How many of you have found a place in nature that really feels like "home"? A place that lends itself to contemplation and meditation . . . a place that's more than merely relaxing . . . that lifts your spirits and transports you into the subtle realms of consciousness.

In the summer months, many people get out in nature and experience the joy that the natural rhythm entrainment and resonance with the earth's electro-magnetic field provides. But isn't it ironic that in most of these wonderful outdoor places there is also the accompanying noise and annoyance of traffic, airplanes or mosquitoes, whether you're in the mountains or at the beach, at a park, in the Midwest or in Hawaii.

I remember getting off the plane in Michigan to speak at a July 4th , 1978 spiritual conference. I can still recall my surprise when they handed us what they called "mosquito repellent" - two large bricks! A similar repellent was handed to me the next year in Alaska in the summer. Indeed, those mosquitoes are monsters.

So it is with great joy that I share with you my discovery of an extraordinary place that I have found . . . that feels like "home." It's a power point for meditation and does not have mosquitoes! This land is located in the Great Smoky Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. At least one of the reasons why it doesn't have mosquitoes is because at 4,400 feet, it's above their comfort zone.

There is also a natural vortex on the property. Most everyone who has visited has experienced the specialness of the land, and that includes some of the workmen and contractors I've met up there. Unfortunately, you can't visit it as easily as you can a public park or a tour destination. But that's all the more reason that it will stay wonderful and protected, to be shared by those who would truly appreciate its unique gifts.

Smoky Mountain Sound Sanctuary

It's called the Smoky Mountain Sound Sanctuary and I'd like to tell you a little more about it. Let me place my remarks in a historical perspective, at least based on my own quest to find such a place.

Listening to the Sounds of Silence

Think about it. Have you ever found a vacation or meditation spot where you don't hear a large amount of man-made sounds? Even most retreat and meditation centers that I've been to are often subject to the sounds of trucks and cars from nearby roads - or else they're in a fairly active air corridor so that the airplane noise breaks the meditative mood on a regular or irregular basis.

At several well-known spiritual centers, I've been amazed that the obnoxious sound of an electrical generator or loudly ticking clock was the most obvious sound of the soundscape. To me that's like meditating while sitting on a thumbtack!

Yes, you can learn to overcome and transcend these distractions - but why bother? Wouldn't it make more sense to incorporate more "sound awareness" (and soundproofing) into the design in the first place? I certainly think so.

I recall a yoga center in the Bahamas that I visited in 1978. It was next door to Club Med. There was actually a "sound war" going on, where Club Med aimed their huge disco speakers at the yogis to disrupt any inner peace that they might be achieving through their yoga practice.

The Tuning of the World

There's a classic book on the subject of sound awareness that I highly recommend to you. It's called The Tuning of the World by one of the great pioneers in the field, R. Murray Schafer. It is an inspirational and uplifting read, as well as being highly informative. This book will assist you in raising your consciousness about the soundscape in which you live. (Dr. Schafer, in fact, is generally credited as being the person who coined the term soundscape).

I read recently that another great pioneer, Bernie Krause, has started a foundation called One Square Inch of Silence. They are trying to get the government to mandate certain preserved areas, just like we have preserved forests, in which there are no man-made sounds. That includes trucks, airplanes, jet skis and dune buggies. There are very few such places in our country - let alone on our planet. If you have more information on this organization, please get in touch with me.

The Sounds of Silence and Nature

When you really stop, listen and pay attention, it is amazing how much naturally occurring sound there is. Many city dwellers, when they get out into the country, find that the sound of crickets or cicadas is highly irritating. In many cases it is highly stressful for them, even more so than the city noises to which they have become accustomed.

So. Just because a sound is natural doesn't mean that it is meditative. Consider the buzzing or humming of a mosquito. For most people, that is one of the sounds that instantly gets them out of a meditative, contemplative mode.

I've listened to many of the nature recordings on the market, and am amazed at the non-relaxing choices that some of the producers have made. They're either poorly recorded or definitely unrelaxing examples of natural sounds.

On the other hand, part of what makes the Smoky Mountain Sound Sanctuary so special is the exquisite quality of the natural sounds that provide an ongoing concert. They cleanse the doors of perception as they cleanse the mind, just by being there.

There are two houses on the land, which are bordered on either side by two mountain streams which provide stereophonic streaming audio, pun intended. The whispering wind in the trees completes the non-stop concert. I can't tell you how extraordinarily refreshing and how creatively stimulating it is to be in this environment.

If you are interested in seeing or hearing more about this, please contact our office via e-mail, admindesk@innerpeace.com. The Sanctuary is available for small workshops as well as for personal and private use for spiritual and physical renewal.

STEVEN HALPERN is an award-winning composer, recording artist and sound healer of over 60 albums. For over 25 years, he has been an impassioned advocate of the healing powers of music for health, healing and spiritual growth. He has just established the Steven Halpern Foundation to help bring SOUND HEALING to a much wider audience in hospices, hospitals and schools. For more information on his music, visit him at his website at www.stevenhalpern.com or call 800/909-0707 for a free newsletter and catalog.