spirit of art

Spirit of Art for a Harmonious World

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“The voice of our age seems by no means favorable to art, at all events to that kind of art to which my inquiry is directed. The course of events has given a direction to the genius of the time that threatens to remove it continually further from the ideal of art. For art has to leave reality, it has to raise itself boldly above necessity and neediness; for art is the daughter of freedom, and it requires its prescriptions and rules to be furnished by the necessity of spirits and not by that of matter. But in our day it is necessity, neediness, that prevails, and lends a degraded humanity under its iron yoke. Utility is the great idol of the time, to which all powers do homage and all subjects are subservient. In this great balance on utility, the spiritual service of art has no weight, and, deprived of all encouragement, it vanishes from the noisy Vanity Fair of our time. The very spirit of philosophical inquiry itself robs the imagination of one promise after another, and the frontiers of art are narrowed in proportion as the limits of science are enlarged. The eyes of the philosopher as well as of the man of the world are anxiously turned to the theater of political events, where it is presumed the great destiny of man is to be played out. … I hope that I shall succeed in convincing you that this matter of art is less foreign to the needs than to the tastes of our age; nay, that, to arrive at a solution even in the political problem, the road of aesthetics must be pursued, because it is through beauty” ~Frederich Schiller

Spirit of Art

Schiller is correct in saying that real art is as much a spiritual thing as it is a physical one. Art that simply reflects the status quo of a materialistic society is not really art at all but simply a form of newspaper. Art needs to be more than a mirror reflecting what is around it. While such art can be useful in making us see things about ourselves that we don’t want to face, it has to be spiritual art, at least a little, when it does that.

Spirit of Art in Architecture

When the ancients designed buildings they often followed spiritual principles. They were built to be in harmony with man and nature. They were designed to stimulate spiritual thoughts and ideals. Awakening the spirit and soul was too much to ask of them, but they were one of many tools that aided that process. The great buildings of ancient Greece and classic Egypt are among the best examples of spiritual art in architecture. Today, however, architects are more concerned with showing off how they can stretch the limits of design and function with modern technology. There is nothing wrong with the technology, but it would be better utilized to make buildings that are harmonious and spiritually stimulating. Continue reading “Spirit of Art for a Harmonious World” →

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singing

Singing for Peace and Spiritual Growth

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“It might happen at times when you cannot reconcile with your neighbor. But once you begin to sing, the song within you will awaken the readiness to reconcile. This is the power of music.

“Why does one need to sing? So that one may not lose what one has. You are near the point of attaining something beautiful. Sing, that you may not lose it. Those who sing are strong, and those who do not sing are weak. Sing, because this is what Love requires of you. You need to sing so that you may live. Music is the transmitter of life. No culture can exist without music.

“You need to visit a meeting of the initiates in order to see what king of music is there. You need to be in the presence of these initiates when they are singing, to perceive their deep understanding of music, and to comprehend the real meaning of music. For one to become a student of one of these initiates, one first needs to be knowledgeable of contemporary music. You need to be a very good singer so that when you go to them, you will be able to comprehend their music.

“Once true music permeates the world, there will be no more disease. … When you sing, the Divine World opens to you and you receive Divine Life.” ~Biensa Douno

Singing Vibration

Not all of us are not good singers. My dogs cower under the bed when I do it (just kidding, I’m not that bad). So why does Douno recommend singing as a spiritual discipline? It is because singing is a type of rhythmic vibration. We all know that vibrations can help our spiritual growth. They can also hinder it. It depends on the type of vibration. Low-frequency vibrations are more likely to hinder. High-frequency vibrations help. Likewise, rhythmic vibrations help, whereas discordant vibrations hinder. Since singing is a type of rhythmic vibration that is understood by most of us, it is a good tool to aid us as we develop our spiritual Self.

Sing to Reconcile

Douno says that when we can’t reconcile with our neighbor, singing can help. Not because it changes your neighbor, but because it will put you in a more conciliatory mood. That is great a far as it goes, but there is more. Singing can help us reconcile with ourselves.

Whether we are aware of it, or not, we often need to reconcile within our own mind. Our mind often seems to function like a group of people rather than an individual. One part of your mind wants to go for a walk in the park. Another part is too tired to walk. Still another fears getting mugged in the park. Watching a movie on TV is all the fourth wants to do. Sometimes it is easy to get them all together. Other times it isn’t. But if one of the group starts singing, another will probably join in, then another. Before you know it, they are singing together and that pushes them toward an agreement. Continue reading “Singing for Peace and Spiritual Growth” →

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use music

Use Music to Aid Health and Spiritual Growth

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“Make use of music for your spiritual development, as do the advanced beings in the Sublime World above. The new epoch of Love that is coming will give a new impulse to music. If someone wants to do something bad, play some music, and this person will relent. Awaken the Divine within people and they will listen to its voice.

“There is always the desire within you to be heard by someone when you sing. Be assured that you have the best audience. The whole of heaven listens when you begin to sing. From above, you receive the best evaluation. Do not be afraid that there is no one Above to listen to you. There is an audience there that appreciates your singing.

“It might happen at times when you cannot reconcile with your neighbor. But once you begin to sing, within you will awaken the readiness to reconcile. This is the power of music.” ~Beinsa Douno

Use Music

There are many tools that we can use to aid us in our path to spiritual awakening and enlightenment. Many are making use of crystals and incense. They are both excellent aids, but music may be better.

There is evidence that the Pythagorean school used music during their spiritual processes, primarily when watching the sunrise. It is likely that it was used in spiritual ceremonies even before that.

We also know that some of the ancients used music and sound to heal physical and mental illnesses. It is likely, therefore, that they also used it for spiritual purposes.

Types of Music

Douno mentions singing, but that is not the only way to do music. Gregorian chanting is another effective method. Or at least it would be if those monks did it while sun gazing at dawn. Playing musical instruments is also effective. Harps and organs are the most common ones used for that purpose. Almost any musical instrument can be used, however. Singing bowls are another good choice. In Tibet, metal ones are used. In some other places, crystal bowls are used. We use the crystal one in Cosolargy.

Drums are another way to use music for spiritual development. This is common in some parts of the world. While they may be effective, I think they work in a different way than the other types of music. There is also a recent theory about the mysterious ruins of Stonehenge. This theory says that when some of the rocks are struck, they vibrate and make a sound. It is possible that they were struck in a certain order or combination to help those in attendance raise their frequencies to higher, more spiritual ones.

Hear My Singing

Douno says w all desire to have others hear us sing. I find this hard to believe. I know that many of us, including myself, are not good singers. We would never sing in a place where we thought others could hear us. This makes me think that Douno may be using allegory in this case. When he says “singing” here, he means any form of music. So he is saying that we want others to hear our music, whatever form that music takes.

I think this is another way of saying that we want others to share in our knowledge and agree with us. This is just human nature. But it also means that when we have awakened to any significant degree, we have a need to help others. This is not the egotistical desire to show off our knowledge, as is so common with materialists. It is a genuine desire to help others grow. This is not only good but necessary. We can only raise our frequencies a limited amount when we do it alone. We can raise it much higher when we work with others. Some will help us. Some will be helped by us. Some will do both at different times. This is another way to use music.

An Audience Above

We are told that there is always someone to listen to our “singing”, someone above. First, above doesn’t mean a physical location. It means higher frequencies, higher levels of consciousness. And it isn’t specifically our singing that they “listen” to. They listen to our spiritual growth in general. It is not about sound, but about growth. Every time we make progress on the path of spiritual enlightenment, they celebrate. Every time we fall back toward materialism, they frown and help turn us back in the correct direction. Not only do we use music, allegorically speaking again, so do they. And not only do they listen to our singing, sometimes they sing to us as well.

Illustrating Image by tuana ajans from Pixabay

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music of the spheres

Music of the Spheres Singing to the Soul

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“Many early instruments had seven strings, and it is generally conceded that Pythagoras was the one who added the eighth string to the lyre of Terpander. …

“The Pythagorans believed that everything which existed had a voice and that all creatures were eternally singing the praise of the creator. Man fails to hear these divine melodies because his soul is enmeshed in the illusion of material existence. When he liberates himself from the bondage of the lower world with its sense limitations, the music of the spheres will again be audible as it was in the Golden Age. Harmony recognizes harmony, and when the human soul regains its true estate it will not only hear the celestial choir but also join with it in an everlasting anthem of praise to that Eternal Good controlling the infinite number of parts and conditions of being.” ~Manly P. Hall

Seven or Eight Strings

Halls gives credit to Pythagoras for added the eighth string to a lyre that had always, like several other stringed instruments, had seven. He gives no reason for doing so, however. Permit me to do it for him.

Hall does say that seven was standard because of the popularity of seven in other things, especially spiritual ones. Seven colors in the rainbow, seven chakras, or energy centers, in the body, and so on. In fact, most people equate the frequent occurrence of seven in the Bible to those seven chakras. But Pythagoras was correct in adding an eighth. There are four energy centers in the spirit. Each is divided into two when the enter the physical body. That gives eight, not seven. So there are eight primary energy centers in the body, not seven. So why do so many believe it is seven? Because when asked to publicly reveal the hidden information in the mystery schools, the masters of those schools always supply incomplete information to those who are not official students.

A Singing All

There is, in a sense, singing everywhere. Singing is just rhythmic vibrations of the right frequencies to register on our ears. There are many sounds in the world that we don’t think of as music or singing. There are sounds that we ignore entirely. We are unaware that many of those sounds even exist. Birds and crickets chirping, tree leaves rustling in the wind and so many other sounds that we generally ignore. But there are other sounds, such as the vibrating of rocks, that happen at frequencies we can’t even hear. Yet they are sometimes rhythmic vibration and therefore singing.

Music of the Spheres

Not only is everything on Earth singing, in a way, but the planet itself sings (or vibrates) as it moves through space. It is accompanied by its brothers and sisters, the other planets of our solar system, to create a celestial choir. Then so must the sun and the other stars sing to themselves and to each other. The whole universe is singing. This is called the Music of the Spheres. Some say that the common chant of “Om” used in meditation and prayer is an imitation f the music of the spheres.

But even beyond these sounds of the physical universe, there must be sounds found only in the spiritual universe. They would be much different than those of the realm of matter. While everything in the spiritual world vibrates, as does matter, there is likely no tension or friction produced in that realm. Perhaps for that reason, the sound of the spiritual realm would be purer, clearer. It would truly be singing to our ears. This is the true music of the spheres.

Some people report that when they are engaging in certain spiritual development techniques to bring them closer to that realm, they can hear beautiful music with no physical source. Others may just sense a beautiful harmony or feel a pleasant vibration without hearing it. They are all lightly touching this true music of the spheres.

I say this is the true music of the spheres because the dimensions of reality are generally depicted as spheres within spheres like the layers of an onion or a nesting doll. I think it can be reasonably assumed that the music of the spheres is at its purest and most beautiful at the highest of the spheres—that which we call heaven—and gets weaker, or less pure, as it drops to lower and lower dimensions. We can assume that at the lowest dimension, where not even matter can exist, there is also no sound, no music of the spheres. So let’s rejoice that we live in the third dimension where is does exist, and we have the ability to slowly climb to higher dimensions, where it is pure.

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