Sonic Angel Music: SOS Journal

Southern Artistry, an online artist registry designed to showcase the South's artistic diversity and excellence by spotlighting outstanding artists of all disciplines that live and work in the region has awarded Candace and her work with Spiral of Sound placement on this prestigious registry, 2010.
http://www.southernartistry.org/Spiral_of_Sound

SOS took us "Beyond Space and Time" into dimensions previously unknown last Saturday night at UUCA in Atlanta!

We experienced the intervals inherent in the Fibonacci series and felt ourselves meld into harmonies that define our physical bodies in “Fibonacci Twinkle”!

We traveled into the Sacred Warrior Syllables from Tibet with “Cosmic Whorl” and discovered a luminous open space within!

We ventured sonically and visually into the ancient “Harmonic Temples” of Egypt as SOS recreated the intervals of these sacred structures in sound, simultaneously presenting them on screen.

Guest artists, Kim Chamberlain and Martin Gueorguiev accompanied on clarinet and cello.

By popular demand SOS also performed their arrangement of Leonard Cohen’s haunting “Hallelujah" in which the audience felt compelled to join us - joyfully singing along on the chorus!

The players' movement of the bowls from layout to layout was well orchestrated and the act was reminiscent of sacred sand mandalas being brushed aside to create anew!

Candace's interesting commentary introducing each layout combined information about ancient sound healing practice, archetypal images, scientific research and humorous anecdotes. The visualization during "Cosmic Whorl" brought us into deep levels of meditation. The slides of ancient temples in Egypt were so evocative - one person said he could even smell the mummies!

Now that's a multi-dimensional experience!!

NEWSFLASH!!!

SOS was just appointed to the Georgia Council for the Arts Touring Artist Roster for 2010 - 2013! Good work Candace!

Check out the links page and click on the You Tube links where you can see and hear SOS playing three pieces that they performed for ISTA last September 2008 and recorded in October: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, So Ham meditation and ARCHetypal Intervals with crystal bowls and flute!

SOS presented a seamless meditation experience on 08-08-08 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta. The audience found themselves entering an intimate darkened arena illuminated by glowing crystal bowls which were placed on the stage floor below them. The 8 bowls encircled by flowers were placed just above those stationed at the points of a six-pointed star. The performance started with "ARCH-etypal Intervals", a sound meditation which balanced the archetypal elements within our physical, emotional and spiritual bodies. The sound of the flute and crystal bowls together led us to find that pathway accessing our original blueprint of health. The next sound meditation offered was that based around the six-pointed star in which SOS sonically re-enacted the legend of creation: from ether to air to fire to water to earth, inviting the audience to join us in the So Ham breath, the prayer of life in the body connecting us to God. The third and final meditation was a song of celebration with singer, Ian Boccio, joining us in a crystal bowl arrangement of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"! This beautiful and haunting song was perfectly matched to the ethereal sounds of the bowls and garnered a standing ovation from the audience. Bravo SOS!

SOS ushered in the deeply meditational time of Winter Solstice and the joy of Christmas with two moving performances. The in demand performance of "Angel Wings" was presented at Atlanta Unity Church on Wednesday December 19th. This multi-media presentation invites participants to journey through the chakras by meditating inside a circle of fifteen chakra bowls while a light show illuminating the chakra combinations floats above in a deep blue sky. A very deep meditation was had by all!
On Sunday, December 23rd, SOS performed "Archetypal Intervals" for Trinity Church of Religious Science. This layout is in the shape of an arch, the strongest form in architecture. Architecture has been defined as "frozen music". Indeed the ratios of form correlate to specific ratios of sound. These specific ratios of sound correlate to the archetypal elements of fire, air, water, ether and earth. In serving as a bridge between energy and form SOS Quartz Crystal Bowls sounded the archetypal elements within our physical, emotional and spiritual bodies as a way to access our original blueprint of health. This sound meditation gently lead us through all the elements so that participants felt balanced and re-energized and ready for the New Year to come!

On Sunday, November 18th, SOS performed the sound of Thanksgiving at Trinity Church of Religious Science! This layout was based on the Anahata star symbol, the Heart Chakra, and included toning of the Sanskrit mantra and the twelve bijas associated with this energy center. Made up of two superimposed equilateral triangles, one upright and one inverted, the six-pointed star encapsulates a symbol of both Spirit descending into the Physical and the Physical ascending to Spirit. This geometric juxtaposition is also a powerful image of the harmonious relationship between male and female forces in the universe. The inverted triangle is the symbol of creativity, Shakti; and the upright triangle represents consciousness or Shiva. The crystal bowl pitches heard were the musical intervals that defined the specific ratios of the six-pointed star as well as the archetypal intervals that defined the energetic nature of the Heart chakra.
Anahata in sanskrit means unstruck. It is often interpreted as, "unstruck sound," and it is from this chakra that the inner sound or natural music of the body is said to arise.
SOS sounded the “unstruck” to strengthen the qualities of love, gratitude and thanksgiving in our hearts!

"I was transported with SOS's performance. Their procession with the lanterns and all of them in robes evoked timeless ceremonies of the past. And the magical harmonies of the bowls with the temple imagery changing on the screen behind them was a sensory delight. Candace's flute-playing and Susan's singing were absolutely beautiful, the way they wove in and out of each other's melodies. I felt the music carry me through a gateway and into a strangely familiar ancient past. - Janet

A world premiere multi-media performance by flutist, Candace Keach, song weaver, Susan Elizabeth Hale and the Spiral of Sound Crystal Bowl Choir initiated the 2007 Cymatics Conference into the healing temples of ancient times. The harmonics of Egyptian temples dating from 5,000 to 350 BCE were recreated visually and sonically so that the audience was immersed in sacred ratios of music that had been set in stone thousands of years ago. A journey back in time with flute, voice and crystal bowls! No passport needed!

SOS played in the World Congress Center's Garden Courtyard for the closing ceremony of “Around the World in Oneness Tour” sponsored by Humanity’s Team - Neale Donald Walsch this past Sunday evening. SOS's Star Mandala layout was inspired by the Divine Natural Order hidden in our DNA. A cross-section of the structure of DNA reveals 5 decagon sets. Star Mandala consists of one of these sets - a double pentagon containing a double 5-pointed star! The 10 Crystal Bowls which were played were tuned to the 5 notes of the Pentatonic Scale, one of the oldest modal tonalities known, traceable back to the Bronze Age. The Golden Mean relationship is inherent in this layout both in the mirroring and replication of star within pentagon within star within pentagon and within the angles of the pentagons and stars themselves. This decagon with it’s 10-pointed star reminds us of the importance many cultures placed on the number ten. From the Ancient Greeks’ “Tetraktys” to the Kabbalah’s Tree of Life, ten was considered a number of mysterious divine power, a symbol of universal creation and return to oneness. Star Mandala, is a synthesis of these many layers of knowledge. With Sacred Geometry, Sacred Sound and Divine Order our intention was to reawaken the harmony within and so reconnect us to the grand “harmony of the spheres”. We asked that our connection with Nature, with Humanity, with Earth and with our Divinity come into full realization. For truly "We Are All One"!

"Whew....... the premier performance of "Templar Cross" and the popular "Angel Wings" meditation were presented at St. James Episcopal Church on Wednesday, March 28th. "Templar Cross" was written by composer, associate pastor, Ray Gotko, specifically for SOS, flute and synthesizer. It is a beautifully organic piece based on a cycling of eight bowls arranged in intervals of 5ths and placed at the eight points of the Templar Cross. The audience was spellbound! The 2 back-to-back meditations that evening involved 19 bowls and 16 players and an organizational chart that looked like the Redcoat Marching Band drill instructions!

Then on Saturday, March 31, eight members of SOS played for Don Simmons' sold out "Chakra Balancing Meditation" at Phoenix and Dragon.

And then on Sunday morning, April 1, SOS performed the powerful "Cosmic Whorl" meditation for the Course In Miracles Study Group at the Theosophical Society in Sandy Springs. A wonderful receptive group who generously took all nine of us out to lunch afterwards!!!"

Intuitive singer, Susan Elizabeth Hale, Percussionist, Chuck Cogliandro and Flutist, Candace Keach ushered in Spring with ISTA's Equin-ISTA Concert on a blustery March 16th evening. The concert was a melding of Susan's channeled songs, Candace's classical flute solos, Chuck's African drumming and Chuck and Susan's leading of audience participation chants! The celebration was that of a Divine Wedding of Masculine and Feminine - Green Man & The Goddess. The audience favorites were Susan's haunting melody, "Michael & Mary", accompanied by ocean drum and flute; the Pachelbel Alleluia Canon Audience Spiral accompanied by bass flute, C flute and bass drum; Chuck's Djembe Solo and the Crystal Bowl Meditation with 3 large bowls played by Chuck and Susan, accompanied by Susan's vocalise and Candace's improvised flute melodies. It was a miraculous collaboration which we hope will be repeated!

"I found the Cosmic Whorl to be a deep and rich experience. The guided portion provides some understanding and support for using the meditation for going deeper. It is more active than the unguided one. Both provide a rich landscape.
I noticed after last time that what I focused on during the meditation
occurred to me later when I could use the support. Nice." - Lavonne

SOS Crystal Bowl Choir blessed Serenity Lakes Healing Center with a Tibetan Sound Healing Meditation this past Sunday. This 30 minute meditation immersed the audience into the depths of the five "Warrior Syllables". Participants joined SOS in toning these ancient meditation sounds as they were supported within the crystal bowl harmonies of AH, OM, HUNG, RAM and DZA. The bowls were arranged in the spiraling cosmic whorl found in Tibetan symbology representing the energy of manifestation. Participants attuned themselves to the sounds of Spaciousness, Awareness, the Four Immeasurables of love, joy, compassion and equanimity and Effortless Manifestation!

Candace collaborated with soprano sound shaman, Norma Gentile, in a Winter Solstice Candlelight Concert at Emory Presbyterian Church on Saturday, December 23rd. Norma's gift as an intuitive and a highly trained musician was perfectly matched with Candace's in an improvised duet of flute and voice which guided the audience into a deeply peaceful meditation near the end of the concert. Norma sang the works of Hildegard von Bingen artfully accompanied also by Tibetan Bowls, Gordon Porth playing Harmonium and Patricia Kilpatrick playing Tambura.