My Soul is from Elsewhere

My soul is from elsewhere, I'm sure of that, and I intend to end up there - Rumi

I ran across a quote by Rumi.  As with all his words, you can’t just quickly run past them.  You really have to sit with them a bit and reflect.  As I consider the words, “My soul is from elsewhere” alone, there is a strong resonance that echoes through not only my soul but the entirety of my spiritual consciousness.

I don’t believe we were created from nothing with a sudden appearance here on this Earth.  We’d have to come up with a much better and clearly defined understanding of consciousness in order for me to believe that.

I think that we always existed and even as we project our focus here in this dimension, there is still a part of us that remains part of that “Elsewhere” of which Rumi spoke. 

Notice, maybe as I have, that he never said “return there” as if we had left and would some day return.  He said, “End up there.”  I think the concept of “End up there” is a little closer to the truth.  Perhaps we never left Elsewhere at all and everything we experience here is this massive, amazing and wonderful dream just for the delicious beauty of the experience of it.

No one can say with certainty but I think it’s a nice thought for now.  Beliefs are not entirely useless.  I guess their usefulness depends on what you allow them to motivate you to do.  If your belief keeps you happy, smiling, kind and supportive of all life here on planet Earth, then I’d have to say your belief would not be a bad thing in my book.  If your belief stirs up chaos and strife or intentionally harms life on this planet, I’d have to reflect very hard to be understanding of such beliefs.  I could do it but I may not like it.

It’s a funny world we seemingly live in but to me it is more than a pleasant thought to consider my soul comes from Elsewhere and one day I intend to end up there.  I don’t think I ever left there and I don’t think anyone else did either.  I can’t prove it but neither can you definitively disprove it.  That is the beauty of this intricately woven and matrixed experience called life.

So, let us go about our lives then regardless of potential origins or conscious residence.  Perhaps we should just live our lives to the fullest no matter our beliefs or the beliefs of anyone else. Respect all, love all and hold compassion for all.  Maybe we simply continue to move towards that which stirs us in a beautifully resonating fashion for therein lies our true strength and authenticity.

 

© 2015 JL Harter (photo/words)

I and the Moment Are One

Cloudy skies and the sun paints the edges of the clouds in silvery golden light. My consciousness stretched out wide again, I’m opening to whatever thoughts may come. I am not disappointed for they do come but not in their usual frenetic cacophony but more of a peaceful swirl of curiosity and questioning. As I notice the motion of them inside, just one begins to rise to the surface: What do you believe in? I let the thought linger in the present and reflect upon it without trying to think too much about it. From my studies in psychology and consciousness I could tear apart most things I believe. But I don’t give much credence to my beliefs as I see them for what they are, thousands and thousands of thought forms existing within my head as untested hypotheses or provisional truths stated or derived as fact from the outside world of my own perspectives.

There is a feeling within me growing in response to my own question and I relax and let it culminate into conscious cognition. It comes then, the response: I believe in this moment. For in this moment, there is both nothing and everything from the microcosm to the quantum whole of all of reality. And then I wonder a little more as I let my thoughts gently float into and out of my awareness. More questions than answers I presume as a measure of my learning and another becomes more clear: How do you know that this moment exists at all? I consider these questions and answers reflect in the form of feeling rather than thinking and the swirling then stops. The thoughts now still have me reaching with my senses again. I can only seemingly know a moment by the way I sense the moment, by the way I am present in that moment but that brings me no further certainty that it exists definitively outside the scope of my perception.

I’m not the first to wonder of such things and I certainly won’t be the last. But I like this mental meandering of sorts and its accompanying ever-expanding feeling and so stay with it a bit more wondering where it will lead me. I trace with a glance, a bank of clouds moving a little faster and lower on the horizon than the larger and darker ones nearer the sun. I watch the city come fully awake and am wandering amongst a concrete jungle. So many thoughts beg for attention and I quell them focused on one breath in this moment. This moment to me is very much like a wave on a sea. When we are in the midst of a moment there is no before or after, there is no past or future and there is no worry or care. I like how that feels but it doesn’t answer my question or address my seeming belief in the validity of a moment. Perhaps a moment isn’t a moment at all but a collective of moments woven by chains in hours and minutes or days and years. I cannot say with any definitive certainty, for who am I to say anything definitive or certain about anything even my own measure of consciousness? I think I am awake and driving my car down the busy highway. I see that there are buildings and people walking. I see there are other drivers driving and still I can’t decide so with certainty that they exist. I perceive something but a perception, like belief, is not a fact. It seems so, both – perception and belief. They seem like truth but time and time again are we proven wrong by science, experience or our own first hand observation from a much higher level of consciousness we may find ourselves momentarily engaged in.

I think the moment is as others have described and being fully present within it is like a surfer on top of a wave, there is no more waiting for it to come or considering it after, there is only the ride in the moment it has become manifest. To think about those moments awakens a part of our experience that takes the pure and pristine beauty of a moment away. Every moment is precious whether here, gone or yet to come. All of time is an expression of our own perception and I’ve had these experiences where time has stopped or sped by extraordinarily fast. Does it stand on its own outside of my experience? I could easily argue both yes and no. Did yesterday exist? In my perception it did at least as my perception of my own memories tell me. Will tomorrow exist? Maybe. I don’t know if it will. Does today exist? I think that it does as I hear the wind chimes outside playing a wind facilitated beautiful tune, while the leaves shiver and shake in the sea breeze and I hear the birds singing as well. But I must admit that each of these things is filtered through the perception that is the way I see the world. Who is to say that I am right? What if I’m wrong?

How does one master true understanding then of anything when all we think we know is based only on perception or belief? I believe in this moment, I thought only moments ago. But there are other moments I believed in too and now they are gone except in the confines of my conscious memory. What is more real in my consciousness, that which stands before me or that recalled from memory? If I go with feeling alone there is no answer and my feelings seem to react the same to memory or “real-time.” But what is real-time but a moment in motion? I cannot say even what a moment is or whether it truly exists or doesn’t but I exist as I observe it. Am I separate at all then, in my consciousness from this moment? Am I separate at all then in my consciousness from my perceptions or beliefs? Again, I could answer both yes and no. But something doesn’t sit right with the feeling within me.

If I throw out all of my thoughts and just be, I am content, sensing an ever expanding existence of consciousness of the big “C” kind. Is that the Moment? Are we creating them, the moments? Do they exist in our memory, our souls or our Spirits or are we sitting in some etheric movie theatre somewhere…Elsewhere watching some form of educational movie we call life? From a momentary experience I suppose it doesn’t matter whether when I am asleep I dream or I perceive myself awake even if by other standards I am still very much asleep. My logical mind grasps for the themes, the patterns and the constants and there is only one and that one is most easily expressed as “I.” Anything in this world or the next may follow that one tiny little letter in our very short alphabet that has meaning beyond that which 100,000 dictionaries, encyclopedias or academics of all sorts could define. We can all describe a piece from our learning and from our respective perspectives but how much closer does that bring us to understanding a Moment? I think the Moment is aligned with I. I and the Moment are one in a way that may make no sense at all.

But it’s fun to toy with my thoughts as the leaves glow brilliant green on the trees and the clouds give way to cerulean blue skies and every single line and angle in my perspective is etched in both dark and light. Now, in this moment, I have found yet again a tiny little space of peace in having no answers but questions, curiosity with coming knowledge and feeling. What would a moment be without a feeling? That, I suppose is a question for another time.

May you find joy in your life’s moments for all are truly precious in whatever manner you perceive them to be. May the light brilliantly shine upon the dark shadows of all of your perceptions and beliefs. In time illumination comes for those who know it will and already has.

© J.L. Harter (photo/words)

Rev. J.L. Harter, PhD, M.Msc., B.Msc., Author, Blogger, Teacher,  Spiritual Counselor and Founder/Editor of the JMCC.  See Bio section for more information.

Your Soul's Purpose

We all have a divine purpose deep within our souls yearning to be expressed. Some of us ignore it and create distractions to take us off course, some of us deny it, and some of us passionately embrace it, allowing our lives to flourish and flow with what we know to be our truth. We are all born with this innate knowledge of our personal purpose. The challenge is to stay in tune with your soul as the years and life experiences pile on.

It's not unusual for me to ask a client what their life's purpose is and they simply answer, "I don't know". What I suggest to them is that they do know, they need only sit long enough with themselves to feel what resonates within their life path. It often takes some silent soul-searching, mixed with meditation, before they see the light. And when the light hits, all chapters of that person's life miraculously fit together like an artful masterpiece.

I've always known that my calling is in the field of mental/emotional health, but what I've come to realize lately bears a deeper meaning beneath it all. At times in my life when I felt I was taken off course I was actually experiencing the pain I needed to feel in order to help others heal. In hindsight, every painful choice was an act of courage so that I may fulfill my purpose here on earth. I am grateful for every challenging experience in my life for it has brought me full circle to joy, reminding me that I never fell off track, I simply rode among the mountains to become stronger. And in this strength, I continue to fulfill my divine purpose.

In the big picture, we are all here to love and be loved. That is an essential realization as you begin to explore your soul's purpose. First and foremost, loving who you are, regardless of chirpings from the outside world of naysayers, will illuminate the path to your truth. Once that is clear in your mind and heart, you can then begin to explore your divine purpose. Sit in the quiet, connect to Spirit, and breathe in all that you are and have been. Accept it ALL without judgment and allow your chapters to flow. What is a common denominator for you? How have your experiences brought you to where you are today? What are you grateful for? These are a few questions you can ask yourself as you ponder your purpose. Be mindful of every question, practice patience, and it will come.

You might be wondering, why is there a need to explore any of this at all? All I can tell you is I know when I'm living on purpose, and I know when I'm not. The universe aligns with me and flows smoothly when I'm reaching for my meaning. And when I'm not, the universe lets me know that, too. Deep in your heart and soul you know what is right and true. We all feel happier inside when life flows and our hearts open up to the sky. Even in dark times our spirit sees the light through our difficulties. Our soul knows this truth, and when our minds catch up it is a powerful burst of love energy.

After all, in the big picture, we are all here to love and be loved.



From the Author of ‘Living, Loving & Unlearning: A therapist’s guide to healing and living authentically from the inside out’. www.CynthiaBrennen.com
W

Cynthia Brennen, LMSW, Contributor, Author. Please see Bio section for additional information.


© 2014 Cynthia Brennen, LMSW

The "All There Is"

The totality of the Soul was originally created by All-There-Is, and it is that soul that group of particles which comes down through the dimensions and then connects with the physical forming body. This path involves two stages because the Soul interacts with the physical body at the moment of conception.
 
We are aware there are two cells, which represent the first division after insemination. And these two cells continue to divide to form what is known as the nucleus which then goes on to divide to shape the physical body in all its characteristics. This nucleus or center represents the expression of the chromosome, however the soul influences how that chromosome is expressed. So there is this combination of influences in the nucleus. That center of cells continues to exist in the body and indeed it is in what we may consider a protected chamber in the pineal gland. It is protected so that it cannot be interfered with by any exterior influence, any drugs, medications or Beings.
 

The souls influence the expressions within that nucleus and it has an effect on how that center begins to be expressed in the physical form. Because of the way that physical form evolves, how it grows and reveals its completeness is deeply associated to the mission that has been reserved by that particular soul.


An illustration is if the choice has been made by the soul to come forth with some emotional irregularity that was chosen for the learning and experience of the soul in its totality, the soul will bring about its unfolding of those initial cells such that there is this irregularity which is emotionally expressed. Then once the body advances to a specific point, which can vary depending upon the choices of the Soul, the soul comes down and connects with the physical body and becomes resident with or within that physical form. The point during the pregnancy in which this occurs varies upon the individual.


More often than not it is several weeks before birth yet can be earlier or late in the pregnancy and there are many considerations, which influence this. The soul continues to correspond and influence the emotional form as well as the intuition of the individual and the kind of choices which the individual makes.


We choose the life that we live and that choice is powerfully expressed through the soul and how that influence comes forth in that life experience. The group of particles continues to exist beyond the point of crossing over, to the point of what we call Death.


The Higher-Self, instead is an energetic form that is sent forth by All-There-Is. It is like a communication path and it is also what you might consider to be a guide to the individual self that can be connected, and communicated with to include supplying great wisdom and guidance.


Some of that guidance is placed specifically within the Higher Self for that particular lifetime. It’s possible that the Higher Self may be replaced during a particular lifetime; this is a choice made by All-There-Is, because an assignment is fulfilled and the life heads in a different direction. The Higher Self may be replaced to support the change in life’s path. So this is a powerful and important source of wisdom and guidance, moreover it can be connected with consciously, or it may remain in the background as it does for most people prompting and suggesting to the individual while communicating back to All-There-is on a continuous basis.


There is a relationship between the Soul and The Higher Self, not only in the sense that they are able to work together, but a relationship in the sense of the elements themselves. Everything is vibration.


There is a difference in vibration, which we would consider it to be a frequency. These particles that come to structure the soul, that forms the Higher Self has an extremely high frequency, it is one of the arrangements or reasons because of this high frequency.


As you might suspect the frequency of the Higher Self is much higher than the frequency of what we call the Soul itself, and this is an important design, and arrangement to understand because it is what stimulates the necessity for the Higher Self and the Soul to be two distinct compositions even though they are connected with one another. Those elements, which form the soul, are of such a nature that they can be in your dimension and they can have connection or blend with the physical body itself, so to work in an optimum manner they should be able to enter into the physical body.

However there is no way the Higher self may be involved in such a design because those particles, or elements are at an even higher frequency than what can be considered the Soul as well as what can be considered the physical body. For that reason it never enters the physical body itself, instead messages can be sent forth so there is a direct line of communication in the consciousness of the individual and actually the mindfulness of the soul that connects to the awareness of the Higher Self.


It was this difference in vibration, which allows a blending of the Soul into the body. If the particles or elements in you were positioned in a different way there would be a much closer relationship between the human being and the Higher Self. But because of this difference many times the Higher Self is not activated in such a way that the human being can actually feel and hear and sense the direction of the Higher Self.

Those individuals who are on a much lower frequency can only be taught and guided on an intuitive manner. Individuals of very low vibration are working under a detachment between themselves and their intuitive functions. Therefore for those of a very low vibration that guidance that should be available to them with regards to the Higher Self is cut, it is the very reason why the Higher Self must interconnect with the Soul directly. There is a communication, but those of a lower vibration have difficulty even in the connecting to their soul because they are not in the frame of mind where they believe there is such an arrangement.
 
So for many people they wander around with a complete disconnect from spirit. Although some of the subtle bodies can come through the portal that we call spiritual and yes there can be communication between that phase and the soul itself, however, it is more desirable for the individual to have communication with their Higher Self, but for many this communication does not exist, as there is a barrier placed there. The reason this becomes important is because the Higher Self is the portal or gateway to All-There-Is.


Because of the difference in frequency between these two bodies, The Higher Self and All-There-Is, have set up communication with each other. A person must be very advanced spiritually to be able to connect with the Higher Self and move beyond to All-There-Is.

The most desirable part of all this would be to go directly to All-There-Is, but for most people this is an impossible task and it is because they do not sit in a place where they apply a belief in a spiritual practice.
 

Most people who sit there are there perhaps, because they do not believe. Belief motivates all aspects of human beings into more advance realms of vibrations, energy and manifestation, or display. The very basis of all this is belief.

Copyright 2015, Rev. Barbara Williams.  Photo above, Google Images.

Rev. Barbara Williams provides services in the areas of premarital counseling, facilitating addiction workshops aimed at the progressive benefits of holistic counseling, officiating of weddings or civil ceremonies, christenings, baptism’s, baby naming interpretations, home blessings, transitional or home going ceremonies also known as funeral services and the reading of the Tarot. Rev. Barbara Williams currently resides in Poughkeepsie, New York. See the Bio section for more information.

Full Forgiveness is Felt in the Heart

                 

Recently, I had a client who told me she forgave her mother but she still had some residual feelings that were gnawing at her every time she thought about their relationship. My client asked, "Does that mean I haven't really forgiven her?" After thinking about the many years I've sat in my therapist chair listening to countless stories of pain and enlightenment, as well as my up-close and personal experiences with forgiveness, I've come to this conclusion. Forgiveness is a process. It begins in your mind and has a need to settle there for a while in order to give your brain a chance to accept and embrace what is to come. We know that forgiveness is mainly about healing yourself, especially your heart. When we release from another's hold on us it really is freeing, and extremely empowering. When the mind ultimately believes in the truth of its forgiveness it begins to travel to the heart. I explained to my client that she is preparing to travel further into her forgiveness, but first we must work through some of those residual issues and release. Once released, we then do the inner work to fill those gaps that never got filled in childhood. It is never too late to learn to nurture yourself, but first you must truly let go of the resentments seething inside and realize your healing is solely (and soul-y) up to you now. Whether your parents did the best they could, or they didn't, it's time to let that go and give yourself a fresh start.

Once your mind assimilates into forgiveness and journeys to the heart, you will feel a peacefulness you haven't felt before. Your soul smiles knowing that you have received the message of love that stands before you. All feels right in the world because all resentments have been lifted. You've let go and blown the heaviness of your burdens into the universe, reaching the completion of full forgiveness.

So when my client asks me if she hasn't really forgiven because she still has some residual resentments, I simply look at her and say, "Your mind just hasn't caught up with your heart yet." And her soul smiles.

From the Author of ‘Living, Loving & Unlearning: A therapist’s guide to healing and living authentically from the inside out’. www.CynthiaBrennen.com

Cynthia Brennen, LMSW, Contributor, Author. Please see Bio section for additional information.


© 2014 Cynthia Brennen, LMSW

Transcending Ascension Consciousness

Sometimes as a spiritual traveler you have to step out of the ethereal world and deal with the concrete, the things that are real-seeming in this reality we co-create and exist within.  I won’t debate whether that reality is truly real or not as that just isn’t the purpose of this piece.  The purpose and point of this piece is a string of thoughts or musings, if you will on the topic of duality and the spiritual path in general.  First and foremost, we are conscious beings, even when we are asleep our consciousness is quite busy – just at a different level of awareness.  We are even when awake, existing at various levels of consciousness and I’ve written about those from the technical perspective and there is a non-technical less tangible side to awareness as well.  What does this have to do with duality you might ask?  Well, everything.

In many circles, we have this strong dogmatic urging to detach from the world, embrace the oneness, go into the void and experience the nothingness.  This is how you become enlightened, this is how you ascend and this is how you grow. This sounds really cool doesn’t it?  I mean, who wouldn’t want to elevate themselves above the rest of the populace through spiritual practice and evolving to higher levels than your neighbors, right?  Not so fast.  I want to give you some very practical food for thought in sharing with you a blasphemous thought in the context of New Age thoughts (at least from some perspectives).  There are those who can tell you none of this – Earthly experience – is real.  Nothing you can perceive exists outside of the very way in which you can perceive it – go within and understand the truth.  Would they be wrong?  Not really.  Should it be your life purpose to spend all of this physically limited conscious existence pursuing our return to that space from which we came?  Why?  Why would we do that and why would we hold that as a goal from deep within us as our core mission?  What opportunities in our lives might we miss if that were our only goal? I think sometimes it sounds like a cool alternative compared to the every-day commonly experienced mundane existence.  But there is another piece that is very important here:  Why we came.

If our soul or sole intent and purpose here was to go back to where we came from, why on Earth would we be here at all?  We did not come here to spend all of our time in meditation (although meditation has some very beneficial effects I wholly support), most of us actually came here to experience life in 3-D.  We can also experience some of the aspects of other dimensions but you are here in a physical body for a reason.  You naturally transcend it when your physical time clock gives away its last tick and you move on from this realm.  So, what is it with the rush and the hurry to do it all right now?  What if I told you that you were already enlightened?  What if I told you that a part of your consciousness is already ascended and so, there is no place for you here now to ascend to?  I know, blasphemous thoughts right?  Well, think about it and think about it carefully.

I’ll say this again and a little differently.  You are Spirit, spirit is consciousness and your physical existence here is your consciousness specifically projected in this dimension to experience life here in this very physical dimension of vast dichotomy.  So, why rush to get out?  You will miss that very thing you came here to do.  What I suggest is that you live your life here through thoroughly embracing your life just as it is—crazy, maddening, wonderful and exciting.  Embrace you – crazy, creative, wonderful and so very precious.  Your mind thinks thoughts, you send your body then into action creating this scene or that scene with other wonderful souls from which you learn about love, about life in 3-D and just how terrible and beautiful our home in the Milky way Galaxy can be.  So, consider carefully my above questions again.  Is there duality?  From our perspectives, Yes.  Is there a Oneness in Consciousness of which we are all part?  Yes.  Is there a Cosmic Consciousness from which we gain much of our love, courage and drive to do the things we do in this life?  Yes again.  When you begin to understand the machinations of your own Earthly life, you begin to see there are all of these little things you were meant to learn and transcend.  These little things may be learning how to get along with other human beings, how to forgive so you don’t stay in a space of illness producing toxic anger or how to give of yourself in pure kindness just for the absolute joy of the experience.

Humanity is amazing if a little unaware of just how amazing and wonderful they truly are.  We need not fight for a piece of any illusive pie and we need not chase any imaginary dragons of enlightenment that we already have deeply ingrained in the core of our consciousness.  Learn to understand your environment, yourself and then others a bit more and you know what you might find?  Compassion.  This is one of life’s most beautiful treasures and only through our connected consciousness can we fully comprehend the wonder and beauty, power and strength this one thing holds for us.

So, my thoughts for this day along the lines of consciousness – you intentionally projected your consciousness in a physical body with an ego alive to protect it and keep you on this side of the veil.  Through meditation and prayer even, you can pierce the veil to assist with your understanding and better support your growth in life if you want to.  Just remember the term moderation.  Avoid extremes and the fanatical embracing of any new concept, idea or goal unless, of course, it involves love of the completely unconditional kind.  I’ve been to the other side consciously and I have to say that as amazing and wonderful as it was and is, my job and my focus is to live my life.  A great conversation with another wonderful human being I met randomly yesterday reminded me.  This message has come to me 3 times in just the last couple of weeks and while I may be a little slow at getting some messages, it all begins to make much more sense.

Find what inspires you in life, embrace your amazing and indescribable consciousness and enjoy your creations here on this Earth for they are many and wonderful and support not only your learning but the learning and experiences of every soul whose path you cross.  Consider that science, spirituality and New Age thought based on ancient philosophies have given us so very much to consider.  So many often wade into the shallow end of the pool and proclaim they’ve completed a swim of the entirety of the ocean.  It’s okay.  They learn from their proclamations and wading and learn that what they thought was swimming the ocean hasn’t even scratched the surface of possibilities.  Consider even further your existence here.  Would you be here if there were no one here to perceive you?  How do you know?  Maybe it is not everyone and everything else that is the illusion but you are the illusion?  It’s easy to take certain concepts and throw them about carelessly as truths but you have to dive into the deep end of the pool and learn the difference between knowledge, belief, perception and assumption. These things are the biggest challenges we grapple with whether we realize it or not.  Our consciousness has vast potential as long as we refuse to close our minds around belief alone.  Let others be as they are and explore as they will through any path they deem most worthy.  You have that same right of exploration or not as you deem right to choose.  Just choose and explore and while you are in the process, appreciate your ability to be here right now and experience all the wildly imaginative, creative, seemingly concrete aspects of reality that is life on Earth.   Let your mind and heart expand not with belief but knowledge.  Nothing limits a mind more than belief.  Your consciousness is not limited by belief unless you believe it to be.

The illusions that we consider truth run like a common thread through all of our lives and the really amazing and wonderful thing about us is we get to live and through our experiences learn to discern truth from fiction, fact from fantasy and knowledge from mere belief.  Expand your consciousness and embrace the fact that you are here for a reason. There is no place to run to and no place to hide.  Your perception is focused on this movie in this theater and it’s an amazing one.  I leave you with these musings now as I need to go experience my own life a little bit.  Until our paths cross again, I challenge you to look for the beauty in the ugliness, search for meaning in the seemingly insane and seek understanding at the deeper levels of your consciousness and you’ll find some surprising things about the true meaning of life.  Bless.

 

© 2015 J.L. Harter (photo/words)

Rev. J.L. Harter, PhD, M.Msc., B.Msc., Author, Blogger, Teacher,  Spiritual Counselor and Founder/Editor of the JMCC.  See Bio section for more information.

Energy Signatures - The Perception of Vibrational Consciousness

Abstract

Background

The perception of vibrational consciousness has manifested in a number of individuals via the reporting of hearing tones not otherwise attributed to medications, tinnitus or other external identified sources. This study had several goals: 1) to gather self-reported information regarding whether these tones are heard by individuals, 2) the quality of the tones heard and 3) the perceived origins of these tones.

Results

Quantitative results are shown for the number of respondents that perceive tones, the quality of the perception of the tones along with the perceived origins of the tones. The results also show whether there may be a correlation between the perceived tones and the reported participation in spiritual practices such as meditation or of having a spiritual experience. A majority of responders from all age groups in the survey indicate that they perceive tones and that more than half of survey respondents believed the tones to be of a spiritual origin.

Conclusions

The survey concludes only that there is a high perception of hearing tones from the survey respondents, that the quality of the tones is perceived differently and that while the origins are perceived to be spiritual in origin by more than half of the respondents, the origins are not necessarily clear. More studies are needed to determine the true etiology of the tones perceived by individuals.

Introduction

It has been noted by several luminaries in the metaphysical and new age genre of writers, teachers and those who meditate that tones are often perceived of an unknown origin. In order to better understand the occurrence, perception and quality of the tones seemingly heard, I developed a survey to gather data on the phenomenon to determine whether it could be determined valid as a common occurrence, whether there were correlations to specific age groups, gender or religious beliefs along with the qualitative data related to the perceptions. It was my goal to gather data and provide information on my findings in order to provide the community with further information on the topic and determine if it warranted further study with more rigor. Through understanding this phenomenon, we may better understand its occurrence and what messages our consciousness may be attempting to communicate to us. I believe that all of the results of our perceptions are messages presented to us for greater understanding of our existence in life. With greater understanding, we can make better use of information freely available to us through our own perceptions and experiences in life.

Research Objectives

The objectives I set at the beginning of the survey were first to validate the occurrence of the perception of tones of unknown etiology, better understand the way the tones might be perceived and attempt to discern the perceived origins by those participating in the survey. With these goals in mind, I established my survey questions. For the most part I believe that the survey met my objectives and the results speak for themselves in terms of the respondents experience of the occurrence of the perception of the tones.

Data Collection

Given that this research surrounded individual experiences and perceptions with tones, an online

survey was developed using a simple Survey Monkey only survey tool. Basic responses were solicited such as age, gender, location, religious believes, participation in spiritual or meditative practice as well as the direct experience of tones and the quality of the perception of the tones. Responses to the Survey where solicited online through The Journal of Metaphysics and Connected Consciousness, my personal blog, social networking sites such as Facebook, Tsu, Spiritual Networks and Google+. Between my blog and Journal readership as well as social networking connections, its possible the survey reached between 15,000 to 25,000 people potentially. The goal was to reach as many potential individuals as possible. Given the Social Network medium is not known for a high-response rate, I had hoped to reach at least
100 respondents for the survey, which I held open for two months from October 17, 2014 through December 31, 2014. I issued reminder posting at two-week intervals to attempt to gather respondents. During that time, I gathered 53 responses. There was an inherent bias potential in the survey responses given the readership of my blogs and social networking community in that the associates I shared the survey request with held more of a spiritual and metaphysical focus. This actually worked for the survey as the genre of authors and teachers who raised the question for me as I began to assemble the concepts of the survey were of that same focus. The analysis of the survey results was conducted by reviewing the individual responses.

Summary Findings

Of the 53 survey responses gathered, an overwhelming 48 individuals reporting hearing tones they did not believe where due to medication or a known medical diagnosis. One significant trend in data was that there were two main age-bands in highest volume of responders. Those were the 40-49 and 50-59 age groups. These two groups combined represent 36 respondents. Of those combined age bands, all but 3 reported hearing tones. There were no significant trends in data between the various religious beliefs held but that was a slight increase in the break out of respondents in that nearly half cited that they were spiritual and not religious or cited no religion at all. The distribution between genders was near half and half at 29 reporting female and 24 reporting male gender.

With regard to the variations of the 48 respondents who affirmed that they perceived tones, the variation of the tones was interesting. All 48 reported that the tone itself was perceived as always being the same, 20 respondents indicated that the pitch never changed, 17 individuals reported the tone was always perceived in the same ear and 16 indicated that the pitch of the tone varied. 15 respondents reported they perceived the response in both ears, 4 indicated that it switched ears and 4 indicated that they perceived multiple tones.

When further pressed to provide more qualitative information, 17 respondents indicated that the tones were perceived internally. 12 respondents perceived tones with no other sensations while 8 indicated the tones were accompanied by other physical sensations. Of all of the respondents, 18 indicated that they have engaged in a spiritual practice, meditation or have had a spiritual experience such as a Near Death Experience or an Out of Body experience.

With regard to the origins of the perceptions, respondents were given 3 choices concerning their concept of origin: Biological, Physical or Spiritual. In this category, 52 overall responses were received. The break-out of these are as follows:

Male and Female both trended at 14 citing a spiritual origin. Of the respondents reporting physical origins, 2 males and 1 female cited this as their perceived origin of the tones. With regard to the physical perception, 6 males and 4 females cited this as their perceived origin. The remaining respondents either skipped this question or cited that the origin was unknown.

Detailed Findings – Data Tables

The following Data Tables outline the specific questions asked and the response rates by question.  Each of the tables represent questions 1 through 8 in sequence.  Questions 9 and 10 included only personal information to validate there were no duplicate responses and affirm permission to use responses given.

Summation and Recommendations

While it is clear from those surveyed, the majority experience tones and those tones widely vary in terms of the way they are perceived, the perception isn’t necessarily tied to a religious belief and the origins while perceived by the majority to be of a spiritual nature, we must acknowledge that these are the perceptions of the respondents. Similar subjectively reporting experiences are far from empirical but do seem to indicate there may be a phenomenon worthy of further exploration for deeper understanding. These sounds or tones as energy signatures are heard clearly by those who are religious and not, and the respondents report being unaware of any medical diagnosis or medication that could be the cause of the tones they are perceiving. The tones seem to be the same to the perceivers but sometimes they have a tendency to shift in pitch or the perception of the side of the head they may be hearing the tones more from. Some report they felt the source of the tones they experience are internal in nature rather than coming from an external source. The question remains, what is this tone that we are perceiving? Respondents come from all over the world, from different cities, different age groups and different spiritual or religious practices and beliefs. So, what are these tones we are perceiving? Are we in some way perceiving the energy of our own consciousness? Does consciousness have a sound? After reviewing the research findings I begin to wonder. Is it merely our consciousness or could it potentially indicate something more? Are we hearing the sounds of the vibrating energy in the universe, in our own bodies or are the otherworldly in origin? Unfortunately, my findings do not address these specific questions but I believe they are worth further exploration for the purpose of understanding.

Given that the energy vibration of tones are being perceived by some individuals on the planet, I think further study is needed to understand the true source of the tones. No doubt in some cases these perceptions can be readily scientifically or medically explained by the body’s reaction o chemicals or disease states. But what if they actually could represent the various stages of our consciousness? What if Alpha, Beta, Theta, Gamma and Delta states of brain wave activity have a corresponding sound perceived within our consciousness? What if there is a sound that is not simply related to blood pressure moving through the vessels heard physically? What if there are those who have no medical or mental diagnosis, no former injury to the ear, who seemingly hear things that, are not readily understood? What if our perception represents otherworldly existence in terms of energy signatures perceived as sound? What if there are other worldly dimensions from which we can feel and hear but not see? There are more questions than there are answers.


In metaphysical studies we are taught that Aum is the sound of the center of the entirety of the universe and from that sound, all of creation stems. That sound is vibration and vibration is energy. I these tones myself and in my own perception, they vary in tone, in pitch and are usually coming from one side or the other although when I experience the tones and quickly inquire of others in the room, no one else reports hearing anything. I also have personally experienced very strong sensations that seemingly envelop the entirety of my physical existence and seemingly distort my perception of reality. It made me very curious as to whether others have similar experiences. The more I wrote and researched this very topic, the more I found hits here and there of others who have had these experiences. Considering myself to be an energy sensitive, having experience of specific tones right before a person I know is about to call me or send me a text message, I cannot help but wonder if we each have unique tones ascribed to our personal consciousness and with thoughts we project that outwards and others can perceive it. There are so many possibilities and little solid data to explore this. I’d very much like to see more formal exploration with a stronger scientific bent towards study of the origins of these tones and answering some of the questions I’ve posed. I think we could learn a lot more about who and what we truly are beyond the limited constructs of the corporeal existence we hold as reality.
use the term energy signatures to identify the variation in the tones perceived. I have experienced

I want to personally thank all of the survey participants for their willingness to help the Journal of Metaphysics and Connected Consciousness explore this topic. Perhaps our wading into these waters may spark greater curiosity in consciousness and noetic-type studies that may help us all come to better understanding.



© 2015 J.L. Harter, Ph.D., Founder of The Journal of Metaphysics and Connected Consciousness and The Ministry of Connected Consciousness, California, USA.

Sources:

Abstract photo: Energyfanatics.com
Introduction photo: J.L. Harter
Data Survey Photos: Survey Monkey
Summation Photo: Theventchronicle.com
Other photos: Clip Art

Rev. J.L. Harter, PhD, M.Msc., B.Msc., Author, Blogger, Teacher,  Spiritual Counselor and Founder/Editor of the JMCC.  See Bio section for more information.