"We are finding that the universe is composed not of matter but of music"
Professor Donald Hatch Andrews. 'Symphony of Matter'
SUBTLE vibrations saturate our universe. Our total environment is stimulated by invisible forces still outside the realm of scientifically measured or accepted models of reality. All of nature partakes in a cosmic dance of particle interactions and the flow of dynamic fields of energy.
As human beings, we respond to these subtle forces and process their effects for evolutionary (or devolutionary) outcomes, depending upon our state of being. Thoughts, mind, feelings, emotions and creativity are the diverse products of this all-pervading energy as well as physical form, growth and development (morphogenesis).' The concept was an ancient Eastern insight which advanced biophysics has re-discovered; one that may hopefully propel the salvation of our planet, ecologically, environmentally and sociologically, if the message is one day absorbed and ordained by those at the helm of our socio/ political/economic cartels. But the road is rough and 'status quo persists in the halls of established academia.
A transition, however, is occurring by virtue of those who care and those of a new generation, who see little mileage in the overweighted materialistic credos of the 20th century. Matter is losing its magic and a move towards a more expansive state of being is fast becoming a desirable attribute. Music plays an important role in this scenario, since music is not only part of the beauty of the spirit, but bridges the gap between the finite and the infinite.
The Physics of MusicIt was a universal belief that nature is structured on geometry and within the creative pattern, an aesthetic proportion known as the PHI ratio or the Golden Ratio, mathematically expressed as 1.618, appears significant. The sublime architecture and art of ancient Egypt, classical Greece and the European Renaissance echoed that understanding derived from Vedic knowledge. A Vedic school of learning existed in the Egyptian centre of Memphis circa 500 B.C. Pythagoras, the accepted 'father of mathematics' in the West, studied there for 20 years and later taught that the principles of music and its harmonic structure was indelibly interwoven within the Grand Design. Today's computer generated 'fractal' geometries and mathematics have given credibility to such ancient insights; the Golden proportion being significant in the spiraling patterns that emerge e.g. in Mandlebrot sets.
The mantra 'OM' is credited by the Hindus with being the sound of the primordial creative process and in the Christian Gospel of St. John it becomes 'The Word'. Sound (a vibrational frequency originating in the Akasha (unmanifested light), often termed 'ether', attracts together subtle elements that disturb the atomic equilibrium of matter, rupturing atomic particles and allowing a liberation of the etheric flow which is able to purify, heal, generate growth patterns and act either as a powerful benevolent force or one that can evoke destruction, according to the nature of the emitted sound. In Brahman texts, the occult Vedic science of incantations or structured prayer is called 'Afantra Shastra' and explains how sound when correctly applied can have wondrous powers and magical effects. This is the essence of the principle of sacred music, ideally performed at places which allow a convergence of physical, magnetic and ethereal forces; 'laya centres' which are the field equivalents of opened chakras (energy centres) of the Earth. Often, people entering such areas experience an opening of their own chakras and experience altered states of consciousness in response to the particular forces active at these 'sacred sites'. Over the centuries, humanity has been inspired to select these points of convergence to erect temples, pyramids, standing stones etc. Christian churches later followed in their footsteps.
The Druids, Egyptians, Greeks, Mayans, American Indians and early Australian natives have all participated in the upliftment of their civilizations and cultures through harmonizing with the centres in widespread, ritual obsenances.
Australian Aboriginal culture has become an area of increasing interest to many within and outside Australia itself. Their visions speak of natural forces; topography, high energy centres; telluric currents ('the path of the Rainbow Serpent'), healing, fertility and 'increase centres' and the understanding that attitude, intent, ritual, and sound invocations can effectively influence the immediate environment and living things within it.
The wide diversity of Australian Aboriginal peoples and their varying dialects, customs and musical expressions cannot be outlined in this article. But I would like to present an aspect of one area, that of
Northern Australia, in which the mythology and cultural expressions -of the Aboriginal occupants of the Kimberley district provide some thought-provoking insights into an ongoing mystery. Their sacred music and its religious application could be connected with an historical event by which a one-time cultural interaction occurred with Buddhist visitors to these shores.
The Mystery of the Wandjina
The Kimberley mountain ranges stretch across the northern tip of Western Australia. Here, in some distant age, mysterious enigmatic images of mouthless beings, some clad in robes and surrounded by what appears to be a halo, were inscribed on the rock faces of numerous caves. Sacred to the Aboriginal of the Kimberleys, the images are revered as awesome beings who in primeval times, wandered around the landscape, instructing the indigenous people in the use of weapons and tools and initiating the tribal laws, rites and customs, and after completing their task they disappeared into the heavens or into the ground. They called themselves Wandjina, sometimes spelled Wondjina.
The Wandjina have been of special interest and speculation to anthropologists, ethnologists, and certain writers who have endeavoured to link them with extraterrestrial visitors due to their resemblance to astronauts. No exact information surrounding their identity or the idea which inspired their design exists, and untold theories have been voiced. One more possibility may be added to the existing collection of theories, based on my own research and long time association with Eastern mythology and culture.
The Australian Aborigines make a clear distinction been the works of art they consider their own and those they claim go back to the time of their creation, popularly referred to as the Dreamtime in all literature about Aborigines. Mythical beings are reputed in most cases to be responsible for the art that cannot be attributed to their own people. But the Northern Kimberley tribes maintain that the ancestors of the clans arrived in boats led by individuals called Wandjina, each with his own name. The visitors painted their symbolic image on galleries and rocky caves. The symbol of the sun is also represented on the walls of these caves where the Wandjina appear.
Ancient totemic drawings were often anthropomorphic showing, for example, an animal's head on a human body. Relating to the Wandjina, this point becomes significant further on. Wandjina images are closely associated with rain and fertilization, the increase of natural species and the increase of the human race. They are identified also with the image of a serpent appearing on the rock art of the area. Among the Kimberley tribes the snakes are called Unguds, the word 'Ungud' being applied primarily to a life principle or 'vital force', and the natives believe that the Wandjina and Ungud paintings must be restored at the beginning of the wet season to ensure that rain will fall and fertilization will proceed.
The well-being of all living things in the area is thus dependent upon the yearly restoration. It is believed that the Ungud serpent was the totem of the Wandjina. Both images are essentially symbols of life-giving power. The mythical snakes live in water holes (water being the mother of life) and bear various names according to the location and tribal language. But their role in relation to fertility and regeneration appears to be consistent throughout the country. To distinguish the snakes, the term Rainbow Serpent is applied due to the widespread belief among Aborigines that they are capable of assuming the form of the rainbow when they desire to do so.
In scientific terms , a rainbow is formed from the interaction of the sun's invisible rays with molecules of moisture in the atmosphere acting as prisms that break up the solar emissions into their respective frequencies, which are perceived through our optical sensors as colours. As light is a vital component for the sustenance of life, the serpent, symbolic of creative energy, and the rainbow, symbolic of the sustaining principle in nature, are siblings.
Increase Centres and Fertilization
It is an Aboriginal understanding that the fauna and flora of the landscape has an 'increase centre' an area of high electro-magnetic energy where the performance of correct rituals will increase the life essence or Kurunba stored there and bring about the desired increase. If a species, the increase of which is desired, is depicted on a Wandjina Gallery, for example, the increase is assured. Such increase centres exist along 'the path of the rainbow serpent' that is an existing underground telluric current.
The natives know that it is not the actual paintings in the caves that activate the Kurunba but the rocks on which they are drawn; the rocks being imbued with the 'spirit' of the entities depicted. Sacred works of art such as the Wandjina act as powerful images, capable of stimulating and intensifying mind power during rituals, similar in nature to Vantras or designs used in Tantric meditative techniques. During rituals, the release of human bioenergy, intensified and focussed mental energy and sound frequencies from the special chants and instruments, effectively stimulates the energy field of the rocks (the spirit of the rock) at the sacred site. The Kimberley area is rich in crystalline deposits; thus the rocks have a high energy potential. The energetic emissions from existing underground water courses may also be effected.
These telluric currents or 'serpent currents' have counterparts in the Chinese 'Dragon Currents' and the 'ley lines' of Britain and each tribe holds responsibility for its own section of line, visiting key sites at the appropriate season and performing traditional rituals and chants. If the increase of a certain species of fauna is desired, the bodies of the performers are decorated with the design or symbolic representation of the animal to be fertilized, e.g. snake, dingo, kangaroo etc. It is only the female of the species, however, that is effected. The actors impersonate the totem animal, thus identifying and promoting a resonant connection with it. Plant down, with natural blood as an adhesive, is often used to form the design; or ochre (blood of the earth) which has always been intimately associated with ceremonies of fertility, the invocation of rain, etc., by tribal people in many countries, who, like the Aborigines, regard the earth as a living entity, its underground water courses for example being seen in a similar light to the human arterial system.
In relation to sound affecting plants, from the 1950's onwards, tests conducted in southern India by Dr. Singh, head of the Department of Botany at Annamalai University, resulted in the speeding up of the movement of protoplasm in plant cells by the application of harmonious music from various instruments two metres from the plants for half an hour. Longer daily exposure for several weeks resulted in positive changes in chromosomes; the musical treatment actually increasing the chromosome count.
Dr. Singh's work formed an extension of the findings of the great Indian scientist, Jagdis Chunder Bose, who devised sensitive apparatus to demonstrate plant reactions, many of which resembled nervous response in animal and human life. In the USA, in more recent times, the findings of research chemist, Marcel Vogel, has further endorsed the work of Singh and Bose. Thousands of years ago, sacred dances were practiced to generate energy to influence crop growth.
An inter-connectiveness between mind and matter is no longer regarded as mystic mumbo jumbo, but forms a vital ingredient in present scientific research into low energy electro-magnetic fields which have been found to influence the pattern and organization of any living thing, the aims of nature being wholeness, organization and continuity.
In an esoteric or 'metaphysical' context, the 'creation of the landscape' by the Wandjina would refer to their activity surrounding the nourishing of the increase centres along the existing telluric or 'serpent current'-the science of geomancy in operation.
In respect of the Wandjina, it appears to be more than chance that the word 'Wandjina' can be formed from ~'o Sanskrit words, 'Vand' and 'Jina'. The Australian Aborigines did not develop a system of writing their own language and the written attempts to spell the word phonetically are the work of Europeans, missionaries or Aboriginal trained by Europeans.
Thus 'W' could easily be VAND a root word meaning 'saluting' or greeting': an acknowledgement of rank or attainment applied to an initiate. JINA-meaning 'conqueror' in the sense of one who has conquered his own duality to obtain balance, liberation and wisdom. WANDJINA or VANDJINA would translate as 'an initiated wise one, a 'serpent' or spiritual instructor, and comply with the Aboriginal tradition concerning the image.
Past Research
Sir George Grey is reputed to be the first white person ever to have seen the Wandjina images in 1838. His drawings and documentation proved extremely valuable for researchers who followed him.
Sollas, author of 'Ancient Hunters' has commented: 'The shape of the head-dress and body of the Wandjina images suggests an origin and workmanship other than native. It is quite possible that the Wandjina figures owe their origin to external influences. Visitors may have drawn the first prototypes for some purpose known to themselves.'
J. Bradshaw, writing for Australia in 1892 states: Royal Geographic Society of 'Some of the human figures were life-size, the bodies and limbs very attenuated as having numerous tassel-shaped adornments appended to the hair, neck, waist, arms and legs: but the most remarkable fact in connection with these drawings is that whenever a profile face is shown, the features are of a most pronounced aquiline type quite different from those of any natives we encountered. Indeed, looking at some of the groups, one might almost think oneself viewing the painted vaults of an ancient Egyptian temple. The sketches seemed to be of a great age, but over the surface of some of them were drawn in fresher colours, smaller and more recent scenes, and rude forms of animals, such as the kangaroo, wallaby, porcupine, crocodile etc.2
The origin of much of the Australian Aboriginal culture still remains a mystery. Until recently, the Aborigines have always been regarded as little more than the exceptional survivors of prehistoric man, a view based primarily on the materialistic aspects of their culture, its 'hardware'. Yet every anthropologist and ethnologist who has dug below the surface of ancient Australian culture and folklore has found subtle connections with Eastern metaphysics.
The Aboriginal Initiates communicate intuitively with the Dreamtime, the time of their creation, by tapping into a universal reservoir of information containing their racial memory. The Hindus call this reservoir the Akashic Record, which many researchers in physics have identified with the long sought-after Unified or Universal Field. There is little reason to doubt that these pristine people are able to impart their special vision to those whom they choose to be the recipients of their ancient knowledge.
In a culture without written language, music and poetry form a vital part, sustaining a deeply religious view of life for thousands of years.
Australian Aboriginal music consists of songs accompanied primarily by instruments of percussion, though the pattern varies from region to region. The music is transmitted from generation to generation through oral transmission, there is no written text. Each song dictates the variations permissible in the ritual performance accompanying it and if it is sung in association with secret rituals or cults, its efficacy depends largely on adherence to the advocated method.
A musical ensemble comprises ~'o singers, each with a percussion instrument, a pair of sticks or boomerang clapsticks and sometimes a didjeridu player.
The Didjeridu or Didgeridoo, correctly named 'Yidaki' and related in principle to the Long Horns or 'Dungchen' used in Tibetan music is a hollow wooden tube 1.2 to 2 metres long and one of the oldest known wind instruments. The distinctive timbre and playing technique is unique to the Australian Aboriginals.
The 'didge' is made from a branch of a tree which has been eaten hollow by termites, a wood-eating ant found in northern parts of Australia, so the didge was originally played only by the peoples of the North. The branch is cut to the desired length, the bark stripped away and a comfortable mouthpiece is often made from beeswax. The instrument is decorated with figures and patterns significant to the clan and language groups who use the instrument in their songs and ceremonies.
The didjeridu provides a continuous and uninterrupted basic drone which can be modified by changes in wind pressure, mouth shape, articulations with the tongue and diaphragm movement. The drone provides rhythms for dancing and singing plus a tonal bass for the vocals. Other sound effects which may be required by the story being enacted or the ceremony are achieved by using the tongue and vocal chords.
The sound is achieved by 'circular breathing' where the player breathes in through the nose and quickly breathes out through the mouth. It appears a difficult undertaking but the technique becomes automatic with practice and is in its effect, similar to the Yogic fast breathing method of 'Basinka'.
The sustained vibrations of the didgeridu affect both the player and the immediate environment. A prolonged performance is able to create a meditative 'theta' rhythmic state of consciousness for the player which is allied to the Aboriginal 'dreaming' state, allowing information to be received intuitively which is normally inaccessible in the 'beta' or thinking state. Healing may be accomplished with its correct use. By sounding a long slow resonance into the instrument, a strong and steady air flow to the lungs oxygenates the blood, causing the heart rate to slow. Breathing efficiency is improved by cyclic breathing for many reasons. For one, all air is inhaled via the nose so that the air is filtered and warmed more to body temperature by the time it reaches the lungs. Also, cyclic breathing is powered by the diaphragm and stomach muscles. This pushes more air from the lower reaches of the lungs and allows more space for fresh air.
Tinyilpa or music sticks are the traditional Aboriginal percussion instruments used by both men and women as musical accompaniments during Inma (song and dance). Music sticks are played by holding one firmly in hand and striking it in a heart beat kind of rhythm, with the second stick held loosely in the other hand. Some variations in pitch and tone can be achieved by hitting together, softer or harder, or by varying the hitting position so that it is either closer toward or away from the hand. The rhythm of the music sticks clapping in accompaniment to a hundred or more voices during Inma is a powerful sound.
Traditional Tinypilpa were simply hewn sections of hardwood branch from which the bark was removed and the ends rounded off and tapered. Occasionally the tinypilpa would be coated with red ochre or grooved at both ends using a small traditional chisel. Central desert tinypilpa are crafted mainly by women and are either made from quandong, eucalyptus or mulga wood-the latter being the most common. Mulga is an extremely hard wood and therefore highly resonant.
Bullroarer of Thuringa (Churinga) is a highly sacred symbol used in secret ceremonies, the cementing of friendships, communicating or advising that important events are occurring, etc. Attached to the end of a long, thin cord, it is swirled vigorously to create an eerie 'humming' sound which can be heard over considerable distances.
Boomerangs are made in different forms for different purposes; returning boomerangs exhibiting a principle of aerodynamics in their rotating, circular flight patterns while non-returning boomerangs are designed for stunning or killing purposes. They are used as clapping sticks on ceremonial occasions giving forth a sharp staccato sound as accompanying rhythm to the song and dance performances. Dancing is often distinguished by foot stamping on the ground in rhythm with the human heart beat.
The above mentioned Aboriginal music instruments are the primary ones in use for either sacred or secret rituals or in social ceremonies ('corroborees'). Rhythmic dancing, singing and dramatic acting generally accompany the social events.
Epilogue
In recent times we have all but lost the ancient knowledge and the essence of the Sacred upon the earth. But a brighter light is beginning to illuminate the dark vaults of materialistic mechanistic thinking. Throughout the world an evolutionary impulse appears to be at work.
In Australia, for example, a Creative Physics movement, spearheaded by the Government recognized Science-Art Research Centre of Australia Inc, is being impelled by such considerations with the science-art of internationally recognized Robert Pope and Robert Todonai acting as a catalyst and a vivid metaphor, in projecting new visionary scientific discoveries towards public attention.
Powerfully endorsed by international researchers and key scientific figures, the Centre's work and ideals point to a new 'science of life' based on ethical, humanitarian ends. The concept is not to deny the wonders of modern science or our technological age, but to balance the existing mechanistic ethos with a more purposeful and meaningful model; to augment rather than diminish.
The information, simplified and accessible to all via computerized, global internet facilities, freed from the chains of the overspecialized and often cryptic language and terms of science is designed to bring the interrelationship between advanced modern scientific knowledge and ancient insight into clearer focus. The centre's work has already been included in an important worldwide Future Studies Tertiary Education Programme endorsed by the United Nation University in the USA. A Science-Art Festival in March-April 2000 presented by the Centre in liaison with the Queensland Art Society and the local Tweed Arts Network Inc in northern New South Wales, echoed the concepts of the Dalai Lama's vision of a Global Quest for Unison and a more democratic world, freed from the edicts of heretical thinking. Traditional music of the Australian Aboriginal people became an essential ingredient in the concert programme.
I. A morphogenic Process in Low Energy Electromagnetic Fields'. S.T. and S. P. Basrsamian. Journal of Biological Physics, Stillwater; OK~ USA. 1988.
References
1.Professor A,P, Elkin. 'Rock Paintings of N.W. Australia' from 'Oceania Magazine' Vol. 1. No 3.1930. p.275. Mitchell Archives, Sydney. Referring to Sollas, 'Ancient Hunters' 3rd edition, page 430.
2.Ibid. p.275. referring to. Bradshaw' 5 'Notes on a Recent Trip to Prince Regent's River'. Royal Geographic Society of Australia 1892.
IX Pt.2. p. 99ff
3.Ibid. p.272. referring to Basedow's impressions cited in 'Australian Aboriginal' pp. 343A.
4.Ibid. p.266
5.Professor A,P. Elkin. 'Aboriginal Men of High Degree' University of Queensland Press. 1977.
6.A lberto Cesare Aibesi, 'Aspects of Australian Art' from 'Oceanic Art' pp.142-3 Hamlyn. London. 1970.
Mark Balfour is author of the book "The Sign of the Serpent" – a fascinating study that bridges the gap between the new Creative Physics and ancient insights of creation.
