Healing Drought, Bushfires & Climate Change through the Wisdom of Sound & Music

December 15, 2019 Melbourne, Australia.

I’ve just finished watching heartbreaking story after heartbreaking story of farmers and rural communities throughout Australia devastated by the ongoing drought. Daily stories are now also being told of our national bushfire disasters. Everyday, homes lives and livestock are being lost, suicides are at all-time highs …and there seems no end in sight.

Like nearly every Australian, troubled by the incredibly despairing stories, I ask on a daily basis, “What can we do?”

While obviously direct assistance such as helping hands, money, and water are infinitely precious at this time, what we really need long-term of course is …. RAIN!

When it comes to the weather, we understandably think there is nothing we can do. Anciently however, it was believed that there is indeed much we can do. Although considered ‘left-field’ or even crazy by many, I feel compelled to at least share this considering the desperate need and the lack of other solutions.

Humans and Mother Nature (The Weather) are Intimately Connected

Rain will occur about a week after locusts begin to sing at night.  Gladys Wright

Most indigenous and traditional cultures throughout time, particularly those who endured and thrived for long periods, believed that we humans and Mother Nature are part of the same fabric of life. Highly evolved civilisations from the Aztecs to the Mayans to the ancient Greeks, have written about how at the basis of all physical and material life lies a non-physical field of intelligence.

This non-physical, non-localised field, known as a ‘field of consciousness’ in the Vedic Tradition of India, is now beginning to be theorised by modern science and quantum physics ('Unified Field' theories). This field is said to be the home of all the laws of nature that govern our world. If everything in our universe springs from one, unified field, the clouds, the sun, the soil and the rain must all be expressions of the same underlying field as we are. Thus, the traditional understanding was that if we can influence this field, we can influence the fundamental vibrational resonance underlying Mother Nature's functioning. If we can do that, then we can influence all of what Mother Nature controls or governs, e.g. the weather.

Just as we can change the pattern of iron filings on a piece of paper by moving a magnet underneath the paper (even though we can’t see the magnetic field), traditionally it was understood that if we can influence the collective consciousness of society or create more balance in the field underlying Mother Nature’s functioning, we can spontaneously create more balance and harmony in the expressions of this field, e.g. the weather.

So how might we do this?

Sound Wisdom

In the beginning there was sound. Sound began the whole thing, and in sound resides tremendous power. Barbara Marciniak

The most powerful ancient technology for positively affecting the environment was through the large group practice of traditional 'transcending-based' meditation. (See Note 5. at bottom for more).

Another powerful way to promote greater balance in Nature and thus balance in the weather was known to be through sound. The ancients understood that sound is what connects the non-physical field of intelligence at the basis of creation with our physical universe.

Jonathan Goldman, founder of Healing Sounds, explains this time-honoured understanding of the power of sound. “Modern science is now in agreement with what the ancient mystics have told us, that everything is in a state of vibration, from the electrons moving around the nucleus of an atom, to planets and distant galaxies moving around stars .... this vibration can be perceived as sound. So everything is creating a sound.”

Sound as a therapy is of course is most commonly associated with music.

“Where words fail, music speaks. ”

— Hans Christian Andersen

Ancient Greeks and Romans, from Pythagoras and Aristotle to Galen and Celsus have spoken of both harmful and beneficial effects of music.¹ Acccording to Roger W. Wicke, Ph.D., Plato, Cicero, and Seneca all believed that music profoundly affected the behaviour of entire societies. The suggestion was that those responsible for society should regulate the performance of music and prohibit certain types because of their potentially harmful effects. ²

We’ve all heard of ‘rain dances’ and have generally assigned them to the domain of folklore or non-science. Another thought is that it may not just the dance itself that is important, but the singing or chanting invocation that goes with it.

Much modern-day research is now starting to support the power of music. More and more studies on music and sound therapy for healing the human body are being published every day. Lowering blood pressure, normalising heart rate, reducing pain and anxiety, helping with sleep/insomnia are just a few of the many benefits stating to be seen But what about music affecting our environment? You may have heard of studies where the behaviour and health of plants differed significantly when they were subjected to different types of music – typically classical or rock music.

As just one example, in the early 1970s, Dorothy Retallack performed some experiments at the Colorado Woman’s College in Denver. She found that after a couple of weeks, plants subjected to a radio playing soothing music, were uniform in size, lush and green, and had begun bending towards the music. After the same time, plants that were played rock music had grown very tall but were drooping with faded blooms. They had also begun leaning away from the radio and died soon after.³

While such studies are not yet unanimously accepted and I'm sure different types of rock music would have different effects (The band KISS would be very balancing!!), they are beginning to support the traditional wisdom that if the underlying vibrational field of something is changed (through sound) then its behaviour or functioning will also change. The main difficulty we tend to have with such beliefs or understandings is that we can't see it. We do however 'feel' the difference between a screeching fingernail running down a blackboard sound versus the sweet, soothing sounds of a bird chirping or water flowing. Why wouldn't our environment, Mother Nature, be affected in a similar way?

Music for Rain – The Rain Melody

Music can change the world. Beethoven

From the perspective of Ayurveda or ancient Vedic science, not only is everything made of sound at its deepest level but combined together our whole universe has its own underlying sound or musical composition. It is as if there is an innate rhythm, harmony and melody to the laws of nature that structure the world around us. The exact rhythm and melody varies according to the location, time of day, month, season etc.

The ancient science related to the cycles and rhythms of nature is called Gandharva Veda. In Maharishi Gandharva Veda, music is produced if you like as a mirror or musical reflection of the underlying 'sound code' by which Mother Nature creates our world. One particular recording (known traditionally as 'ragas') is called the ‘Rain Melody’. The Rain Raga or Melody is a specific composition based on the sound vibrations known to counteract excessive dryness and heat, restoring balance in the environment.

When there is excessive dryness or heat in the collective functioning of society and/or being experienced in the environment (e.g. drought/fires), traditionally the instruction would be to counteract this influence by introducing the sounds or music of the opposite quality. In modern times, the Rain Melody serves as one example of this. (Traditional music, healing sounds bowls, tribal drumming and the like can also be used).

Playing the Rain Melody to Help Ourselves & Just Maybe ...Break the Drought / Beat the Bushfires!

Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife. Kahlil Gibran

If, like me, you are thinking of how you might be able to help our dear farmers and those who might still be affected by the bushfires, consider playing the Rain Melody in your home or office. (Link below) At the very least, you and the plants in your home will likely feel better. (See Note 4 below).

The main idea though is that if enough of us can play the Rain Melody and start spreading its harmonious sounds out into the environment, eventually order and balance may be restored to Mother Nature. In turn, our weather should normalise, rain should fall where needed and the seasons will come in proper time. So ideally, in addition to playing the Rain Melody yourself, forward it on to as many people as you can, so that we can hopefully achieve a critical mass of harmony as soon as possible.

This has been the understanding for many thousands of years in many enlightened cultures throughout the world.

And besides, what have we got to lose, other than the pain and suffering of so many ... and the pain and suffering no doubt being experienced by Mother Nature herself?

Listen to the Rain Melody Free

Purchase Rain Melody Here (CD only unfortunately!)

Notes:

1. You don't actually even have to actively listen to the Just playing it quietly in the background as you go about your day (or even having it play while you are away) will still produce the effect for the environment.

2. If you have any suggestions or can help with how to get this idea out to a wider audience (media, Government, major influencers etc) just share/forward or let me know at

3. Rain Melody is not usually a free recording. I’ve taken the liberty to provide it here based on the desperate situation of our climate here in Australia. It is with great thanks and gratitude to the composers and artists of this recording (Amar Nath - one of the most respected performers on the bamboo flute in India today - Somnath Mukhergee on Tabla and Sukhamar Chandra on Swarmandal) that I have provided it as a free option here. If you enjoy it however and would like to purchase the recording as thanks to the composers you can do with the second link.

4. Regardless of any environmental effects, the Rain Melody can be very helpful for our personal health and that of our plants. In Ayurvedic medicine, the Rain Melody is known to balance Vata and Pitta doshas, thus being particularly helpful for those suffering anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, dry or irritated skin or other Vata or Pitta imbalances. (More on the Ayurvedic doshas). Also, many people have commented that after playing the Rain Melody in their home, that their house plants and even gardens have become significantly brighter, greener and healthier.

5. Meditation for Rain

In recent decades, the most direct and powerful way to bring balance to our world has been shown to be through technologies of collective consciousness. As individuals, we each have access to the same underlying field of consciousness that underlies all of the natural world - Mother Nature.

In what scientists have called 'The Maharishi Effect', if enough people in any given population can enliven this field of consciousness within their own awareness, waves of coherence spread out through the whole environment. Many scientific studies dating back to the 1970’s have illustrated this phenomenon with practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique. Where the numbers of people practicing the TM technique reached 1% of a given population, the research showed that things like crime rates, traffic accidents and hospital admissions all significantly reduced and econimic type indicators increased. All these are signs that more coherence is being generated in the environment and that the mechanisms by which this occurs must be on the most fundamental level, e.g collective consciousness. With the more powerful TM-Sidhis Program only the square root of 1% of a population are needed to practice in a group to create the same effects.

In Australia, an example of this group meditation effect was during the 1983 drought. Approximately 400 practitioners of Transcendental Meditation and its advanced programs specially gathered together in Goulburn, New South Wales from January 1-28 in order to try to help break the drought. Soon after significant rains didi fall and shortly after the drought was over. Coincidence? Of course, ithat's possible. But equally possible it that it was due to the 400 strong group creating coherence in collective consciousness!

To my knowledge, no formal research has been done on this effect in relation to balancing weather patterns perse. However, as the effect is theorised to occur at the level of consciousness itself (the source level of everything in nature), it seems highly likely that it would ... as has been the belief of many ancient and indigenous cultures throughout time. More on The Maharishi Effect

PODCAST on this Topic

References:

1. Rooke, Andrew; "Searching for the Lost Chord: Ancient Uses and Modern Trends"; Sunrise Magazine, Dec1985/Jan1986 and Feb/Mar1986; Theosophical University Press, c1985; In: webpage at https://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/arts/ar-rooke.htm

2. Plato; The Republic; translated by Benjamin Jowett, c1998-1999 by Raymond Woodcock; In: webpage at https://members.nbci.com/the_republic/sj-txt.htm

* 1 and 2. With thanks to Roger W. Wicke Ph.D, for the original article, ‘Effects of music and sound on human health’. Herbalist Review, Issue 2002 #1:  Roger is the Director of the Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute.

3. Retallack, DL. ‘The Sound of Music and Plants’. 1973. DeVorss.