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Writer's picturerobert-holliday

µ Sonic Meditations

– I –


Ascension

Ideally performed while awakening from sleep or shortly thereafter.


Remember a gesture, character or feeling tone from dreaming the night before. Hold this image or feeling in your mind while listening to your body. Allow the memory of the dream and the needs of your body to manifest in movement. Cease movement only after a psychic integration has been felt or observed.




– II –

In a quiet, dark place

Dressed thoroughly in black

While carrying a lit candle in a glass container

Perform a slow walk

or

Practice a slow, walking meditation

When thoughts arise,

Listen to the sound of the thoughts

Vocalize the sound of these thoughts, quietly

and without words.

Continue until the candle burns out.




– III –

Mandala

Listening/feeling your

breath &

heartbeat

draw a circle

very

very

very

slowly.

Look fixedly

At the circle

As you draw.

variation 1 (loud/active sonic environment): Allow the sounds in your environment to

shower you,

then flow through you,

like water in a stream.

variation 2 (quiet sonic environment): listen to the sound of your drawing utensil.




– IV –

What is it like to sail,


The oceans within your body?




– V –

While listening in an environment familiar to you, take inventory of the sounds around you. Allow your imagination to associate sounds with psychic symbols or imagery. Record these symbols and allow them to interact with external sounds in your environment. Attempt to retain a balance between psychic imagery and sensory stimuli, use any method (writing, sound making, drawing, etc.) as your vehicle for engagement. Record your process.




– VI –

Herons in the Moonlight

For two performers

During one hour (timed by incense)

Under the light of a full moon

Facing one another with the same sitting posture

(lotus, half-lotus, Burmese, seiza, etc.)

Interlock palms in two cosmic mudras

(right hand to right hand, left to left, one palm facing up, the other down)

Focus eyes mid point between each other at eye level

Allow your breath to synchronize

Listen to your heart beat




– VII–

Minotaur

Find or build a maze.

Traversing this maze, record or reproduce any inner “imagery” that comes to mind.

Affix this artifact to the center, or inner part of the maze.




– VIII–

One Minute Circus

Choose one or more of the following actions to be performed simultaneously, sequentially or at predetermined intervals of time. Each action should be performed for the duration of one minute.

· Make a sacred action mundane

· Draw a line in the sand (with your foot)

· Dive and slide on the ground

· Swim on land

· Imitate any forms that come to mind

· Bath in starlight

· Sit and write continuously any gestures that come to mind

· Run in place

· Make a sacred action mundane

· Make a mundane action sacred

· Polish a brick

· Write furiously on the wall before you

· Turn an expression of shock to one of awe

· Walk backwards, slowly

· Dig a hole

· Make an action of surrender

· Fuse your consciousness with another sentient being

· Become an animal of your choosing

· Make a sacrifice and offer it the unknown

· Blink once every second

· Make a gift of a flower and offer it to another

· Use one part of your body to act as a pendulum

· Gesture “thank you” as you never have before

· Scream with your body

· Open a window

· Lose your body

If performed collectively, times in which participants begin may be determined by any means.


variation: each participant creates their own set of actions to perform.




– IX–


At any time

For any length of time

Stop—



and listen for the one who is listening.




– X–

Windmills

Begin in darkness—

Feeling for an object,

Exploring this discovery..


Let this mystery be your voice—

Your body as one

with the soundscape..


Dancing—

Relinquish your companion

To another dancing as you do

And explore another talisman

to whatever song may ensue..




– XI–

Topographic Incantation

Using a writing stylus and surface,

Alone and in a dimly lit, quiet place –


Listen to the words and sounds appearing before your mind and record them.

Write continuously but not frantically.

Notice the sound of your stylus making contact with the surface.

Allow images, sounds and all manner of internal psychic phenomena to emerge from the sounds of your stylus and surface.

Record these phenomena and continue for the duration of one incense stick.

Take what you have recorded and hide it in some special, secret place for another to find.

Variation 1: apply a contact microphone to your writing surface.

Variation 2: write not continuously, but intermittently, allowing space for the mind and hand to breathe.

Variation 3: Write only when necessary, like droplets in a cave.




– XII–

Genie

Choose a consistent sound source in close proximity or predominance in the sonic environment. Listen closely to the sound.


Can you hear it’s melody?

Allow the source to listen to you.


Can it hear your melody?

variation: what is listening between you and the source?



– XIII–

Cellular Bond

Listen to the rhythm of your heartbeat.

When an imagined sound appears,

Play or sing this sound in tempo with your heartbeat,

While others do the same—

As you and others are playing,

Begin to listen globally,

For a tempo universalis—

Play freely with what you find,

With sounds inside and out,

And now and then,

Listen again,

To the beating of your heart.




– XIV–

Crack Between the Worlds

For a group

At dusk


Prior to performance

A site should be chosen by the group from which to meet. The site can be adorned, ornamented or tailored to any inspiration guiding the collective. Individually, participants should compose a mantra to recite once at the site. A resonant object or set of resonant objects are chosen as well. All participants should share the same type of resonant object (for example: ‘bells’). Objects may be played or worn on the body.


Performance

Each participant begins by walking with their resonant object(s) towards the site agreed upon. While walking mindfully, participants are invited to send vibrational warmth to plant life with their resonant object(s) along the way, incorporating movement as they see fit (this may be understood as a dance).


Once participants have met at the performance site, together form a circle and begin whispering their (individual) mantras repeatedly (though not necessarily quickly). Listening globally to the soundscape, participants may allow their mantras to be altered, assimilating into the collective sound organically, growing louder as this is done, until the group finds a new collective mantra. Resonant objects may be played ad lib. throughout.


Once the new, collective mantra has manifested, and the sky is dark, a facilitator will light candles for participants to hold while chanting. Once the candles are lit, performers cease playing their resonant objects and may begin singing freely to the night sky. The performance may continue for as long or little as desired, but must end before dawn the next day.




– XV–


In a dark space of your own,

In an environment with others,

whisper some memories of your dreams,

while others whisper memories of theirs.


Now and then,

allow some time,

to offer an image,

a moment of light,

An ember in the dark.


Can you make some new sounds

to offer this dreamscape?

the body

the voice

a spark

a sound


Dance freely —

this prismatic fire

of whispering ghosts..




– XVI–

Swinging Door


Alone and in a quiet place,

Using your voice to search,

Find a tone that resonates with your body.

Remember this pitch,

Write it down if you need.


Independently,

With others,

On an instrument,

Or with your voice,

Sound each exhalation,

As it naturally occurs.


When discursive thoughts arise,

Feel free to greet these thoughts,

With a quiet noise,

Or gesture of your choosing.


Listening globally,

To the ever changing mass of sound,

Improvise with your breath

As well as your instrument or voice,

As one part of the whole.

And if your resonant pitch

No longer resonates

With your body,

Or the mass on the whole

Play or sing one that does.


Now and then

Begin to rest,

No need to play

With every breath exhaled,

As resting becomes more common

And sounding less,

A look will suffice

To allow an end to begin.

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