Sound and spirit: How singing and chanting creates connection

In Holy Daimon (Affiliate link) the author shares how spirits love the sound of humans singing. When I read that it reminded me of a statement what William G. Gray shared in Magical Ritual Methods (Affiliate link) about invocation and how he uses sound to setup the connection between the magician and the spirit. In my own work with spirits, and magical work in general what I’ve discovered is that sound is powerful medium that conditions the receptivity of the human consciousness while also establishing a specific space in the environment around you. Frater Acher shares the following in the first aforementioned book:

“The spoken word is the sword blade of the magician. It forms the bridge between the realm of the spirits and the realm of matter. It is itself a hybrid power, half born from flesh, half born from spirit. Singing - making our voice carry particular melodies and vibrations that express intent not only in the words spoken but also in the meaning of the melody”

When I sing or chant to connect with spirits, I infuse vibration into the singing because it serves to harmonize the connection through the energy of the vibration. The vibration aspect is essential because I use it to find the frequency of the connection. The sound of the words form the essence of the desired connection and provides meaning to the human mind, while the vibration calls forth to the spirit and invites it to connect and work with me. The sound also mediates the shared essence of the practitioner and spirit, creating a relationship between them that enables communication. That communication can come in the form of visual or auditory experiences, but in my experience is more succinct and powerful as a spiritual transmission.

This principle isn’t new, but it is worth coming back to and exploring in depth in your own practice. The sound of the spoken word, the naming of a spirit is a power into itself and this concept of sound and connection underlies what is happening when we call to a spirit. It also can play a role in the naming of a space. For example, my partner and I name our home and the name of the home speaks as much to our relationship as it speaks to what we cultivate in this home and in our interactions with each other. The name is significant but the sound plays a role as well. When I say the name of my home, I’m evoking through the sound of the name all the experiences that have occurred as well as calling for more experiences.

Singing has another effect as well. It elevates us emotionally and energetically. It’s important, as a result to consider what energy you want to bring into your interactions with the spirits you’re connecting with. When I sing or chant, I do it from a place of joy for the experience of the magic as well as for the opportunity to connect with the spirit. I like to make sure that I put myself in the right frame of mind and emotion because I want to give myself over to the experience and showing up with anything less than my best effort is a disservice to myself and the spirit. Singing creates the space, the emotion, the energy, and the presence when you fully invest yourself in it.

How do you incorporate sound into your connection with spirits? Comment below.

Music, Breath, and Magic

Part of my ongoing work in magic has involved experimenting with vocal tones and vibrations via my vocal cords. In my daily Tumo practice, I've been altering the position of my tongue on the roof my mouth and have noted that moving it to different parts of the roof of the mouth alters the tone of the vocalization. This work is informed by a recognition of the following principle mentioned in the Spiritual Dimension of Music:

The ancient metaphysicians and magicians repeatedly taught that the actual physical emission of sound, particularly of selected frequencies and patterns was a reflection of an inner spiritual reality. This inner reality has the potency of transformation , both personal and impersonal.

In Tibetan Shamanic and Tantric practices as well as in specific Western mystery practices the physical emission of sound is used to trigger specific states of spiritual power. For example, in my daily practice of Tumo, I vocalize the word Hon and utilize the vibration to invoke a specific union of my energies with the energies represented in that sound. There also techniques where a person can vocalize the different names of God in order to involve the energies of those names into his/her own personal energy.

Breath also plays an important role in this work. Breath is representative of spirit and is also what is used to fuel the vocalization of a sound. There is actually a way to learn how to continue emitting a noise, while drawing in a breath, without much break in the making of the noise.

What I've found in my own work is that there is a definite triggering of a state of mind that occurs with the vocalization of sound. The experience of that state of mind can be quite useful in ritual work as it helps to set up the ritual space/time a person works in. I'm even reminded of an exercise that I and some other people did, from the Possible Human, that involved making a ZZZ sound that signified the passing from one unit of time to another unit of time. At first all of us felt self-conscious, but then we found that the noise actually triggered a shift in time, and that doing the sound with others enhanced the effect.

I suspect the same is true in general. If you make a specific noise with others, for the intent of creating a specific state of mind or metaphysical being, the combination of your sound with others enhances the overall effect. Perhaps this is also because all of the people are experiencing a shift in consciousness to a similar altered state of awareness and the actual altered state of awareness builds of one person supports and enhances that of other people as well. Perhaps its a combination of the above. I do know that the use of sound in magical work is really effective and that turning your voice into a magical tool can be useful for a variety of practices both in meditation and more practical applications of magic.