Singing bowls for healing, meditation and cleansing?

[Shad282]

i always knew that these bowls exist but never actually gave them attention when i actually tried one. They amazing tones ! beautiful !! 

 

for those who has experience and knowledge in the bowls.. do you think they are able to heal with tones? and do you believe in the water discharging, where you put the water and make the boil sing which creates a fountain (youtube video below) ?

 

 

Please do tell about your experience with it and how do you use it and how do you choose one since each bowl has a tone. 

 

and what is actually the difference between cleansing and healing?

 

Thank you

Edited October 16, 2016 by Shad282

[blue eyed snake]

no answers here for you,

but thanks for the vid, beautiful!

[joeblast]

I've got a bunch of them.  Different sizes and notes resonate with different energy centers.    I've got two that beat amazingly with each other, its just about a laogung breathing exercise singing the two together.  The little one puts a light on baihui.  The one rain gave me is the most powerful and resonates with the niwan.  Got one that is totally a heart one, one that feels more celiac resonant, one that resonates the throat/thyroid area.   I mostly just collected ones I liked over the years and most of the time discover these properties after the fact, usually I'd just wind up picking up something here and there that I notice would resonate particularly strongly - that would be my first criteria for picking one.

 

My hands are buzzy talking about them, hehehe

[thelerner]

Cool video.  I've been around tibetan bowls.  The St. Louis Ki Society had an unusually large one.  It had an amazing deep rich sound with an echo chamber that was reminiscent of a helicopter blades swirling. 

 

I'd never seen one filled with water before.  Fascinating affect.  I question drinking it though.  Real Tibetan bowls are made with several exotic metals.  You'd want to be sure mercury and lead were another amongst them if you drank.  

 

runs to internet..  http://www.thesingingbowls.com/metal_contents.asp according to this the 7 metal bowls do have lead and there is some info that seemingly talks that some had a mercury relationship.  So, fine to play with, touch and let sing but not a good thing to use as a cup.

 

However there are some glass and crystal bowls that also sing.  There's also a whole world of tuning forks that are specifically used for healing.  <not that I have experience with them, but they're on some old forgotten to do list.  >

 

add on> Googling drinking from singing bowls I found this:

Precautions

Drinking water from a metal singing bowl can be slightly toxic, according to Soul Guidance. Though the water is infused with healing energies, toxins leached into the water by the alloys in your bowl can be harmful over time. For this reason, only drink liquid charged in thoroughly cleaned glass or crystal bowls. If you only have a metal bowl, use charged water to water your plants or cleanse crystals. If you have a glass or crystal bowl, try charging other (non-carbonated) liquids in the bowl. Herbal teas and juices are especially beneficial after a singing bowl healing ceremony. @  http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/effects-tibetan-singing-bowl-water-7125.html

 

later later addon>  I remember that Jason Stephenson who does guided meditation did a singing bowl one.  I haven't listened or downloaded it but.. if you're interested here it is:

doubtless there are other good youtubes on singing bowls.

 

[Nungali]

I used them for many purposes  ( I used to sell them  , along with  other  Nepalese ' objects de magica' )  .  One use was to  half fill with warm water, place on someones back as they lie down and get the bowl resonating . Its like a sound massage that gets deep inside the joints and related tissue.

 

Ever had a vibra sauna ?  Like that , without the sauna ..... you get up and you are still humming for a while .

 

Then there is the 'magical' usage .    A great bowl is made by the process of  ( what ever the Nepalese  call it )  ' magicum electrum' ' not just a blend of gold and silver (and made during a favorable aspect of Sun Moon) , but a 7 metal blend, combining the planetary metals smelted at correct astrological times . 

 

There is also a 5 and 3 metal blend for some objects . ....  or just a type of brass  .... or even  'white metal ' , as they call it  ( melted down whatever ; truck engine blocks included ...  and a bit of 'shiny stuff '.

 

Depends what you want the sound to do;  vibrational healing stuff,  'magical bell' , or just have some fun . 

 

Cleansing is putting good energy through something, to stop further 'accumulations' . Healing is addressing a situation when the 'accumulations'  have  'taken hold' or established themselves .  

Edited October 18, 2016 by Nungali

[Shad282]

I used them for many purposes  ( I used to sell them  , along with  other  Nepalese ' objects de magica' )  .  One use was to  half fill with warm water, place on someones back as they lie down and get the bowl resonating . Its like a sound massage that gets deep inside the joints and related tissue.

 

Ever had a vibra sauna ?  Like that , without the sauna ..... you get up and you are still humming for a while .

 

Then there is the 'magical' usage .    A great bowl is made by the process of  ( what ever the Nepalese  call it )  ' magicum electrum' ' not just a blend of gold and silver (and made during a favorable aspect of Sun Moon) , but a 7 metal blend, combining the planetary metals smelted at correct astrological times . 

 

There is also a 5 and 3 metal blend for some objects . ....  or just a type of brass  .... or even  'white metal ' , as they call it  ( melted down whatever ; truck engine blocks included ...  and a bit of 'shiny stuff '.

 

Depends what you want the sound to do;  vibrational healing stuff,  'magical bell' , or just have some fun . 

 

Cleansing is putting good energy through something, to stop further 'accumulations' . Healing is addressing a situation when the 'accumulations'  have  'taken hold' or established themselves .  

what is the magical bell use ? 

I guess for charging and drinking water that is healing, best to use crystal bowls but do they work ? 

also, they are quite expensive and hard to find !

[Nungali]

what is the magical bell use ? 

I guess for charging and drinking water that is healing, best to use crystal bowls but do they work ? 

also, they are quite expensive and hard to find !

 

Of course, in T. B.  the 'bell' is used for the sound of the bell ( not the bowl being struck ( but the bowl or tingshaw could be used  to make a similar sound * ) It depends on which  ritual  and what usage, but generally ; 

 

Its a bit like a conch; the sound drives away evil spirits, or a warning to stay away .   In T. B. it is usually paired with the dorje .... 'male' and 'female' ,  a pairing of that sort is common in many traditions ; wand to cup, lance to grail, spear to cauldron, etc . 

 

It can be used in invocation, summoning a deity for protection,  or a symbolic teaching tool, or used in mudra or representing the sound of Buddha's teaching, or  symbolize the attainment of wisdom.  In mudra (in connection with chanting), it is used in an interesting way in the 'hell / heaven' aspect;  dorje in right (active ) hand pointing down ( to subdue 'hell' ) and bell in left (receptive) hand pointing up  ( to receive 'grace' from 'heaven ' )  ... many traditions do similar but with different magical 'tools' . 

 

 

    

Generally,  the sound of a bell  and specifically in western 'magic'  the bell is used to 'carry' the intent  or the words of the operation, like a medium that it 'hitches a ride on' .

 

A good tingshaw does not stop ringing,  listen carefully, there is no point that it actually stops, it gets progressively and smoothly fainter and fainter, even when inaudible  there is still vibration. That is why one should not handle or stop the bell noise, its not supposed to be 'cut off'  but goes on 'to infinity' and carries the intent of the operation with it . 

 

In western tradition the bell is central 3 ;  bell, book and candle ,   for evocation .  Here is Crowley on the use of the bell in the western tradition;  

 

" The Magical Bell is best attached to the chain. In some systems of Magick a number of bells have been worn, sewn upon the hem of the robe with the idea of symbolizing that every movement of the Magician should make music. But the Bell of which we shall speak is a more important implement. This Bell summons and alarms; and it is also the Bell which sounds at the elevation of the Host.

 

" It is thus also the "Astral Bell" of the Magician.

 

footnote: During certain meditation-practices the Student hears a bell resound in the depths of his being. It is not subjective, for it is sometimes heard by other people. Some Magicians are able to call the attention of those with whom they wish to communicate at a distance by its means, or, so it is said.

" The Bell of which we speak is a disk of some two inches in diameter, very slightly bent into a shape not unlike that of a cymbal. A hole in the centre permits the passage of a short leather thong, by which it may be attached to the chain. At the other end of the chain is the striker; which, in Tibet, is usually made of human bone.

 

(He is clearly describing a tingshaw ) 

 

" The Bell itself is made of electrum magicum, an alloy of the "seven metals" blended together in a special manner. First the gold is melted up with the silver during a favourable aspect of the sun and moon; these are then fused with tin when Jupiter is well dignified. Lead is added under an auspicious Saturn; and so for the quicksilver, copper, and iron, when Mercury, Venus, and Mars are of good augury.

 

" The sound of this Bell is indescribably commanding, solemn, and majestic. Without even the minutest jar, its single notes tinkle fainter and fainter into silence. At the sound of this Bell the Universe ceases for an indivisible moment of time, and attends to the Will of the Magician. Let him not interrupt the sound of this Bell. Let this be that which is written, Liber VII, v, 31: "There is a solemnity of the silence. There is no more voice at all."

 

" As the Magical Book was the record of the past, so is the Magick Bell the prophecy of the future. The manifested shall repeat itself again and again, always a clear thin note, always a simplicity of music, yet ever less and less disturbing the infinite silence until the end. " 

 

Western tradition is much more 'hands on' with its magical tools  ; students begin making or acquiring their magical tools early. In some  Buddhist traditions , only the Lama touches; the rest stand back in awe, sometimes they are bought out and put on an altar .  The local T.B. ers  seemed horrified at my questions of usage and handling of my own T.B. ritual objects and my comparing them to the western ones.   Thing is, afterwards, the visiting Lama didnt seem to mind at all and seemed interested in the comparisons between objects of different traditions  ... and asked a lot of intelligent question about them  !

 

 

There are some other rather groovy  T. B . 'tool sets'  out there ;         http://www.thedaobums.com/topic/37221-demon-queller-sets/

[Nungali]

what is the magical bell use ? 

I guess for charging and drinking water that is healing, best to use crystal bowls but do they work ? 

also, they are quite expensive and hard to find !

 

 

Oh yeah .....  charging water with crystal bowls ?    I would just make a ' gem elixir '  easier and cheaper and just as effective. All you need is an understanding of the effect and attribution what each gem / mineral / crystal and a small sample, a glass bowl and some good water .   They also have agricultural applications . 

Edited October 18, 2016 by Nungali

[Orion]

In Nepal I visited with a man who had 6 big singing bowls. I was sick with pneumonia. He asked me to lay on the floor and he vibrated the bowls, placing them all around me and on top of me. He then held one in his hand and moved it around my body. How he kept them all resonating at the same time is beyond me.

 

Anyway, the whole thing not only strongly energized me and shook my meridians loose, but when I got up I hacked up a ton of phlegm and recovered within a couple days. Of course he tried to sell me some bowls, and as impressed as I was I didn't have the money or the ability to send them half way around the world.

 

I use quality singing bowls in my home to clear space, and for meditation. I also use a vajra bell for some of my meditation practices. The bell and the bowls have a different quality but they serve similar purposes.

 

A couple of years ago at a music festival there were these traveling artists who put huge gongs in a circle and had a small group of people sit inside the circle. They would then hit the gongs. They each had a different frequency but they all intermeshed. My experience of being inside that sound vortex was that my body was a lot less solid. It makes me think about something an acupuncture teacher once told me... that centuries from now we will probably use complex sound technology to resonate illness out of bodies. Seems like the more advanced medicine gets, the less it deals with the dense physical.

[KuroShiro]

I use quality singing bowls in my home to clear space, and for meditation. I also use a vajra bell for some of my meditation practices. The bell and the bowls have a different quality but they serve similar purposes.

 

 

How does one assess the quality of the bowls? Are there any good resources (books, sites) about singing bowls and their traditional use?

I've experienced the sound and it's quite something but I don't know if they were quality ones.

[Nungali]

Depends what you want them for .     If its sound, you test by sound, but you could be testing a bunch of  elcheapo ones .   You might have to rely on the salesperson a bit , but that can be dodgy , often they know nothing about them.  

 

Maybe try to get an old antique instead of one from the modern ' mass produced ' market.  That can be tricky too .

 

Or make one  

 

 

 

Edited October 21, 2016 by Nungali

[joeblast]

How does one assess the quality of the bowls? Are there any good resources (books, sites) about singing bowls and their traditional use?

I've experienced the sound and it's quite something but I don't know if they were quality ones.

Difficult without frame of reference to tell, and forget about it over the internet - but some just exude a certain je ne sais quoi power about them even before you pick it up and resonate strongly, loudly, and have long duration.

[Orion]

How does one assess the quality of the bowls? Are there any good resources (books, sites) about singing bowls and their traditional use?

I've experienced the sound and it's quite something but I don't know if they were quality ones.

 

The more metals in it, the more rich the sound will be. The bowls I have had 8 metals in them, and they cost me a pretty penny. Some bowls have pictures or symbols painted inside for you to gaze into while you play, if you like to meditate with eyes open and fixate on something.

 

But all that aside, the bowl should activate you in some way when you play it while meditating. The sound will tap some part of your body, your energy field, or your consciousness in a way that is gently altering. For this reason, the "quality" of the bowl is irrelevant. Its quality should be determined by how well you can play it and what it does for you.

[Shad282]

In Nepal I visited with a man who had 6 big singing bowls. I was sick with pneumonia. He asked me to lay on the floor and he vibrated the bowls, placing them all around me and on top of me. He then held one in his hand and moved it around my body. How he kept them all resonating at the same time is beyond me.

 

Anyway, the whole thing not only strongly energized me and shook my meridians loose, but when I got up I hacked up a ton of phlegm and recovered within a couple days. Of course he tried to sell me some bowls, and as impressed as I was I didn't have the money or the ability to send them half way around the world.

 

I use quality singing bowls in my home to clear space, and for meditation. I also use a vajra bell for some of my meditation practices. The bell and the bowls have a different quality but they serve similar purposes.

 

A couple of years ago at a music festival there were these traveling artists who put huge gongs in a circle and had a small group of people sit inside the circle. They would then hit the gongs. They each had a different frequency but they all intermeshed. My experience of being inside that sound vortex was that my body was a lot less solid. It makes me think about something an acupuncture teacher once told me... that centuries from now we will probably use complex sound technology to resonate illness out of bodies. Seems like the more advanced medicine gets, the less it deals with the dense physical.

are they really costly ? even in china? i m really fascinated by them.

once i saw one and heard it.. i felt like wanting to put it on my heart and make it sing !

Edited October 31, 2016 by Shad282

[Orion]

are they really costly ? even in china? i m really fascinated by them.

once i saw one and heard it.. i felt like wanting to put it on my heart and make it sing !

 

The prices have a really wide range. All of the bowels I have, you hold in your hand. They're not huge, but because they're high quality they were about $200 a piece. I also have brass ones that were about $30 each.

 

The big ones that some healers use to resonate the whole body can be $500 and up. Giant crystal bowls (which are totally different IMO) are easily over $1000.

Edited November 1, 2016 by Orion