You are awakening to the medicine wheel of your own power and no longer need the lessons of stagnation and feeling stuck to get you to move forward. Move ahead with confidence towards the dreams you have and shake the world with your knowing! The heart is opening up to reveal the gifts you have been born with; and there is a growing sense of clarity and direction as you walk the path you are meant to travel.

The World is in need of individuals stepping more and more into their own light. Do your part to help. The unfoldment happens as a manifestation of intentions and not from a position of fear. Isn’t it interesting that you cannot now see the details of all the changes that are ahead of you in the months ahead, but all will unfold in its own time as you tune yourself to the voice of wisdom and as you learn to harness the resonant fields of sound and vibration to manifest your dreams. As you increase the power and frequency of your own vibration, you can help the relative vibration of any environment you choose to be in. Send your intentions out on energetic waves of intention, on waves of harmonics!

You are ready to understand the mysteries of both darkness and light. The path is opening up. Drop all stubborn attachments to what is considered “real” and “unreal.” When veils are lifted, the life you live and move in will seem no more than a dream.

The connections you have with the present existence is mostly through mind and senses. As you drop the veils and attachments to mind and mind fluff, worlds upon worlds open up to you; and as you peer into the inner landscape, you will find patterns in the “external” waking consciousness reflecting more and more the patterns that swirl within. The spiral and circle of the great Medicine Wheel then comes to awaken and release the long-restricted “Beast” of freedom and creativity!

The following techniques are guidelines to help you get the feel and sound of the high, medium and low register overtones. Once you are familiar with the sounds and comfortable in creating the overtones, you will discover your own techniques and unique sounds to explore. These techniques should in no way strain the vocal cords. In fact, the quality of the voice and breathing capacity should improve with practice. Have fun with the techniques! Remember, no forcing or straining. The overtones come when you are deeply relaxed!

Higher Register: the harmonics sound similar to high whistling.

• Tip of tongue behind the upper front teeth
  Make small movements with the lips and tongue to get the overtones vibrating.

• EE as in “year”
  Listen especially during the transition between the “y” to “ee” sound, and then from “ee” to “rr” sounds.

The listening part is most important. Take note of how the sound changes with very slight movements in tongue position. Experiment with volume (low to high). The EE sound corresponds to the spiritual eye and crown centers. Pay attention to these areas as you practice.

It is also important to note that you are already creating harmonics with your voice. This is what makes your voice unique. The techniques you are learning are just ways to tune into and magnify certain notes or “partials.”

Mid Register: the harmonics sound like ethereal flutes.

• OH as in OM
  Lips slightly round and tongue flat on bottom of mouth and slightly pulled towards back of throat. Visualize small grapefruit expanding the space in the mouth. The sound of OH corresponds to the root chakra (at base of spine), giving a sense of grounding and connection with Earth energies.

• UU as in “you.”
  With slightly round lips, sing UU and then move the tongue slightly and slowly forward. Listen to the changes in harmonics. Repeat. Again, experiment with volume. The sound of UU corresponds to the throat area, the seat of creativity and expression.

Lower Register: The harmonics sound guttural (similar to Tibetan Buddhist chanting). The lower register can also sound like low notes of a flute or like someone blowing sideways on the opening of a bottle. The harmonics are produced in the back of the throat in general but can also be produced throughout the mouth with practice.

• OH as in “OM”
  Relax the throat and open up the back of the throat and nasal passages. As you tone the sound of “OH” create a cavity in the mouth (visualize the grapefruit) and push air out through the mouth and nasal passage. This takes a bit of practice. Experiment with going back and forth with pushing air out mostly through the mouth and then a combination of through the mouth and nose.

Sound of motor: with lips closed (no air going through), make the sound of a motor (kind of like a sawing sound) high in the nasal cavities. When you get this sound, try opening the mouth to add overtones from the expanded space.

In practicing the upper, middle and lower range harmonics, keeping the nasal passages open and allowing some air and vibration to pass through this area is a great help in producing the harmonics. In the beginning, however, it may not feel natural and so to get a feel for this, practice with mouth closed for a little while. Hum through the nose and listen to each of the aforementioned sounds.

With time and practice you will learn to hear a wide range of harmonics and will begin to project greater energy in sounding out different overtones at the same time. You will then be able to create your own unique combinations of overtones that will help you towards a greater sense of well being and balance.

Have fun with your practice and let me know how you are coming along.

Bruce Manaka
http://www.manakastudios.com
http://accessingyourhigherself.wordpress.com

This article may be shared with others so long as it is not changed or modified in any way. Thank you.

Copyright 2008-2009 Manaka Studios

Listening to the voice of the heart is about attuning ourselves to subtle vibrations and feelings, learning to listen not only with the ears but with our whole Being; with our bones, organs and every fiber. In this kind of listening lies the answer to prayers and the fulfillment of all of our intentions.

Answers and resources can appear from seemingly nowhere. The Universe doesn’t need to work in linear, logical ways. When you connect with intentions on an energetic level, then answers to prayers can appear from “out of the blue.” You must still do your part, but there really is no challenge that is insurmountable.

Your part is to remain in the openness and receptivity of the inner flow of energy and consciousness that is always connected with the Creative Source. This may mean sometimes having to take little steps without the assurance of knowing the details of the larger picture. Sometimes it may seem that you are only given pieces of a jigsaw puzzle without the benefit of knowing what the finished piece looks like. Trust in the wisdom of your heart that will let you know if you are on course or off-course when you learn to feel and listen to the vibration of its voice.

As you listen and feel on the inside, the consciousness becomes aware of the physical vibrations within and around you. As the mind and feelings grow calm, the awareness begins to apprehend more and more subtle vibrations of thoughts, feeling and movements of energy within the body. The inner sounds become more predominant and external noises may seem to meld with the internal ones. A sense of expansion occurs in which the feeling of bodily location is widened, as though the limbs have become very large, or have dissolved all together into the vastness of space.

In the Sacred Space wherein the mind and body are deeply relaxed, intrusive thoughts and the process of thinking have less opportunity to be entertained. There is no small place in the mind to let them revolve around in. They just come; and then they go. They are observed as though from a great distance, without attachment, without the usual emotional strings that keep us bouncing around like puppets on a marionettes’ stage.

In the vibration of your Heart’s Voice, the incessant chattering of mind falls away, allowing for the magnetic energy of Love to manifest and fulfill your intentions and prayers. In this sublime state, you can be in any company or crowd and send out the attracting vibration to embrace all people as beautiful souls. Those whose hearts are ready to receive will begin to resonate with and gravitate to you. When you become the frequency of Love, that vibration will change the hearts of those stuck in self-created darkness. In this way individuals learn to be a blessing to those around them without expectation of return or acknowledgment.

This past weekend I had the great fortune of having my injured shoulder treated by Jeffrey Yuen, an 88th generation Taoist Master of the Jade Purity School, Yellow Emperor/Lao Tzu Sect, ordained by 87th Generation Taoist Master Yu Wen (Jeffrey’s adoptive Grandfather). I was invited to be a demonstration subject at his workshop, which was hosted by a good friend of ours, Kathryn P. White, Ph.D., DHM, MTOM. An incredible healer in her own right, Kathryn is the President and Founder of the American University of Complementary Medicine (AUCM) in Beverly Hills, California.

As the workshop focused upon the use of gems and stones in the practice of Classical Chinese Medicine, Dr. Yuen used stones and crystals instead of the customary needle upon certain acupuncture points. He did not pierce the skin but instead used the sharp points of the stones and pressed fairly deeply upon the points. He also used a scraping technique around the shoulder area called “Gua Sha.” The effects were quite remarkable as the flow of energy felt in the body was pronounced and gave much relief to my shoulder. He also recommended elixirs made up from specific stones as further treatments to be continued at home.

Dr. Yuen seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of Taoism and the Classics of Chinese Medicine and he artfully combines this knowledge with an intuitive understanding that enables him to connect quickly and deeply with underlying causes of illness.

Of great interest to me was his recommendation of the use of certain “animal” sounds for strengthening the tendons. Although the “Six Healing Sounds” in Classical Chinese Medicine are quite powerful, he recommended the animal sound of “huummph!” (I’m not sure this spelling is quite correct). He also recommended “Waah!” These reminded me of certain Japanese martial art “kiais” that I’m familiar with. The kiai is a way of generating and focusing powerful internal energy.

2009 seems to be building up to be a humdinger of a year! If one were to look only outwardly at the trainwreck of events as reported by the media, from the world economic crisis to the ongoing escalation of wars and violence, it would seem that 2009 augers a buildup of fear and thoughts of “how to survive the coming cataclysms.”

However, when looking upon all the chaos as the Universe’s way of destroying old and corrupt systems so as to make room for evolution to happen, then it becomes a matter of making choices as to how we want to live our lives: reacting to fear by “hunkering down,” or using the energy or excitement of fear to build momentum and awareness of the New Dimension of Consciousness that seems to be arising through the ashes of what is being torn down.

I don’t have a special “window” to the future, and I do know that pain and challenges are part of living on planet earth, and so my wife and I do our “due diligence” by keeping emergency supplies and some extra food and water…but we also know “in our bones” that our very purpose of existence is the simple awareness and act of “Being Love,” no matter how well or badly we may do from moment to moment. And there are times of course… when we get off course. It’s part of the drama that we’re learning to live with and not get so caught up in.

2009, for me, is not so much about “doing” as it is in “Being.” Both are important, but a little physical challenge that has shown up in my life in the last couple of months has won my attention and deep consideration. My left shoulder went out. Can’t use it. It happened right after an intense workshop that I participated in. Everything I do now has to be done slowly and with great awareness.

I’ve been seeing doctors but the healing may take awhile. My shoulder seems to be saying:

“Back off for awhile! Can you receive this and experience the opportunity that comes even with the pain? Listen and receive without grasping or fretting, without worrying about the future!”

The mind naturally thinks, “I need my shoulder to do my work and to be of service.” But of course the Higher Self is saying, “Just do your best and then relax in each moment, even if the moment is painful. Know that you are supported and guided even when it seems most dark and confusing.”

I would like to share with you something that has been extremely helpful in the creative work that I now do. A number of you have asked how I came to embrace the path of art and sound healing. This post is about finding your way to your “Heart’s Virtue,” (also known as the unique gifts you were meant to manifest and express in life).

Eight years ago, while still in the monastery and struggling with thoughts of leaving, I had no idea what my heart was calling me to do. I was in a “no-mans’ land” of ambivalence–feeling stuck. In other words, I felt paralyzed, not able to move forward and unable to embrace the life that I had been living for close to 20 years.

Fortunately for me, in 2001 I began working with someone who became a coach and mentor to me. His name is Greg Mooers, founder of LifeCamp. He was a friend and fellow monk who left the monastery some years earlier and developed a successful career in coaching that pinpointed and clarified the “Heart Virtue” of one’s unique calling in life.

In my experience with Greg and the process that we went through, I connected viscerally with my heart and received clarity for the first time regarding the gifts that I was born to express in life.

I opened up to my “Heart Virtue” of “Creativity” and “Sacred Space.” It was a powerful awakening that had me gasping, “How is it that I did not recognize this until now!” When the heart opens up, it moves tremendous amounts of energy that reveals with clarity the gifts that you were born to express in life.

My Heart Virtue of Creativity and Sacred Space is the “gasoline” that fuels all of my endeavors in life. That is my commitment to myself and to all of you. It is what moves through me with greater and greater momentum as I learn to step out of the way and allow it to flow unimpeded.

As Greg’s work has been of such value to me and the work that I now do, I wanted to share this information with you. If you are seeking clarity about your most treasured desires in life, or if you wish to connect with what your heart is calling you to do (your Heart Virtue), then by all means check out Greg’s programs.

In fact, you can check out 3 FREE teleclasses that I highly recommend that you check out. In these teleclasses, you’ll discover strategies you can use to create a courageous and authentic life of prosperity in these challenging times. You’ll find out how to:

• Maintain your confidence and calmness
• Move forward and take action
• Persevere in spite of circumstances
• Go after what you want

Click on the following link to register for these tele-classes:

Finding Your Way – Discover Your Heart Virtue

This series of tele-classes are Greg’s gift to you. They are scheduled as follows:

Monday December 15 6:00 pm Pacific Time

Monday December 22 6:00 pm Pacific Time

Monday December 29 6:00 pm Pacific Time

If the timing conflicts with your schedule, and if you miss any of them, no worries! Greg will send you access to the recording. This tele-class series will show you how to thrive and implement the strategies now required in this rapidly changing world. Greg’s goal is to empower you in a new way to succeed in the face of new challenges. It will be an experience to start your 2009 in the best way possible . . .

I’m excited to also announce that in 2009 I’ll be participating in Greg’s workshops using the Sound and Harmonics tools that some of you are already familiar with. Please consider attending these workshops and give yourselves the gift of clarity!

Finding Your Way — Discover Your Heart Virtue

Creativity as spoken about in the following dialog with Higher Self is about allowing a space within ourselves to let energy flow unimpeded. Creating everyday may be a matter of just getting up and going for a walk around the block or around the park, feeling the energy in our bodies move and connect harmoniously with the environment; feeling ourselves as part of the Creative Ocean expressing through our walk.

Creativity may also be about moving through the workplace with calm awareness, noticing the feelings and thoughts as they arise, not losing ourselves in any drama that may play out during the day. It is about staying in that place of clarity or Presence wherein the Consciousness enjoys itself in the fullness of the moment.

You are never far from the Source of Inspiration that can radically change your circumstances for the better. Allow it to do its work. Create everyday! The momentum of energy and mind can propel you towards dimensions of discovery and learning that will take your breath away!

Relax and breathe deeply into the vision you hold within. It’s not enough to just stay in shallow waters. Go deep, plumb the depths of what is there for you in the most subtle regions of consciousness. If you find yourself out of the flow of awareness, it’s just a matter of dropping back into the movement of the energetic river. Listen on the inside, relax and then once again observe quietly, without grasping or forcing. Do not fight or force! Relax and observe. Feel the resonance of all that plays within and around you.

Move gracefully, as the vibratory Being that you are. Enter into the flow of what is already moving and that is connected with the Creative Source. Listen, be aware and allow. You will then slip gently into sublime levels of awareness.

Awaken from moment to moment. As you melt into the Cosmic Stream, the awareness of Self expands to include all things. Feel now what wishes to express from the deepest Source. The Breath of Creativity is an Ocean of wonder that has no limitation. Its waves expand in all directions, forever moving and creating. Your true home is in this Ocean. Make use of the gifts you were meant to express and manifest. There is no aspect of Creation you cannot explore. As the Ocean meets Sky upon the horizon, so will your Heart meet Omnipresence upon the horizon line of calm awareness!

When we allow the “Beast”– or energy of Creativity– to flow unimpeded through our bodies and mind, without mentally editing or judging what gets expressed, that energy seems to expand and gain momentum and power, revealing a Consciousness that is infinitely wider and more inclusive than the ego identity that we have become so familiar with.

I want to thank Jessica from “Living on Purpose” who made a comment in one of my posts regarding how we fear most our own power. This thought is also beautifully reflected in Marianne Williamson’s quote,

” Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us….”

Thanks Jessica, for your kind thoughts and encouragement. Yes, I too believe we fear most our own power. Is it, perhaps, that we are afraid of losing our sense of self if we were to unleash the subterranean “beast” of creativity, that we would not be able to put the “genie” back into the bottle once we uncorked the giant within?

I think it’s quite amazing how tenaciously the ego fights to maintain the illusion of separation and smallness, that it would actually struggle to keep itself locked in the nightmare! The ego is like the prisoner that prefers the dank air of narrow captivity over the inspiration of Freedom. And in its own self-imposed exile, it desperately grasps for life and security by fighting for the ephemeral dreams of happiness that everyone else struggles for. We enter and go through the motions of life in hypnotic stupor, identified with the glittering baubles of desires that remain ever beyond our reach, and that distracts us from the experience of our Higher Selves, the very Source of all dreams and desires!

My hat’s off to the Divine Trickster that’s been able to pull that huge “wooly” over the eyes of humanity for so long! But I also believe that the power of our hearts’ awakening is no less strong than the hypnotic grip of dark struggle.

As we awaken from the dream nightmare of limitation and fear, we connect with the River of Consciousness that manifests the unique gifts that we were meant to give birth to through the instrument of our lives. When we tune in to the Divine Song that is already playing within, when we allow that vibration to express in our lives, we are awakened from the slumber of ages!

The veils of separation are falling as we individually acknowledge and take responsibility for the gifts of Spirit that are wanting to be born. There are unimaginable realms of Beauty and Love that were meant to be expressed in our lives, and all that is required for that to happen is an understanding that the Creative River flows of itself the more we step aside and allow it Sacred Space within!

This post is for those who feel stuck in life, not knowing how to move forward. It is also for those who wish to discover how to connect with their life purpose. Creating something everyday is a way to get energy moving within, which then helps us to connect with our life’s purpose.

Create everyday! Anthing! In whatever field you are attracted to, create something, no matter how small or insignificant you might think it to be. The idea is to get to the point of having fun, but in the beginning, just get energy moving even if you feel silly about it.

Move energy within and allow yourself to fly upon creative currents with wings of breath and voice. Get out of your own way and give life to what wishes to be born. Please do not worry about or judge how the world may view your creation or how it may weigh or label it. Just open up and allow the energy to move and dance within. And as you do so, you will find that energy to be conscious and powerfully creative, prompting you to connect with the unique gifts that it wishes to express through the channel of your consciousness.

If there is any blockage or feeling of stuckness, just get up and walk. Or do some doodling on a piece of paper. It doesn’t have to be “beautiful,” or “correct.” Whatever activity you enjoy in the slightest can be used as a way to get the creative river moving within. Listen to the hum of the refrigerator and create a simple tune that is of your making. Write a simple poem that captures what you are experiencing in the moment. None of it need be for human viewing or consumption. The idea is to kick-start the energy, to melt the ice that has grown around the mind and heart so that they are once again allowed to express freely and effortlessly.

Listen within! You have the power to free yourself from moment to moment. The heart is the most sensitive instrument that lets you know when you are moving forward or when you are stuck. It feels on the deepest levels and will guide you each step of the way. However, the mind and its habits of inertia and fear tries to keep the body and heart shut down and in holding patterns of what is believed to be safe and familiar. But again, the heart is powerful. In a sense, it can be used as a “binary diagnostic tool” that can show when you are “on course,” or when you are “off course.” Listen quietly to its voice.

As you learn to create everyday, to give space for energy to move within, the energy begins to connect with the unique purpose of your existence on earth. You begin to discover the gifts that you were born to share and express. There is then no more fighting with Life, with struggling to “fit in” with the expectations that the world has of you.

Feel the resonance of what plays within and around you. It is all there! Never think that you are far from the Source that can change your circumstances in an instant. Listen on the inside, relax and then observe quietly without grasping or forcing the thoughts to work for you. Merge into the flow of what is already moving deeply within and that is connected with the deepest layers of the Creative Source.

Allow energy the space within to play! As it gains momentum, it begins to vibrate and grow stronger of itself, dissolving all hesitancy and timidity. Begin now by creating something, even the smallest thing, everyday! In due time, you will be as intimately connected with your life purpose as you are with breath and heartbeat!

Global catastrophes, economic meltdowns, health pandemics, World War III, etc., etc. are ominous threats that seem to loom just on the horizon, all adding to the dreaded fear that many people feel so very closely at this time. Surviving the meltdown is part of the zeitgeist of this particular era as we move closer to 2012 (as can be witnessed by the many websites and books that address this topic of survival). And yet there is also a feeling held by a growing number of individuals throughout the world that much of the upheaval is part of the birthing process of a New Consciousness, a frequency shift in our evolution as Co-Creators moving towards higher dimensions of Being.

The following post with Higher Self addresses the “Zeitgeist,” or spirit of the times. It also speaks of the dream nature of time itself.

Changes are happening quickly on the macro as well as the micro levels. Old belief systems that no longer serve you, both spiritual and secular, are crumbling–as they must–in order for the souls living during this time to progress beyond the hypnotic spell cast upon humanity asleep in the illusions of time and caught in the narrow dimensions of ego identity.

As fearful egos lost in the maelstrom of time, there seems to be no end to the ongoing nightmare of suffering, and yet a Great Awakening is upon the world as individuals begin to shake in resonance with the Divine Song that calls all souls to awaken to and remember their unique gifts of Love. Souls are casting aside as never before the shackles and straightjackets of narrow bigotry fostered through the generations by hearts corrupted by greed and soulless attachments to power and money.

Those who choose to remain asleep, who will not release attachments to the nightmare will remain in that realm of dark struggle until they are ready to move forward.

The you of worldly dimension lives in the realm where time is so powerful that it induces ways of thinking and acting in the world that is limiting and constraining. As you begin to live more and more naturally in the consciousness of Now, you will come to experience the world of time as just one dimension of your existence within the infinitely wider sphere of the Higher Self, beyond time and physical constraints.

Move and dance, write and draw; going from word to word, movement to movement, feeling to feeling without stopping the flow of awareness. As you lessen your desire to tightly control and mentally edit, the awareness will expand and merge into the vast backdrop of your True Nature. In this dimension of Being, there is no grappling or fighting with Self. It is all part of the larger “Dance of Creation.” It is all part of the Divine Song of the Cosmic River that flows effortlessly towards the Ocean of Freedom!

Enjoy and allow yourselves to remain in this state for as long as you wish. There is then no stopping the flow of what wishes to express. Stay in this place of deep wonderment and mystery, expanding and allowing the awareness to merge with the creative energy that swirls within and all around you.

No matter what you do in the world, the call of your Soul will ever beckon you to walk in alignment with your Authentic Self, which is a unique expression of the gifts you were born to express in Life.

The world of time exists in a consciousness that is fragmented and narrow. It supposes limitation and linear movement of energy and constraints of cause and effect. The body and consciousness appear to be confined solely to this plane of existence only when the awareness has bought completely into its illusion and attaches to it as being the only “reality.” When the Soul begins to awaken even a little, the consciousness begins to understand its Self within a wider spectrum of “realities” that include and yet is not limited by narrow constraints of time and space. It is then able to act and respond to certain “crises” in the worldly arena without succumbing to the fears and very “real” events that take place with regularity on the earthly plane.

There are so many levels to the worldly dream…the narrow identity to body and place in time is but a dream dimension that is ongoing and repetitive. Caught in the energy loop of the recurring nightmare of suffering, this is the entanglement that the billions of souls struggle with on this particular planet. And yet the entanglement is not a web made from steel. They are, rather, made from the gossamer strands of belief forms humankind has clung to through countless generations: “fight or be killed; win at all costs; amass a fortune to be happy; only the strong survive…” And the structures of fear built around these beliefs continue to condemn humanity to ones of violence and wars.

And yet, is there true safety in the world? The body will pass on sooner or later, as it must, in order for the soul to learn the many lessons offered in the dimensions of time and space. However, the observable world of disease, suffering, wars and death also contains the experiences of Love, joy, happiness and peace. The world may be shaking with violence and wars, and yet the choice to live in the dimension of Love is the true shelter. Its power is not less strong than the barbs of anger and bigotry; of missiles and bombs. It is just that humanity as a whole has not learned to harness its powers as an answer to the recurring nightmare of wars.

Enter the Great Stillness, the Great Love, and feel the vibrations within. The Cosmic Music plays on and on, in ever-changing beauty and grace. From moment to moment, the energy moves to express and create. If you allow yourselves to calmly observe and to deeply feel, the energy gathers momentum and power as there will be no constriction or tightness around it. It will be like waking up from a deep sleep, sloughing off the dusty veils that have kept the mind in one place and in one way of thinking. The environment then takes on a clarity and brightness, as though lit from within by a gentle light of protection.