Act. 1 Listening to Sound.

© Catherine Meeson 23 February 2013 . All rights reserved in full, no unauthorized usage without prior written consent of the author.

I remember listening, listening to my mother sing. I remember my fathers whistle. I remember hearing the music’s of our culture, the melodic interplay and sometimes broody nature of the musing touching me. The spaciousness of early Electronic music taking me to other worlds and planets, deep out into space. I recall the sounds of clanging cranes, motors working, activity in the distant space of which I could not se; but that I could sense and represent with the inner eye, the cinema of mind. I embraced the sound of wind playing the trees, the ice-cream trucks,  the birds and the bees, the thunder storms visiting overhead............ Boom. Rag and bones man  with horse and cart, the marching bands, the carriage of wheels on highway as sleep lulled me into embrace. The sounds of the washing machine with its hypnotic rhythm, the 60 hz hum of the fridge, the high pitched squeal of the television, the play in the playground. The tearing of space by a saw, the terror of the sirens in war movies, the crackle and hiss of the record player capturing space and time. The symphonies of the birds,  at dawn and dusk. The extended space of night and the differences by day. I loved to call out in tunnels, and strike things to see how they sounded, in delight as the world played it’s music’s to me. I witnessed, I received, I sounded, I acted.

It is from this level that the world itself, the action of being a sentient being, teaches one about sonics and Sonic Orchestration. Everything is conveyed by rhythm, pitch vibration, everything has it’s own tune, it’s melodic signature so to speak. Nada brahma. Magic Mysertium. Sticks and stones may brake my bones but names, oh what power. Words revealed, the Emperors mind determining the course of history. The feeling tone, the force of sound, the pattern of creation as it ripples and resounds. Water reveals the great coding of sound, of which our body instrument continuously  resounds.

And so the subtle leading of the Ear, has taught me all my life; about balance, order, symmetry, harmony, pattern and beauty. Discord, chaos, destruction and power. Sound is everything. The beginning, the end, the state in-between, the soul revealed in time. The mind of the creator sublime. To sound is to found; and foundries are places where we forge great works.

We are all composers, Sonic Orchestrators in the 21st Century, by force of habit and lifestyle. We add  to sonic cacophony and numb our senses in an onslaught of vibration. We are addicted to being moved, and are “Wired for Sound”. We have forgotten the stillness, that reveals the great balance. A movement and a rest, . We do not rest. Our movement is of disorderly conduct guided by principles and powers not devoted to the ministry of the greater good. But instead, to greed. If we took the time to lend our ear, we would comprehend much. The universe reveals itself in the raindrop; the splash of impact.

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In light of such matters, do I find myself with much to reflect upon. I am a watery being, as we all are, therefore ripples impact me, as do they all.  A great passion is born in me to educate about Sonics, matters pertaining to Sound, musical healing, performance, composition, sonic relations. The need to educate the public to use their ears to truly comprehend what is going on in the world is crucial. There needs to be training of the Ear,. Hearing and Listening are related, but involve differing levels of attention. Hearing is by virtue of being, passive automatic, instinctual. Listening involves conscious volition and will, deliberation of action and intent. Awareness.

With our quest for power our desire nature has manifested the means whereby we can destroy by sound. We tear the sky with Jet planes, we break the sound barrier. We terrify the animals and plants whom retreat their life force, their being into the great void of extinction, the void from which they came into being in great numbers. We do not hear, we do not listen , we do not comprehend. Just because we can amplify and produce loudness, decibels, does not mean we should do it without checks and balances, that involve the whole, not just the human domain, not just E.P.A acts and legislation.  We need to comprehend its effects on other living beings. It is an act of cruelty to torture with sound. If we can be driven mad; what about the animals? What about the plants? We are torturing ourselves, the planet, all life, , over burdening our nervous systems with sound. We need to create sanctuary which we do not even have often in the space of our own homes. They are full of gadgets that eat power and make sound. Sound  permeates through space, high frequencies dissipate quicker than the low ,but the vibrations still carry on., but their force lessens. So whilst your home may be your refuge, your neighbour drives you nuts with noisy cars and loud sub woofer amplified bass ,that continually shakes your windows and floor. It disturbs your thought and sleep. The birds get driven out of the trees, by the lack of sensitivity to their needs, to the fact that their home is being impacted too. The tragedy we orchestrate as Maestros of the collective goes unchecked, by a lack of understanding and empathy towards others and a selfish desire to please ‘I’. Trauma follows for some, related to sound. So instead of the awe we could experience in pure perception ,we have trauma patterning across the species divide. We have varied degrees of responsiveness dependent on world view and personal orientation and experience. Memory is encoded with sound, and involves multiple layers of meaning, both collectively and subjectively.

Sonic Pollution is noxious, like a weed, as is pollution of air, water and earth. It wears the immunity down, gradually triggering fight or flight and stress response. If this continues unchecked ,it becomes toxic for the body as the stress hormones accumulate and interfere with the nervous system and subsequently pure perception. Sound is being exploited as an entry way into the unconscious and has been used since the days of Freud nearly 100 years ago, as a tool to manipulate and market consumerism. As an entryway into the  unconscious , mass media uses it to affect the minds of people en mass. We need to listen and perceive what is going on and understand the nature of sonic vibration, on body soul , emotion mind and spirit. Firstly we need to go from hearing to listening ,to comprehension. It is a continual process. With comprehension we then need to educate each soul to restore balance.

 The future sounds great , but what symphony you compose will depend upon your world view? Chaos and disorder or beauty and balance?. But know this, it will be heard by the collective as it ripples out from the pond that is you, a centralised conglomerate of highly conscious atoms, overseen by the Overself, subject to the same universals as all others. What you do ,what you resound, will affect tomorrow, will affect the circle of life. Please take the time to develop your listening capacity and listen to the world around you, once you have done so, and comprehension is yours, please act on what is revealed to you, and help to educate others.