other,” without the capacity to hold both simultaneously.
When a child is hurt, they are fully identified with their hurt.
When they notice something about another person, they may announce it… often loudly and honestly… without considering the other person’s feelings or perspective.
Children’s expression is wholly genuine, but it is often an impulsive discharge and lacks development and discernment. A child hasn’t learned how to contain, direct, or integrate this energy. The goal of life is to refine — to keep our capacity for genuine expression, while developing the consciousness necessary to hold both awareness of self and awareness of others. Intention and impact. High regard for self and high regard for others.
From the Tree of Life and Divine Marriage:
The Third-Force Higher Reality that must be developed and matured, is able to draw upon each of the opposite opposing polarities to arrive at a higher solution in all perceptive-positions and solutions. But, this requires much development of not only each side of the mental-divide, but also the development of the Third-Force Balance that is able to draw from each or both of the conflicting opposites.
— Allan Cronshaw
These polarities and divisions of Mind, are both the cause of inner fragmentation and the necessary structure and framework for the development of consciousness. A child’s expression is immediate and unfiltered, moved on impulse in response to the world around them. They don’t have the inner structure necessary to direct, contain or cultivate their energy. The divisions and barriers of Mind become part of the learning process: we are pulled into one polarity, one side of the Tree of Life, one Sphere, and remain stuck there until we develop the maturity to see the other side and come to a balanced 3rd force perspective that unifies them both.
The barriers of Mind create the structure through which consciousness matures. They give the resistance and challenge that make discernment and choice possible — just as eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil made choice, growth, and expansion possible for Adam and Eve.
Before differentiation, there is innocence.
After differentiation, there is polarity, awareness, responsibility, and choice.
Conscious growth becomes possible because choices exist.
The question becomes: will the energy we receive from Spirit be developed and applied towards the inner expansion of Mind? Will it be shut down and suppressed? Will it continue to be dispersed haphazardly — projecting outward, pulling inward, but never maintaining the balance required for bidirectional flow?
Maturity, in any form, requires the capacity to hold Paradox — in this case, the perspective of “self” and the perspective of “other” — without becoming trapped in either. As these opposing views are integrated, a higher state of consciousness emerges.
The unrefined lack of control in childhood is a necessary part of the learning process. By engaging with the world, we encounter resistance and opposition to our singular-perspective, which brings us to the choice: will we double down and root deeper into our limited perception, or will we expand toward our opposite polarity and find the Narrow path within the central column of the Tree of Life? Through that center, energy that once dispersed everywhere without direction has the opportunity to become focused, channeled, and aligned with a higher purpose.
We begin life fully expressed and are met with conditions that create limitations and opposition that force us to see and go beyond our immature perspectives, or remain in the pain and struggle of the “outer darkness” {see Allan Cronshaw’s Plato’s Cave of Illusions, the Outer Darkness of Mind and Being}. These divisions are both our prison and our teacher.
To overcome and use the innate divisions of Mind for our inner development, we need to first become aware of our conditioning and reactionary biases — learning to separate the messages we received from the world around us, from our reaction to those messages.
In terms of our voice, this means looking at our relationship with verbal expression:
- What messages did you receive in childhood about being loud or quiet?
- What happened when you cried, got angry, got excited, or expressed strong emotions?
- What messages did you, directly or indirectly, receive about speaking up, disagreeing, asking for what you wanted, speaking about your beliefs or sharing your beliefs and truth?
- What messages did you receive about how someone of your gender “should” express themselves? How did that contrast with the opposite gender?
How were these messages or values internalized?
- As an adult, do you suppress your emotion, thoughts, your voice?
- Or was your self-expression restricted so much in childhood that certain parts of you never fully developed in the first place?
- When you find yourself holding back from saying what you feel, what is the reason?
There is usually a surface answer, then there is a deeper answer. Surface answers may be: I don’t want to cause conflict… I don’t want to hurt their feelings… I don’t want to make things awkward, etc. But underneath those externalized answers is usually something more vulnerable: I don’t want to be rejected, I don’t want to be judged, I don’t want to lose connection, I don’t want to be seen negatively, etc.
When we continually make ourselves smaller to avoid discomfort, conflict, rejection, or criticism, our energy is suppressed — each suppression creates a contraction in the body and over time accumulates into armoring, energy blockages, tension, emotional disconnect or instability.
The body holds on to what the voice doesn’t express.
Sometimes we justify our silence as politeness or kindness. There are certainly situations where silence is wise, but very often, there’s a much deeper shadow reality happening beneath the surface of our awareness. Honestly examining our values and motivations is going to uncover those layers of conditioning and false personalities.
If we avoid expressing ourselves because we assume the other person can’t handle our honesty, what do we actually believe about them or ourselves? Maybe we view them as fragile. Maybe we fear their disapproval, anger, or other emotional reaction. These can be legitimate concerns, but exploring and becoming curious is an important part of the journey to inner knowledge. We have to see what’s in the way before we can clear it and use those inner divisions for growth.
Consider:
Why am I not speaking?
What am I expecting to happen if I do?
What am I trying to avoid?
What am I protecting?
What part of me feels unsafe?
Struggles with expression are rooted in the vulnerability of being seen or heard. Beneath the discomfort of speaking honestly, setting boundaries, and expressing emotions, is the fear of judgment, rejection, conflict, criticism, abandonment, etc. Digging deeper into the roots of that fear is a necessary part of this process. We can use our voice to start uncovering the parts of us we’ve been pushing away and go beyond the protective/defensive impulses that have been restricting us.
With verbal communication, there can be a lot of good excuses. Maybe some of these sound familiar:
I’m just not good with words
I don’t know what to say
I don’t care… it doesn’t matter
I don’t have an opinion about that
I don’t want to offend anyone
Sometimes these excuses are true, but often they are just a socially acceptable way to avoid self-expression. That discomfort with our voice becomes easier to identify when we shift from communication to Sounding. One aspect of “Sounding” could be considered the natural body sounds that take no effort, no special skill, no mental consideration. There’s no perfect words to find, nothing to explain, defend, or justify. They only require an opening and release… not judging yourself, or concerning yourself with what someone else might think of you.
Our natural expressions of sound that have been with us since we were babies… sighing, laughing, groaning, crying, moaning… are not just noises, but rather natural extensions of the body’s communication. They are primal, connected with the animal natures and deeply tied to nervous system regulation.
Sound moves energy.
It releases tension, helps process emotion, and reconnects us with the body.
Vowel sounds, in particular, are prolonged tones, with no interruption, expressed through the continuous flow of the breath. Because they are sustained and resonant, they allow us to feel vibration throughout the chest, throat, skull, and potentially the whole body through the fascia, blood, and other internal waters.
Sound travels through the body, creating vibration and stimulating tissues, muscle, fascia, and nerves. It encourages the movement of energy along pathways that may have tension or restriction, and gives the body-Mind the opportunity to come into greater coherence. In our organic and divided states, our thoughts, emotions, and body are operating in conflict as separate systems rather than a unified whole. Energy is divided and pulled in different directions.
Sounding – and even speaking in a way that creates connectivity – is more than just making noise through your throat.
The throat is a channel. Physically and energetically it connects the head with the rest of the body, and is part of the Central Pathway that runs from the crown to the perineum. Conscious use of the voice can be used to strengthen the connection between the Upper and Lower centers.
Many people unconsciously speak, sing, and sound almost entirely from the throat and upper chest. Or their volume stays restrained, breath shallow, and the lower portions of the body aren’t engaged. The voice in this state is disconnected from its foundation and roots. The power of the voice begins with the breath, the diaphragm… allowing the abdomen, the pelvic bowl – the lower centers – to participate in the expression. Over time, this can help restore communication between the disconnected and compartmentalized parts of the body-Mind.
Practical Application:
If you’ve identified areas where you struggle with your voice, self-expression, or any type of Sounding, it would be good to begin a regular routine of reconnecting with your voice. Equally important is making a conscious effort to look for opportunities to express yourself more fully throughout your day — whether it be in allowing the free flow of laughter or speaking up when you would otherwise remain small. Over time, this creates a new relationship with the voice, one that is less dictated by conditioning and more connected to the consciousness of the body.
If you are already comfortable with your voice in day to day life, understand that Sounding is going to amplify any energywork you do. Sounding creates a release and opening in the body, it charges and strengthens the central pathway, activates the vagus nerve, and connects us to the animal natures of the body in a meaningful way.
Through the exercises below, as you Sound, be conscious of the mouth-genital connection — everything in between will begin to align, the more you practice this. For men, this may include the pelvic bowl, prostate, penis and testicles. For women, direct your attention internally to the upper/inner vagina, the cervix and the uterus. As you Sound, hold your awareness on not only the throat, but also in the Lower centers. In the allegorical map of the body, the mouth and tongue are like the penis and vagina of the Upper centers — organs of generation, birth and expression.
“But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”
Matthew 12:36
What we speak goes out into the reflective-biofeedback reality of this realm and returns to us through relationships, life events, and the patterns we engage in — karma. Our thoughts and words shape our experiences. In this way, the voice is a bridge between the inner and outer worlds — a channel through which vibration takes form.
Exercise: Sounding, connecting the throat, diaphragm, and pelvic floor
Before beginning, it’s important to feel the difference between sound that comes primarily from the throat and sound that is activated by the core of the whole body.
- Place a hand on your throat. Bring attention to the muscles of your neck and larynx
- Gently hum. Keep going at least three times, until you feel comfortable
- Instead of humming, let yourself sigh softly. Again, do this until you feel comfortable, at least three times
This soft, breathy Sounding is activating the throat. If you place a hand on your chest, you may feel some resonance there as well. Notice how much of your body seems to be involved. How much effort does it take to sustain the sound?
Connecting the Breath:
- Now, breathe deeply, engaging the diaphragm… expanding the ribs out to your sides… feeling the pelvic floor move down, expanding as you inhale and gently drawing back up as you exhale
- Stay with this breathing until you can feel the connection between the throat, diaphragm, and pelvic floor
The movement here is originating from the lower abdomen. Expand the lower abdomen and pelvic floor as you inhale and contract both as you exhale — this acts as a pump, building energy and drawing it up from the lower centers. 4/6 – Diaphragm Breathing — see Sex of the Breath
You can also experiment with reverse breathing here — draw the lower abdominals and the pelvic floor in on your inhale, and soften both on your exhale.
- Continue to breathe and let yourself begin to sigh. This time, let the focus and the energy come from the lower abdomen
Feel the throat opening to allow the sound to pass, rather than creating the sound through the muscles of the throat alone.
This sigh should sound deeper and you should be able to feel the whole core of the body engaged. If you are sensitive to energy, you’ll feel it vibrating along that central pathway. If you can’t feel the energy, focus on the physical sensation of vibration resonating through your body. Notice where the vibration extends to and see if you can expand it through the whole body.
If you can feel vibration in your chest but it doesn’t go past your solar plexus, place your hands on your body and see if you can imagine the vibration traveling down. Let everything relax and expand naturally. The more you practice connecting the throat, diaphragm, and pelvic floor through breath and Sounding, the more you’ll start to feel into the energy of the body.
Experiment with the volume of your Sounding, but maintain connection through the body. The more you amplify the volume, the more you’ll amplify the energy. The goal though is not just to get loud, but to remain connected.
Experiment with different pitches and sounds — a sigh, a moan, a guttural growl, open vowels. Each has creates a different pattern of vibration in the body.
Exercise: Moving down the Channel
- Begin with deep breaths, expanding and contracting from the lower abdomen and pelvic floor
- Make sure your breath is complete, coming all the way down to the perineum and all the way into the upper part of the lungs as well. If your shoulders don’t have much movement, you aren’t breathing into the upper lungs
- Make a continuous “ah” sound, as you expel ALL the air from your lungs
- Keep feeling the originating movement from your lower abdomen. Take a deep breath, filling your lungs to full capacity, open your mouth wide and sound “ah”
- As the air is leaving your lungs, feel the energy pooling down to your pelvic bowl
- Don’t stop your sounding half-way, make sure the air is completely expelled from your lungs. Contract and squeeze from the center of the lower abdomen, like you’re drawing the energy down and that is what’s causing the air to leave your body
If you’re doing it correctly, as you expel the air, the Sounding is going to get deeper and a bit louder, before diminishing, due to the contraction of your abdominals-pelvic floor. It will feel like the point in the center of your lower abdomen is sucking everything into it. Your back will round and your mouth will open as wide as possible. Your face might contract into an “ugly” expression… let it… it’s part of unmasking. Keep Sounding strongly and pushing the air until you reach the point of no breath. You may experience shaking or spontaneous movement of energy.
This exercise helps move energy along the central pathway, exercises the lungs with complete exhales, and strengthens the connection between the Upper and Lower centers.
Connecting the Etheric-Field and Internal Fields of the Upper, Middle, and Lower centers:
Lower:
- Breathe and feel how your etheric-field draws inward as you inhale, expanding back outward as you exhale
- Feel the flow of your energy inside as you inhale and exhale
- Focusing on the center of your lower abdomen -feel the energy move before you begin Sounding- when you feel the energy flow, Sound the tone “Hong”
Middle:
- Breathe and feel how your etheric-field draws inward as you inhale, expanding back outward as you exhale
- Feel the flow of your energy inside as you inhale and exhale
- Focusing on the center of your chest -feel the energy move before you begin Sounding- when you feel the energy flow, Sound the tone “Ah”
Upper:
- Breathe and feel how your etheric-field draws inward as you inhale, expanding back outward as you exhale
- Feel the flow of your energy inside as you inhale and exhale
- Focusing on the center of your brain -feel the energy move before you begin Sounding- when you feel the energy flow, Sound the tone “Om”
Through each one, feel the Inner Field being focused on and the outer etheric-field moving in union.
Other suggestions: Chanting, singing, humming. Any way you can work this into your day to day life would be good.
Light & Sound machines: Photosonix Light & Sound Machine Overview
Humming to a single tone meditation track like the one below: Throat Chakra Healing Music
Chanting to drums: just let sounds flow, they don’t need to make sense or mean anything. Vowel sounds are a good beginning point. Shaman Medicine Drum
Regular stretching and massage of the throat and jaw: massage in small circular motions, looking for pockets of tension that you may not be directly aware of. Getting Cheeky Jaw Release — Fascial Maneuver: Peekaboo
Emotions: For more intensity and to open the body and work through blockages, add an emotional component. Is there any physical or emotional pain that needs to be released, currently or in your past? What emotions have you not let yourself fully feel? What emotions do you have a hard time expressing? Or on the positive side, what emotion or sensations do you want to bring more of into the body? Joy, pleasure, compassion, etc. How might these emotions be expressed through sound? Notice how every emotion has its own rhythm and tone. Let the emotion guide the expression.
Practice daily, even if only for a few minutes. The more frequently these pathways are activated, the more natural and accessible they become.
Suggested videos for further exploration:
Further reading on other sites:
- The Law of Octaves
- From Cymatics to Sound Therapy: Their Role in Spirituality and Consciousness Research
- How Binaural Beats Sharpen Intuition by Shifting Levels of Consciousness
- How to Use a Crystal Singing Bowl: Steps for Healers and Beginners
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