Special Series: Sound – Sacred Sound

By Don Reed Simmons

Throughout history the search for our Divine nature has included the use of our senses, especially that of sound. Shamans have long held the belief that the Divine, Great Spirit/God exists in everything on earth and beyond. They would invoke the Spirit of the wolf by howling from deep within their bodies as the driving beat of the drum was the passageway into other worlds. Stories of Divine interactions were created and retold around the community fire.

As humans progressed, so too did the ceremonies and the way stories were told. The Auscultare was the teacher who listened to the young monks and instructed them how to perform before they were allowed to read publicly. It was important the prayers were said in a graceful tone and accent in order to sound heavenly to those who received the prayer. Whole cathedrals were built with meticulous construction to get just the right acoustics when the priest and other monastics chanted the sacred prayers and text.

In our modern lives, we’ve discovered that sound has a way of affecting the body and soul in ways not known before. The metal singing bowl, known as the Tibetan or Himalayan bowl, brings a feeling of the ancientness within, like the awakening of a past life as a monk living deep within the walls of a monastery. A quartz crystal bowl raises the consciousness to where it feels like you are communing with the Angels. There is a sensation of deep peace and profound attunement with the Divine that occurs when the receiver of the experience is able to suspend their mortal self and allow their spirit to rise and experience that Divine Nature.

Sacred Sound is about awakening the Divine nature. The sound of the metal bowl helps us embrace the sacredness we already possess. The sound of the quartz crystal bowl reminds us an Angel lives within us, expressing through us and as us. Every day we can awaken the Divine within us by a smile, or a kind word, humming, pleasant song, or playing a metal or crystal bowl. Then we are aligned to express our true nature in the world. We remember our purpose.

My father, in his infinite wisdom, would say to his children leaving the house to go out for the evening with friends or away on a long journey, “Remember who you are.”

Sacred Sound reminds us who we are—human beings, Sacred and Divine, living on earth as an expression of God.

Don Reed Simmons is a Visionary Consultant and the president of International Sound Therapy Association. His work spans three decades of conscious living as a crisis intervention counselor, filmmaker, writer, shamanic practitioner, and meditation teacher. He speaks regularly on subjects of sound, compassion, and intentional leadership. www.DonReedSimmons.com