Word of the Day: Enchantment
I shared yesterday that I have been comforted by optimistic visions of the future. When I witness the future I see prosperity, peace, joy, radiance, and comfort.
There have been times in my experience of life that felt so different from the optimistic image in these visions. In these moments I have asked in prayer, “How can I possibly get from here to there?”
An answer I have often received is, “Sing to it. Sing it into existence.”
At first I found this to be a riddle. The deeper I go in the practice of sound healing, the more clarity I feel around this concept. Sound has the power to heal and to create.
While traveling in Ireland a few years ago, I received a book called The Celtic School of Yoga by Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Jack Harrison. The authors write of a Vision for a Yoga of Enchantment. They use the Irish word aisling which means vision or dream. They define yoga as connection and enchantment as singing something into existence. This could also be expressed as - a dream of singing connection into existence or a dream of connection through song.
enchantment (noun) :
a feeling of great pleasure, delight
the state of being under a spell, magic
Historically this word has been used to describe magic powers and the use of magic. The sense of delight and allurement is more recent, but also long used.
The PIE (Proto-Indo-European) root of enchantment is kan meaning “to sing.” Enchantment is also related to the Latin word incantare meaning “to bewitch or charm.” Incantare contains cantare which means “to sing.”
We see that enchantment contains the word “chant” which is a repeated phrase that is sung or spoken in a singsong tone.
There are many magical words that are rooted in song. Incantation comes to mind.
Various spiritual traditions and ancient cultures acknowledge that sound has a transformational power. Music has been a healing tool in many, if not every, culture. There are also multiple creation stories in which sound is a force of creation (ie: “Om” in Hinduism.)
Jonathan Goldman, a modern Sound Healing pioneer, often shares that Frequency + Intent = Healing. Sound encoded with a healing intention leads to healing.
There is much pain and suffering in the world. If you were to imagine a perfect vision for the world what would it look like? Can we sing this perfect vision into existence? What does the song of your vision sound like?
With the wisdom of enchantment, may we sing with great pleasure, delight, and magic.
Genesis 1-3
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
