"The five strains commingling forth produce sweet Harmony. The Bani flows in unending streams all the time."
- Guru Arjan
"The particular sounds that have an upward pull are five in number, as stated by the various saints, and may be apprehended through their Grace and contacted in their company. Such sounds carry with them the effect of the spiritual planes from which they proceed and in turn produce the same effect on him who comes in contact with them. They have their own heavenly melodies, the rapturous strains of which depersonalizes the soul by freeing it from the chains of mundane life."
- Sant Kirpal Singh
"Each plane has a sound, and the greater the spiritual development is within that individual, the fainter and subtler that sound becomes."
- Sri Darwin Gross
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Just as the five primary inner regions have different colors, so too do they have different sounds reflecting their respective vibratory frequencies. As our inner hearing opens up in meditation, strains of the divine Melody begin to be heard either above the third eye center or coming from the right side. The sounds most often heard will initially be those of the conch shell and/or bell. These are the sounds of the astral plane and indicate that we are operating on this level.
Frequently, people will hear the bell or conch before seeing this plane=s light. This is because some are more auditorially oriented, and some more visually so. It really doesn’t matter whether you see or hear first. The important thing is to simply pay attention to what is happening from within.
When you hear the bell sound, for instance, notice where Its coming from, and allow It to gradually draw you to Its Source. Do not go chasing after it like a hound pursuing a rabbit for, like the rabbit, it will vanish in an instant. The inner door opens toward you. Let the Sound approach you and lift you up into It of Its own accord.
As you travel up and in, you will find that the Sound changes. Within the reverberation of the conch or bell you will begin to hear the rhythmic, thundering beat of a big drum. This is a sign that you are approaching the Causal Plane, the home of the reactive mind, the holder of past (and future) memories, the source of the OM power and space-time continuum. Sonicly, the experience is not unlike that of visiting a Tibetan Buddhist monastery where they beat a drum and chant "OM" (or "OM Mane Padme Hum"). In addition, because the vibrational frequency being more refined than that of the Astral/emotional Plane, the coarser, astral body must be shed before visiting this realm.
As you rise above the Causal Plane you will find that the energy becomes finer still, with the spiritual frequency gradually pervading over the material frequency. In the process, you shed your causal body and shine brightly as pure intellect. The thundering drumbeat is replaced by a sweet, uplifting chorus of violins. This - along with the sky-blue hue you see all around you - lets you know that you have risen to the supra-causal, or mental, realm (also known in the east as "Par Brahm" or "Daswan Dwar").
"Where can we get this Dhun? God is our real Lord. In His Court resounds the Divine Melody. When a devotee is able to still his wandering mind and, with the help of a Master, gains access to Daswan Dwar (the Tenth Door), there he drinks the Elixir of Life. It is at this place that the Master showers Ambrosia and the Sound Current resounds. Sahaj-Dhun then manifests in the body. By listening to it one subdues the mind, and the temple of the body becomes sublime."
- Hazur Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj
Allowing the Sound to lift you still further within, you shed your mental body and find that the symphonic splendor of the violins reaches a crescendo, coalescing into the single piercing note of a flute. This is the Etheric Plane, known in Sant Mat as "Bhanwar Gupha" or "Sohang Lok". When you hear the flute, you know you are almost Home. It will become stronger, more focused and compressed as It guides you - past all mental and subconscious distractions - higher within.
At this point, it is of paramount importance that you let go of all through and form completely, and surrender to the Wave of Pure Sound. Just like riding the rapids, It will take you through that final aperture of the needle's eye (as Jesus called it) and shoot you out the other side into the pure, golden bliss of your True Home, Sach Khand.
The Sound greeting your arrival is like that of a million bagpipes and light is brighter than a billion suns. Here, there is no matter, energy, space or time. It is the Isness of all Isness. It is the Light and Song of Sat Purush. It is here that the Satguru resides, and it is here that He is commissioned to guide you to attaining self and God-realization.
Illuminated by Sound. Serenaded by Light. Saturated in Divine Love. It is the ultimate homecoming!
Thank you . . . with love,
Michael Turner
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"Tis all Wonder, Wonder, Wonder;
Wonder hath assumed a form."
- Shiv Dayal Singh (Soamiji Maharaj)
"There was great beauty in the Shabd. It had a music that was beyond any music created by man and which drew the soul toward Itself. It was forever calling the spirit toward its Divine Home and though it was not heard by ordinary men, yet those who had developed, through practice and the grace of the Satguru, the capacity of inner hearing, could hear its melody every minute of the day, now growing stronger as the mind focused itself at one point, now dimming and fading away as one's thoughts scattered in various directions and attention was dissipated. It was Shabda that was the true anchor of the seeker. It was the conscious power that had brought everything into creation and it was also one's real Master - the Shabd Guru - for the Satguru in his human form was its physical manifestation."
- Sant Kirpal Singh
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