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Leah Russell4 min

The Silence of Sound

August 14, 2019

by Pete Bengry

Sound healing has been practiced internationally for thousands of years throughout many cultures. Historically, there are numerous buildings that have been created for this specific purpose, being birthed from the minds of both architects and healers.

For those interested in sound healing, these are magical places where one can explore their natural amplifications. This research has continued and remains paramount in both health and science as the many beneficial qualities are explored. However, in everyday life we are surrounded by sound as both a listener and creator, but more importantly, how conscious are we of the true presence of sound. My personal journey within sound began when I was very young – approximately five years old – starting with my own body. Intuitively, I explored the sounds that could be produced when skin met skin. Pressure, sensitivity, feeling, listening, posture, control, awareness are just a few of the learning experiences I both applied and explored. My fascination for sound evolved and it was not until traveling to Africa at the age of ten that my direction found a destination. Here, I witnessed the songs, dancing and drumming of the Zulus. My internal passion for discovery had met the external, and here a balance was born.

Throughout my life, my focus has always grown from my awareness within my body and the merging of skin on skin. It is this understanding that has refined my approach to all aspects of rhythmic sound, from my years in a successful rock band to the simplicity of one-to-one healing sessions in my personal practice. My explorations of the sounds of skin on skin later developed into the merging of the skin of my hands upon the skin of the drum at the age of ten. Observing the power and passion of the Zulus unearthed a greater journey for me within the sacred weaving of both sound and rhythm. When sound and rhythm join they create a wave, and like a surfer of sacred sensitivity, I have ridden this wave throughout my entire life. Of course I have fallen a few times, but I have always returned to the sacred wave of sound and rhythm.

"...awareness towards sound is just as important as silence, for the wave of consciousness is born from silence as it arrives into sound"

In nature, there is a continuous movement that enables life to evolve. Its presence is very similar to that of a wave, where both life and death are present. Having followed all my learning intuitively, I deeply resonate with the presence of this wave in sound – and also in myself. The wave continues to exist and there are many factors that affect its size and shape. Unfortunately, as a race we are potentially amplifying the wave towards a frequency that is unhealthy for all life on earth, including ourselves. So, following my intuitive learning I believe in the creation, rise and fall of the wave. In audiology this can easily be witnessed as a waveform. But in sound healing I see this as something much more sensitive, with an enormous energy towards creative consciousness.

In my opinion, awareness towards sound is just as important as silence, for the wave of consciousness is born from silence as it arrives into sound. Throughout my international trainings I encourage students to recognize the presence of the invisible within them. The silence is the internal energy within and what is occurring inside will influence the external presence of the sound. Whenever a sound is made, a perception or awareness is the beginning towards the birthing of that sound. An intention is created, which determines the direction towards the destination. This is simply the invisible becoming visible. In sound healing there are many factors which support the presence of healing, many being both practical and theoretical. When we look at the surface of the land or sea there is a line of separation. On the land we can witness a tree in the visible, but not the roots in the invisible; on the sea we can witness the iceberg in the visible, but not its actual presence in the invisible. This, in many ways, shows the presence and the importance of the invisible connecting to the visible. More awareness and energy towards the invisible will naturally determine the presence of what becomes visible. Our lives on this planet are so focused on the visible that we have almost forgotten the invisible, and we only witness it when it becomes visible in a negative way. Imagine a world in which we can witness the presence of the invisible before it becomes visible. We could transform the existence of illness and disease with a deep understanding of what is being created from silence, as we could witness the energy of silence itself.

To step consciously from silence into sound is, in my opinion, one of the most sacred acts in any form of healing modality. It is knowing what nutrition needs to surface visibly to provide actual healing, without making a presumption. When one sits within the sacredness of silence, one sits within the invisible essence of the soul. This is a place of unlimited abundance and it is this understanding that creates the most beautiful visible presence within sound. A sacred wave is born, and both silence and sound reflect the visible and the invisible energies that provide true authentic healings.