Double Vision: Tibetan Singing Bowls

I have a question about Tibetan Singing Bowls and what they are used for. When a healer works on a client, how does the sound/use of the bowls impact that person's energy? What type of healing is this practice used for? Thank you!

- K.

Dreamchaser:

Many centuries ago, the Tibetans developed a way to prolong sound via the use of a bowl-shaped gong. These are now known as Tibetan Singing Bowls. They are made from seven different metals, and are used for healing and meditation.

The Tibetans were aware that certain sounds resonate in different parts of the body, and that these sounds can restore physical harmony and relax and heal us in metaphysical ways. When a healing practitioner is using Tibetan Singing Bowls, the bowls are placed on different parts of the body so that healing vibrations can enter the body at those points.

Sound is all around us all the time. Sound affects us, and even the lack of sound affects us. Thoughts and emotions arise from sound. Sound is attached to memories. When we hear a song or hear a bird chirp or hear a kid laugh, we naturally have associations with that sound.

While most of us give little thought to sound vibration and its effects on us and our environment, both modern research and age old wisdom hold that sound has incredible power. It does not always calm or heal us, however; it can cause negative emotions and even damage our environment.

Sound is vibration. It travels through water five times faster than it does through air, and since humans are almost 80 percent water, we feel the vibrations of sound very readily. Every cell in our bodies has a vibrational frequency. Every chakra has its own frequency. When our bodies resonate with human-made frequencies, it is more difficult to remain balanced and in a natural state of harmony.

We are only now re-awakening to the power of sound to restore inner balance and connect us more deeply with who we really are inside. By uniting ancient wisdom with modern scientific research into the power of sound, we can now purposefully create sound vibrations designed to heal specific ailments.

Energy can be moved and/or balanced by sound vibrations using calibrated tuning forks, drumming, and vibrational therapy - to name a few. Using sound vibration therapies can produce profound relaxation, increased awareness, and a deeper connection to your core essence. It can also lower blood pressure, increase vitality, and boost your immune system.

Using sound as a healing tool is a wonderful way to maintain your health or support spiritual awakening. By using sound healing or vibrational therapy of any kind, you can maintain a balanced, healthy life that is rich with whatever qualities you desire.

I wish you deep knowledge of many effective healing techniques.

*****

Astrea:

Tibetan singing bowls can be used for meditation, deep relaxation, stress reduction, and holistic healing. Many Reiki practitioners use them in their healing work. They are also used for balancing the chakras because they have an immediate centering effect on the person hearing their tones. They can help us tune in to the "universal sounds" both inside of ourselves and in the outer world.

Use of Tibetan Singing Bowls can be traced back as far as the Buddha Shakyamuni (560-480 B.C.). It is believed that they were first used in India and then came to Tibet. The first instruments were made of twelve different metals, but no one knows how those metals were mixed to form the first bowls, and as a result, no one has figured out how to reproduce the full, low sounds of the originals.

The bowl is struck with a padded mallet or rubbed around the rim to produce sounds. In addition to all types of healers, these bowls are also sometimes used by musicians who like their deep, rich tones, and they can be heard in a lot of "world" music.

Sting, Hakim, and Bono all have recordings that use Tibetan bowls as musical instruments, and the monks who create them don't mind that a bit. The more we hear them, the more we flow in harmony with one another - which is the whole point!

Tibetan bowls are often used by yoga instructors to align their students' chakras or bring a sense of peace to the group before the end of class. Some people use only one bowl, while some healers use as many as fifteen different bowls at a time. They have as many different uses in healing as the different healers who use them.

Of course, the original antique bowls cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and can only be found in very holy places or expensive private collections, but new bowls are available for sale. They're very expensive, and it takes a while to get the knack of making the right sounds, but they are also very beautiful.

I've been told that it takes most people about five years to learn how to get the "correct" sounds from a bowl every time. As even one bowl is quite an investment, if you are hoping to learn how to use this tool, you should try to find a teacher before you buy one.

As each bowl is said to have a "soul" of its own, it's important to make sure that you're in harmony both with the bowl and the person who will teach you to use it. Someone who already uses a bowl will be able to help you find the right one for you. Remember to explain that you want one designed for healing, as opposed to decoration.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.