Chant & Incantation Your voice – Your signature
Your voice is unique to you – the structure of your body in this incarnation is completely unique in the world. The shape of your vocal cords means that you vocalise with a singular signature.
☀️ THIS IS YOUR UNIQUE MAGIC🌙
This is not singing. This is not about being musical, but it does require practice, to strengthen the vocal cords, to use the diaphragm, to focus and clear the mind, and to bring yourself to the purpose.
Foundations in mystical thinking.
Hamonices Mundi – The Harmonies of the Worlds
Johannes Kepler – 17th C. German
Where Maths & Music become Mystical!
Kepler’s adoption of geometrically supported musical ratios would eventually be what allowed him to relate musical consonance to the angular velocities of the planets. Kepler went on to speculate that these relationships were plausible evidence for God acting as a grand geometer, the intelligent design behind the construction of the universe.
What Kepler’s extraordinary visionary work demonstrates to us is how, through mathematical calculation of the planetary intervals in their orbital sequence, we can assess the mean between the divergent and converging points and thus ascribe them a value, which can then in turn be attributed a musical interval.
Chant
Melodic Chant
From wordless single (monophonic) chant to complex rhythmic singing chants (polyphonic), chanting is a path to power and devotion.
Incantation
SPOKEN THEURGY
Most theurgical charms fall into this category. A small rhyme or series of sounds spoken with emphasis on repetition, rhythm, volume and vibration rather than pitch. The intention is to move energy, focus and intent.
What is chant?
v Active vocal prayer
v A devotional practice
v A meditational practice
v A means of raising energy
v A practice of affirmation and invocation
v A means of enchanting a person, place, object
v A pathway to group mind
“A chant is designed to activate and balance the inner self, to amplify and raise energy and focus spiritual power” (Kate Marks)
The Sacred Breath – Preparing for Toning
v Listening
v Posture
v Breathing
v Humming
Intentional utterance of an elongated vowel sound. Toning has been considered a most sacred and mystical gateway to the Divine. Consider:
AAAAHmen
Aaaalllaaaaah
OOOhmmmmm
Vowels are at the heart of communication. It is the vowels that have the greatest resonance.
The power they hold depends on resonance! The mouth of the speaker. The tongue, pallet, nasality, all of these elements work together to produce vowels which resonate into the area around us.
A Alpha (a) fAaaather
E Epsilon (short e) fAte
H Et (Long ee) grEEn
I iota - (i) pIn
O Omicron – (short o) bOg
Ω Omega - (long o) hOme
ϒ Upsilon - (u) bOOt
Vowel-Planet-Tone Connection
In Egypt, the priests, when singing hymns in praise of the gods, employ the seven vowels which they utter in due succession, and the sound of these letters is so euphonious that men listen to it in place of aulosand cithara. De Elocutione of Demetrius
Nicomachus of Gerasa, a Pythagorean of the early 2nd century CE describes a similar practice in Manual of Harmony:
And the tones of the seven spheres each of which by nature produces a particular sound, are the sources of the nomenclature of the vowels […] the vowels are the primary sounds emitted by the seven heavenly bodies
Planet -Vowel-Tone connection
According to Kepler’s Model
SATURN HIGH:
Saturn – Omega A
Jupiter - Upsilon G
Mars - Omicron F
Sun - Iota E
Venus - Eta D
Mercury - Epsilon C
Moon - Alpha B
MOON HIGH: * we often this model
Moon - Alpha A
Mercury - Epsilon G
Venus - Eta F
Sun - Iota E
Mars - Omicron D
Jupiter - Upsilon C
Saturn - Omega B
Kepler’s Orbital Intervals
Perfect consonances are found between:
Saturn and Jupiter: Octave
Jupiter and Mars: Octave and Minor Thirds
Earth and Mars: 5th
Venus and Mercury: 6th
‘Songaia Sound Wheel’ © Ani Williams
Orbital systems are often self-organized and/or characterized by harmonic relations.
(Bank & Scarfetta 2022)
Of interest…
The relationship between the notes of a musical scale and their relationship to planetary signatures can be expressed through the system of solfege - a system where every note of a scale is given its own unique syllable, which is used to sing that note every time it appears.
SUN
Our own star, the centre of the solar system, the source of all light and life within it.
All planets move in orbit around it. The sun is the centering and creative force.
On an interpersonal level it is the guiding light that illuminates our path and measures the lifetime of all living things. Giver of courage, strength and willpower and marker of health and vitality- literal energy.
We reach out to the sun to revitalize ourselves: healthy, whole, centered:
Vowel - Iota - pIIIn
Note - E acceso
Day - Sunday
Pose - Hands held behind head
MOON
The smallest of the celestial bodies.
She gives a soft-focus light
Cyclical – It is the only celestial body to orbit our planet.
Directs the rise and fall of fluid levels in our body, in plants, and thus connects us to the planting, growing and harvesting cycles. Thus the moon is a symbol of connectedness, connection with that which is hidden, unseen and unknown, much as the dark side of the moon is there and yet invisible to us.
Vowel - Alpha – mOther
Note - A sospirando
Day - Monday
Pose - Hands in Goddess pose – arms upraised palms facing forwards.
Mercury
Closest to the sun – closest to the sun it acts as messenger, translating the solar energy to all that is beyond. Its orbit is approx. 88 days, and its orbital path deviates from its expected path – in a swift and at times unexpected way.
Mercury represents the use of language, thought processes, and all the mental constructs that define reality.
Perhaps as a reflection of its unusual orbital dance, Mercury is also the planet of speed, swiftness and curiosity.
Mercury Breath
For confidence and power in speaking and for communicating your desire to the world.
For swiftness, and work to do with speed and travel.
Breathe in rapidly, as if sobbing, then breath out long in one breath. Hold your intention mentally. Create a clear image or focus on a sequence or number of words. Then barely perceptibly exhale on the vowel tone:
Vowel – Epsilon - ehhhh
Colour - Yellow / Blue
Tone - G arioso
Day - Wednesday
Pose - Stretch arms in front, palms facing out then in, irregularly rotate.
Venus
Earth’s closest planetary neighbour, Venus rotates on its own axis, and its orbital dance creates a beautiful 5 petalled pattern in the heavens.
Desire is the root of all Venusian energy – the impulse for connection, for love, for touch comes from that which is Venusian within us.
Venus – associated with Gods and Goddesses of love in ancient times, is often described as beautiful, joyful and in pursuit of the creative arts.
Venus rules that which we value the most – from relationships and ideals to money and clothes!
Vowel – Eta - eeh
Tone – F
Day - Friday
Pose - Hands across chest, stroke the upper arms
Mars
Originally named after the God of Trees and Vegetation, for the dynamic and renewing force it offers, today we know it as the planet that directs conflict, drive aggression and vitality.
The courage to face death – our survival instinct is driven by Martian energy.
Assertiveness, drive, vigour.
Vowel - Omicrom - o
Tone - D appassionato
Day - Tuesday
Pose - Arms reach out from the shoulders, palms facing out
*Combine the Mars and Venus together. Move the tone and the gestural sequence together in rhythmic connection.
JUPITER
The largest planet in our solar system… with 79 moons orbiting it. In astrology it is associated with authority, growth and justice – might is right! This giant gas planet takes 12 years to orbit, (although technically it doesn’t orbit the Sun but a fixed point between itself and the Sun)
Natural law – luck! If we are attuned well to Jupiterian energy we see the good in people, we understand with compassion, and we see opportunities.
Jupiter asks us to be involved in wider society – to become part of community, and to search for philosophical and moral reason.
Looks for what is shared with others, seeks broader perspective, over consumption and search for fame and recognition is the Jupitarian energy run rampant.
Jupiter rules travel, ritual and exploration – all traditional ways in which we broaden our horizons and our understanding of the world. From this comes our sense of purpose, and we find our place in the world. We see ourselves honestly for where we are.
“We call to the master of the planets, the wisest of the wise, sorrow, distress, foes, fears, weaknesses and seductions flee from the person you guard. You guard us with wisdom and show us the path, so we sing to you now.” (The prayer to Jupiter in the ancient Hindu writings of the Rig Veda)
Vowel - Upsilon – (loohk)
Tone - C - declamando
Day - Thursday
Pose - Hands on lower belly. Sharp breath in. Out breath UUUUUh. Sharp breath in!
Rhythmical pulse. Use a 1-2-1-2- beat on the body or drum to aid.
Saturn
Before Uranus was discovered, Saturn was believed to be the further most planet in our solar system. A gas giant, (hydrogen and helium mainly) represented by its many ice dust and debris rings. Modern astronomy confirmed in 2019 that it has over 80 orbiting moons, 17 of which orbit backwards.
Planet of limitations, darkness, coldness and the measure of our mortality. The Greek God Chronos was the forerunner of Saturn, and he was known as Father Time, the great measurer. He calls us to focus on what is important – commit to what we value with seriousness and determination.
His lessons are learnt in times of pain and dissolution. With pain comes the ego’s collapse, and the opportunity for self-knowledge, and thus we are made stronger, wiser. Saturn also rules fear. – where fear lives is a place of liberty and self-discovery, should you be brave enough.
Vowel - OOOO
Tone – B
Day - Saturday
Pose – swing the arms around the body as the body turns at the waist – allow your hands and arms to swing freely around the body.
OM-AUM
In the Bija Mantras of the Vedic tradition OM (Ah Oh Mm) is a prayer for universal creation.
‘In chanting, the way in which the voice is used is all important. We can say the words of a chant in two ways – we can use it solely to occupy the conscious mind and keep it out of the way… words are fairly unimportant. In a chant such as the healing rune the words are not meaningless but an expression of intent, here then we can stimulate the throat chakra to inject each word we speak with energy’, Viv Crowley Wicca: The Old religion in the new age
Scaling, Mirror Symmetries and Musical Consonances Among the Distances of the Planets of the Solar System, M Bank and N Scafetta https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2021.758184/full#F3
Chanting: Discovering Spirit in Sound, Robert Gass
The Knot of Time, Lindsay River and Sally Gillespe
The Mystery of the Seven Vowels. In theory and Practice, Joscelyn Godwin
Circle of Song: Songs, chants and dances for ritual and celebration, Compiled by Kate Marks
Links to chanting from different spiritual and cultural traditions:
https://youtu.be/ckVYO9oI8vc – spiritual celebration
https://youtu.be/CBwh1OXw6uI – spiritual devotion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU0TuWQSOU4 –rites of passage, community celebration
and bonding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy90wZbepiE – Kulning calling – connection with the world
