I have been privileged to take part in the most amazing group sound circles through out my life. I have felt, seen, and experienced first hand the power of sound in taking one beyond the manifest world of form and connecting with heavenly energies.

During these sound circles each participant goes into a meditative state, focusing on the sounds inside that are waiting to come out. It\'s a total organic process, sometimes one person will start it off, other times a few people will just happen to open their mouths and sing at the same time. The focus of this singing is not so much on forming words, though words can be used and repeated in a positive affirmative sense. The singing is more an expression of our souls yearning for a connection with the Divine or Wholeness. The only real guidelines in the singing circle is to work on making the sounds from your soul fit in with the singing of those around you. It\'s about having that sensitivity (or developing it) to be able to intuitively, spontaneously co-create music with others. The fact that it is spontaneous makes each sound circle completely unique.

It is not something that is pre-planned or pre-determined, it is not something that has any set structure. To participate one needs to respect other participants and also have an awareness of how their sound mixes with the sounds of those around them. One who has a rather loud voice for instance, may make sure that they are not continuously singing so loud so they don\'t muffle out softer voices, but they still have the freedom to every now and then go as loud as they like – it is that respect for sharing and wanting others to be able to share and open up too.

Interestingly, with most of the circles I\'ve been involved in, everyone instinctively knows to end singing around the same time. During a sharing of sound one may feel all so

rts of things, but when all singing ends – the most beautiful silence can occur. The silence at the end of the group – is the most penetrating – it goes deeper then any other silence I’ve experienced. When a group of individuals together – experience that silence – it is much more powerful then any silence one can feel alone. The combined energy of that silence makes everything momentarily seem unreal around you. A state of being is reached where momentarily you are untouchable – you feel as if you are floating, and yet you are on the ground.

When voices join together in unison a special space is created and entered into by all those participating, I liken it to a realm of pure sound vibration, where there is no you or me. The experience that singing circles have the power to produce, can create a powerful change in perception. Unfortunately these changes can sometimes be quickly lost, once a person becomes embedded again in the act of their daily life. Other times a person may start to identify singing circles as a a new form of enjoyment, being attracted to the form and seeking to experience the “high” over and over.

True growth has to cause permanent transformations. Though to get to this level, one often has to take little steps. Sometimes it takes thousands and thousands of small temporary transformations to make way for one that is more permanent. However, sometimes even a small transformation (even if it is not strong enough to last) can serve as a brilliant reminder that there are particular states that are reachable. Knowing inwardly with full faith that there is this potential, can fuel our inner fire to develop ourselves to such a level where we can permanently experience these levels of being.

A singing circle can be a valuable tool as a transformative process. Sometimes the people singing create something out of this world and powerful! Other times an enjoyable time is created with people releasing their pent up emotions in a positive creative sense. I for one know that there is amazing potential in this sphere. If the right group comes together, with the dedication, preparation, respect and confidence in using voice, miracles can occur!.

Tags & Keywords :