Sound Matters

AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

It's Thanksgiving time as I write this column. I'm 37,000 feet somewhere over the country, and I find myself being suddenly, surprisingly, surrounded by, overcome by an attitude of gratitude. As soon as I'm back in my body enough to sufficiently to take notes on what is, I do so. In this special time of the year, perhaps some of these thoughts will resonate and stimulate a similar recognition for you.

If so, why not write them down and then record them with some of your favorite music playing in the background. It would make a wonderful gift for your Self.

Here's what I came up with.

I give thanks for the many blessings in my life. I am especially grateful that my left ear is finally healing from the damage inflicted on it by an explosive noise. Although it's not completely healed yet after a month, there's finally a reduction in the amount of pain and pressure I feel. As they say, you don't know what you're missing until it's gone. Most of us don't give a second thought to our ability to hear. We take it for granted.

Losing -- even temporarily -- some of that sense made me more irritable, and certainly depressed my general mood. Even worse, the constant pain and noise (tinnitus) made me more fully realize what so many millions of individuals endure for their entire lives. When I started doing research, I was astonished to find out how many people live with this damaged quality of this vital organ.

In this particular case, it was not a matter of self-abuse, i.e., going to a loud concert or club or sports event. I was attending a Sunday morning church service and the minister was demonstrating the principle of "living in the moment." This was made particularly ironic since being about to "be here now" is so much a function of being able to "be hear now."

The minister continued to blow up a balloon until it exploded and this, amplified by the microphone and p.a. system, almost destroyed my ability to be a recording artist and producer. One wonders, how many others in the congregation that day suffered acoustic trauma without knowing it? (The answer, by the way, according to audiologists, is "most of them.")

For the healing that continues to occur, I give thanks.

I also give thanks that my work and career opportunities bring me in contact with wonderful people and conferences. For example, I have just returned from a remarkable event sponsored by the Edgar Cayce organization, the Association for Research and Enlightenment. Not only did I have the honor to share the stage with Dr. Larry Dossey (and be reminded of the healing powers of prayer), but I had a chance to apply some of Cayce's suggestions for ear pain. This included castor oil, which I placed a few drops of directly into my ear, and a few seconds of being vibrationally stimulated by a Violet Ray device.

Given that the title of the conference was Vibrational Healing, this was especially appropriate. I give thanks that my work -- and the places and people it brings me in contact with, act as a healing force in my life.

I am also especially grateful for the extraordinary musicians I have known and played music with. Three that I acknowledged in particular at this conference were Paul Horn, Georgia Kelly and Suru Ekeh.

As many of you know, a great deal of the Cayce material, readings and research deals with past lives -- most importantly, during ancient times in Egypt. When I recall the lights that glowed around the Cayce book where I first read about the existence of the Temple Beautiful -- the archetypal healing temple -- I give thanks for what it stimulated and reminded me to do in this life.

When you listen to the opening invocation on Ancient Echoes, which was recorded with Georgia Kelly on a full moon night in June, 1978, you may be hearing a re-creation of a ceremonial chant that was originally heard thousands of years ago. All I can tell you about how it wound up on tape in that recording session is that at the end of what we thought was a full album, as we were saying goodnight, this chant started bursting forth from my mouth.

Without discussion, we switched the recording equipment back on. I asked Georgia for an ostinato pattern in D minor, and what transpired flowed effortlessly through us.

Needless to say, we were all speechless at the conclusion.

I am thankful for the book by Shirley Rabb Winston, Music as the Bridge. In it I first read "The Composer's Prayer," which was channeled through during a Cayce reading:

"Lord, let me be the channel for supplying that in the experience of those with whom I come in contact, that they may know Thee better. . . . Let me, O God, in my music, in my heart, give that which is as helpfulness in the lives of others." (5265-1)

In the middle 1970s, legendary harpist Joel Andrews recorded this variation, which I would also offer to the many musicians who read this column:

"Father Mother God, as we recognize Thy presence here, we ask to be used as channels for healing and attunement to bring forth that which will be most appropriate for the upliftment of all beings, seen and unseen, in attendance. We ask for Thy protection and Thy love." I have used this basic affirmation before every recording session and concert performance I have ever done. Knowing what we know about the power of intent with respect to the effect of the music, there is no doubt in my mind, body and spirit that the invocation of these Angelic energies have played a significant role in the quality of my recordings. As I often say when people ask, "Yes, even though I may appear on stage as a solo piano player, I do play with a band . . . but most of you can't see them!"

Copyright 1996, Steven Halpern

Steven Halpern has earned a reputation as one of the most influential New Age recording artists. With over three million units sold, he celebrates his 20th anniversary by revisiting his World/Jazz roots with Afro-Desia, also featuring Suru, medicine man and healer, and a special guest appearance of Jai Uttal. For free in-store play, contact your sales rep or: Steven Halpern's Inner Peace Music®, phone: 1-800-909-0707 / fax 415-485-1312 / e-mail: innerpeacemusic@innerpeacemusic.com. Visit his World Wide Web site at www.stevenhalpern.com.

For previous columns, see The Monthly Aspectarian at our website.

For more information about the A.R.E. material, contact them at P.O. Box 595, Virginia Beach, VA 23451-0595. There are also many websites dealing with the Cayce material.