Your story about the chain-smoking Huichol shaman reminded me of three of my own similar stories about intent.

The first was very recent and involved a chain-smoking Shinto nun. She asked me for bodywork and an astrological reading. I felt like she was using the bodywork experience as a way to tune into me more than for herself. After I gave her her reading, she immediately gave ME one! At one point during the reading I gave her, during which she wanted to know if she would have a man in her life (!), she was asked by her friend, a client of mine who had connected us and who was translating, if she was aware that she would have to give up her status as a nun if she got a man. She heartily said “Sure!”. This woman was SO real! No pretense and fully embodied. I’ve noticed this as a common trait in the few evolved people who have touched me directly.

Another story was courtesy Rosalyn Bruyere the famous “healer” who told us in a class that when she studied with a certain Native American elder, she was always expected to bring an offering. At the elder’s request she brought him Little Debbie snack cakes which he loved!

Finally, I have a friend who is a world known Buddhist vegan chef who was once asked to cook for the Dalai Llama. My friend brought the food while the Dalai Llama waited to speak before a conference. The Dalai Llama thanked him but said he’d prefer eating after he spoke. So, my friend sat down next to him and thought this was his chance to small talk with the Dalai Llama.

“So, what’s the meaning of life?” he asked (small talk…). The Dalai Llama stroked his chin while seriously considering the question. He reached into his robe and pulled out…two Tootsie Pops! He gestured to my friend to take one and my friend thought “Hey, I asked the question and this IS the Dalai Llama, so why not?”

They sucked on the pops for five minutes without a word being exchanged. Finally, my friend was asked to take it out. “How is it?” the Dalai Llama asked.

“Well, its burning my mouth…the sugar and the artificial flavoring. I don’t like it.” my friend responded through a yuck face.

“OK. Let’s do some more.” said the Dalai Llama. Five more minutes passed during which there was a knock on the door and the Dalai Llama was summoned to make his speech. “Just a minute, please. ” he said “I’m answering a very important question.”

Once again, the Dalai Llama asked my friend “How is it?”

This time, the response was “Well, I’m getting used to it. Its not so bad.”

The Dalai Llama considered the response, arose, and told my friend “I guess that answers your question. Thank you for the food. I must go speak.” and bowed and left.

My friend said it took him two years to realize that he was being told that it didn’t matter what you did as much as the intent you do it with.

Shortly after he realized what he was told, he was invited to a wedding in Wisconsin. He was telling us this story at his vegan restaurant and someone gasped “Oh no! You didn’t eat BRATS?!”

“Of course I did!” he replied. “They were offered to me in love and it would have been much more toxic for me to arrogantly refuse than to eat them with love. At home, where I HAD other choices, I’d MAKE other choices.”

I’ll never forget that story.

Love,

Meho

I’ve been doing breath centered bodywork for 18 years. Over a decade ago I serendipitously met a didgeridoo player and was able to experience that instruments sound. I immediately asked him to play into me while I did my Reichian breathing and I discovered that the sound had the same effect that I’d been getting through deep bodywork combined with the breathing.

Eventually I found crystal bowls and gongs had similar effects, but only if I did the breathing. So, I started to wonder if was like a dance. The bodywork or the sound would “loosen” armoring, stuck energy, and the breathing would both resonate with the sound and carry away the energy that was stuck. As the energy began to flow, it would draw more energy in, VIBRANT energy, and this would create a circuit that flowed through the body often creating a spontaneous full-bodied vibration that Reich called the orgasm reflex.

Somehow, the breathing is, or is part of, the intention. I always felt like my clients needed to breath, needed to initiate their own part in the “healing” process. It seemed to create an opening and a pathway simultaneously. I could sometimes “get through” to them if I did my own breathing which I now ALWAYS do very audibly during sessions, but when THEY breathed it was MUCH more powerful. I believe they would “tune into” what I was doing when I breathed and they opened up a bit, but when THEY initiated it themselves, they were putting their own intent into the experience…their intent synergistically resonated with mine to create an exponential effect.

I know that my goal is to be able to radiate pure love and have that affect everyone without any specific intent on my part. It would be me simply being. But, as you say, Jonathan, almost all of us are not there yet! Maybe, intent is nothing but a tool we use to put ourselves into a temporary state of realtive pure love. I dunno. I will say that my work with clients seems to be my meditation, my practice. It’s a bit like cooking a beautiful meal for someone else as opposed to for myself alone. I get much more joy out of the shared experience.

Love,

Meho

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou!

I just came across a nice little article by Daniel Pinchbeck about INTENTION.

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/56/l_41527a3cdca545429cd35e118f09a050.jpg

On this full moon I will be conducting a vocal toning group here in Denver, CO. If anyone would like more info click on my name and check out my Myspace page. This being the first full moon of the year, I will be sure to set great intentions for our world!

Aloha ~ Tone

PEACE ON EARTH AND IN EVERYONES HEART!

Sounds do speak to our hearts, without music we would be silenced.

Thank you for sharing your message.

Mari-Lyn

It reminds me of something that Jonathan once said about true listening or something to that effect. Basically, when we are all singing together, we aren’t truly listening if we only hear ourselves.

Thanks again for your follow-up!

Aloha ~ Tone

Question from John Tone
You state that you had no intention when recording your Magic Mirror CD. Do you think it could have been even more powerful if you had an intention? Would you consider re-recording it now that you know some of it’s benefits? In your redux you could add an extra helping of intention and maybe see even greater results:)

By it’s very definition, ‘intent’ means ‘the act of intending’ and ‘intending’ means ‘to have in mind as something to be done or brought about.’ So, when I stated that I had no intention when recording “The Magic Mirror” I literally meant that I was in a state where my mind was silent, my heart was completely open, and my energy was connected to my highest self (which is connected to ALL, the Field, Universal Consciousness, Divine Love, whatever word you use to describe that energy) which opened the door for a very high vibration of love to flow through me. Some refer to this state as a ‘hollow bone.’ I will NEVER be able to re-record “The Magic Mirror” again in that same way because it was a stream of consciousness for that moment. If my lower ‘thought/mind’ energy were engaged, that would totally alter the vibration of the information/love/whatever word you want to use, traveling on the sound waves and the effects would be different. In my opinion, the results would not be as dramatic simply because my ‘mind, thoughts, intent’ are limiting. I know that sounds a bit counter-intuitive but if I’m holding the ‘intent’ to help you ‘balance and heal,’ there is no way my limited perspective of what those words mean could create the ‘vibrational highway’ open and clear enough to allow for the full potential of that energy to manifest within the listener. It is only through releasing the thoughts of the mind that the full potential of the vibration can be manifested.

Which leads into this statement by Angela Benson:
It may be that the aspect of Intent is not merely an indication of how the spiritual interfaces with the sound, but how our belief system also does. This connection of our belief system is truly an indication of the mind/body connection….

I’d like to take this a step further and say that ‘clear intent’ which literally means ‘clear of the mind’ happens when the artist, musician, painter, etc., surrenders that ‘mind, ego’ part of themselves over to their higher self and allows that higher energy to manifest through them. To reach such a state of surrender requires not only a connection between the mind and body but also a connection between one’s spiritual belief and creative action. When these four areas of our personal energies are balanced within our convictions, perception, compassion and purpose, then we stand at the still point where, from deep within our spirit, we awaken, remembering our gift, uniting all parts of our Being and celebrating that Oneness with others through those creative expressions that connect each of us to one another though love.

I also agree with Angela that: We are not the first to realize the healing power of music. It’s been known about since ancient times. However, it’s important in these modern situations where the sound and music is being “tested”, to realize that the focus should be less on the results of that particular music (which often gives the creator of the music the opinion that they have “the” healing music, which can lead to some really unnecessary hype) and more simply on giving thanks that they had the opportunity to have their music tested in a situation which met some sort of scientific criteria–showing that sound and music does indeed have healing capabilities. Thus, enhancing the receptivity of using sound and music in more traditional medical situations.

The whole reason we established the Scientific Arts Foundation was to expand a paradigm within our society and remind ourselves that everyone has the ability to creatively express that which they love…whether it’s through music, dance, poetry, cooking, gardening, listening, etc. Each creative act builds a vibrational highway of loving connection that sympathetically resonates and ‘wakes up’ that love within the listener/recipient. I have been extremely blessed to have found doctors willing to listen to these concepts and explore the possibilities through scientific measurements. My hope for our particular research study is that it manifests results beyond expectations so that we all, as a sound music community, can use it as a door opener. I am very clear that this research is not about me or Steven Halpern (we’re also using part of his Comfort Zone piano CD). This research is for everyone in that we want to help create a language for communicating within the medical field, supported by pictures, graphs and statistics, the potential power of sound and music for healing.

It’s also important to understand that the more and more we discover about tones and music that are being examined by the scientific and medical community, the more we will be amazed at the outcome of the effects of this music. Those few people who have had the opportunity to have the “healing” effects of their sounds and music examined by the scientific community, whether it be Mozart or New Age or some other form of soothing music, have usually found amazing results demonstrated by people experiencing their music. From one perspective, this is to be applauded. From another perspective, this is also to be expected. We are not the first to realize the healing power of music. It’s been known about since ancient times. However, it’s important in these modern situations where the sound and music is being “tested”, to realize that the focus should be less on the results of that particular music (which often gives the creator of the music the opinion that they have “the” healing music, which can lead to some really unnecessary hype) and more simply on giving thanks that they had the opportunity to have their music tested in a situation which met some sort of scientific criteria–showing that sound and music does indeed have healing capabilities. Thus, enhancing the receptivity of using sound and music in more traditional medical situations. Bravo to everyone involved in this extraordinary world of sound and music and all the potential aspects of this, from Intent to Frequency to whatever.