by Bea Martin and David Johnson, Bards of Avalon
There was definitely a breeze … Yet I was inside, windows and doors closed. What astounded me was that I could feel the breeze blowing through me. I felt as though a cannon ball had blasted through the core of my being. Walls around my heart came tumbling down, and tears which I’d dammed away in the deepest recesses of my soul suddenly burst forth.
Barely five minutes of toning “Om” for the first time and this had been the result. Thus began my journey with sound.
I’d trained in a variety of healing modalities, but nothing had touched me so profoundly or quickly as this event. I’ve since spent many years on a quest to learn more about the therapeutic qualities of sound.
That journey has led me to many interesting places, not least Stonehenge where I met my partner David on a sound healing workshop.
David’s introduction to sound therapy came in a rather serendipitous way: he won a sound bath in a charity auction. David was fascinated by sound and knew he was supposed to win this bid. David’s prize was to be bathed in the sounds of a large Paiste gong, a selection of Himalayan bowls and other percussion instruments. David felt lighter, and had tingling sensations all over his body. It certainly was the most intense energetic experience with sound he’d ever had. David asked the sound practitioner for more information and he started attending sound healing workshops, leading to the one at Stonehenge where we were destined to meet.
Right from the start, we were travelling to sacred sites, singing praises to the land and the elements. We found ourselves drawn to singing mantras, sacred names of God/Goddess, connecting with angelic, elemental and other-worldly ethereal realms.
We were part of a small group of six on our first sacred journey to Egypt in 2004. We had private access in the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid. Each person took turns to lie in the sarcophagus whilst the rest of the group toned that person’s name. It was a deeply honouring process. We learned that we still had more time in the chamber, so David climbed back into the sarcophagus to do some toning. When he toned with his deep bass voice, the whole chamber reverberated. It felt like a spaceship taking off and it seemed that David had found the resonant note for this chamber.
Our next journey to Egypt found us back in the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid on 9th September 2007 (9:9:9). Michelle Eloff was leading an international group of thirty people around the sacred sites of Egypt, Israel and Jordan. Michelle invited us to invoke the Four Archangels of the Four Directions through sound within the King’s Chamber. The feedback from the group afterwards was that it felt as though these angels were present and even those who normally didn’t feel energies, could feel goosebumps on their bodies.
That journey through Egypt, Israel and Jordan was very significant for us as it was the first time we were sharing these sounds with a wider audience. We were constantly asked to record these sounds. Fortunately, David had a portable recording device, so encouraged by the group’s feedback, we made a number of recordings.
When the journey ended, we had some time in Egypt on our own and decided to have a guide to take us on a tour of Cairo. We wanted to sing in a variety of ancient places of worship. So, we got permission to sing “Ave Maria” in one of the oldest Christian buildings, the “Kodoish” in a synagogue, “Kyrie Eleison” in a Greek Orthodox church and were invited to tone “Allah” in the Mohammed Ali Mosque in Cairo. We sang to honour the land and to honour all paths as a statement of peace.
Back in David’s home town of Bristol, we played the sound recordings from the journey to a local Reiki master. She listened to us invoking the Seven Archangels of the Seven Rays, Melchizedek, Metatron and Moses in Ain Musa, Moses’ Well, in Jordan. She described her listening experience as being “plugged into the mains.” We then played sounds recorded in the Temple of the Winged Lion in Petra which she found deeply moving, a mournful lament of the land. Finally, we played a recording at Shepherds’ Fields in Bethlehem which was joyful and meditative.
The Reiki Master said that these sounds were perfect for clearing, release and empowerment. She asked us if we could use sound to assist some of her clients with chronic disease. Whilst working with these clients together, we discovered that areas of disease really wanted to be heard. Our role was to give voice to these parts so they could be witnessed. These sessions often started with growls, moans and dissonant voices that gave way to soaring harmonies. This witnessing and expression feels a very important part of someone’s healing/wholing journey. It is even more empowering when clients can make sounds themselves.
People would often ask us if we could make an album as they found our sounds and harmonies very relaxing and soothing. We always had the excuse that we had full-time jobs and had neither the time nor the resources to do this; however, we both lost our jobs due to redundancy. Then, in October 2009, we were guided to meet Amma, the “hugging saint”, and decided we both wanted to receive a personal mantra from her. After our encounter with Amma, we set a clear intent that we would record an album. Within a few days of using our personal mantras, a friend contacted us out of the blue to say she had just set up a record label, bought portable recording equipment and was studying sound recording at a local college. We also had a friend offer his services as a graphic designer for the album cover art. Our album, “The Archangel Transmissions”, was birthed on Summer Solstice 2010.
Our experiences with the album were a perfect demonstration of Jonathan Goldman’s formula:
Sound + Intent = Manifestation
This formula is the foundation of our work and we find increasingly that we act as catalysts and coaches, enabling people to let go of limiting beliefs, patterns and behaviours. We’re greatly influenced by Esther and Jerry Hicks’ “Abraham” materials and found them very transformative, both for ourselves and others.
Whether for inner journeying or outward creative expression, sound has had a profound impact on our lives. Sound has led us on a most extraordinary adventure and the stories we have shared here are just a few highlights. There is still much to learn and explore in the realm of sound. Come and join the adventure!
Bea and David will be facilitating “Adventures in Sound” retreats in Turkey in 2014. For more information about retreats, sound baths, talks, presentations, ceremonies and other sound events, go to:
www.bardsofavalon.com
