Singing bowls

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 Sep 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kyrielle	26 Sep 2002
I have just begun to work with these and am finding them amazing. There's not a whole lot out there about them, either books or on the web, so most things need to be learned from scratch. Antique bowls come from the Himalayan region, and were said to have secret and sacred uses as a type of meditation bell or gong for Tibetan monks. When China invaded the monestaries, many bowls were destroyed, and some of the ones that survived were rescued and found their way to the Western market. You play a singing bowl by running a wooden stick around the outside rim. This produces a long humming tone consisting of a range of low and high notes. You can also strike a bowl with a mallet as you would a chime. It is said that the monks used the sound of the singing bowls as an aid to achieve enlightenment, but so far it hasn't happened to me! The bowls come in a variety of sizes and prices. They are made of metal alloys ranging from five to eleven metals, with the seven-metal bowl being the most famous. New bowls are being made by Himalayan and Indian craftspeople; these are more affordable than the antique Tibetan bowls, but some say they lack a certain something. The benefit comes from the sound and vibration of the bowls when struck or "sung." Some say that different notes affect different chakras. There is definitely an "OM" thing going on! One good website is www.himalayanbowls.com. They sell bowls there, but even if most of them are beyond your reach, you can still view them, read about them, and hear the sound of each bowl via mp3. This is the greatest thing spirituality-wise to happen to me since tarot, so I had to share it with everyone. Anyone else know of these? -- Kyrielle

Sorceress_Jade	26 Sep 2002
My friend uses a very large bowl that looks like it's made of frosted glass. I don't know precisely what the material is, but it's not metal. I've heard it sing and it's fantastic, it really is VERY relaxing. The way the single chord vibrates and moves is amazing. I want one of these for myself, I look at them in the shops round here often, but haven't slapped down the cash for one. If you are into meditation, or meditative music/sounds, these are something to look into.

HudsonGray	26 Sep 2002
Theyve got them for $70 and $95 at the store here, they sell most of their stuff online, so do a lot of mail order. http://www.wehug.com/tibetan-meditation-supplies.html The bowls are a little way down the page. Still expensive, but I think all of them will be. A search on Tibetan Bowls or Singing Bowls might turn up some lower cost ones though.

joya250	26 Sep 2002
hi Kyrielle, yes, I know exactly what you are talking about! aren't they great! The HP in my lodge aquired one a few months ago, and we have been encorporating it into our workings. It is large and looks like frosted glass. It is made of crystal and resonnates with the note "D" (I believe) -- which corresponds to the throat chakra. I've played it several times for the group. The sound is so penetrating and commanding, yet relaxing. :) joya

Lee	26 Sep 2002
I think there's some stuff on singing bowls at Carol Herzer's website (she's the artist for the Illuminated Tarot). -- Lee

Moose	26 Sep 2002
Hi Kyrielle. I found this site in a New England 'New Age' paper. It was in either the Of Spirit or the Sacred Pathways. It is www.discoverthesound.com Hope this is of some assistance in your search. Blessings.................Moose

cjtarot	26 Sep 2002
Hi all, I purchased cymbols and a dorje bell from this company, there were verry nice. They sell bowls.. http://www.oldyak.com Will get one someday..I love the way the sound... CJ

Strega	26 Sep 2002
Thanks for the links... I'll get one someday. :)

the hermit	27 Sep 2002
Kyrielle-- what a wonderful website. i've always wanted a singing bowl but could never find any place that sold them near where i could go and hold them and listen... at least not the old ones. and guess what? the site owner lives in san francisco... only an hour south of me! i've already spoken with him and will be going down to visit him soon. thank you very much for the link!!!!

Kyrielle	02 Mar 2003
Thread bumped up by request. -- Kyrielle

Eissej	02 Mar 2003
I'm sure someone has thought of this already (and I haven't checked into it myself) but I've been told they can be found on ebay farily inexpensivly, even the BIG crystal ones. There are hand sized ones here, next to last item on the page... http://www.serrv.org/cgi-bin/page.cgi?CODE=26249.192.68.112.110.1046652981&category=Empty&Search=&OrderNum36707=&OrderNum36853=&OrderNum37077=&OrderNum37935=&STARTNUM=20&EXTRA=0&LASTPREVIOUS=10&CURRENTSTART=15&CurCat=Musical&CODE=26249.192.68.112.110.1046652981&ArrowR.x=23&ArrowR.y=12 I actually have one of those, just the right size to slip into my one of my pouches and tie to my belt and run off to the woods for an afternoon :D The same group sells a book about them but I haven't read it. Again, at the bottom of the page. http://www.serrv.org/cgi-bin/page.cgi?CODE=26249.192.68.112.110.1046652981&Special1=03009&Special2=65115&Special3=43329&Special4=06234&Special5=95443&category=Books&Go=Go&Search=

Ruby Red Slippers	03 Mar 2003
My husband was fascinated with these bowls. Once he played one in Sedona, AZ we ended up making room in the car for it and brought this huge bowl back home. He bought the "A" note bowl, which resonates to the third eye. It is most beautiful for a meditation, but also a lovely way just to start each morning. The dogs love it too! It's a nice ritual to set the "tone" for any activity, Tarot reading, energy work, Reiki, Shin jin Jyutsu, anything. It makes the ordinary extra-ordinary. I would encourage anyone to buy one and play it often. Wonderful for clearing the space also. A word of caution, 2 or more bowls can be played at the same time as long as they are not the same note. Two bowls of the same note played at the same time will cause them to shatter. The power of frequency! I've also put my Tarot cards in the bowl, played it and pick a message. Very interesting!

Kyrielle	05 Mar 2003
I don't know about crystal bowls, but I've found the Tibetan metal bowls on Ebay tend to be no real bargain. In the end, they have always sold for about the same price as you can find them being sold for on other sites. Also you have to really watch claims and quality with anything on Ebay. Most of the bowls I've seen there seem to be the new style, which are fancy and inexpensive, but the quality of the sound is nowhere near as inspiring as that of an older and/or better crafted bowl. When buying any bowl from an online source, listen to the sound clip if there is one. It doesn't do the live sound justice, of course, but it gives you enough of an idea whether the bowl is for you or not. Those of you interested in bowls, and those of you who own them: Are you more into crystal or Tibetan metal bowls? Why? -- Kyrielle

RAVENAL	06 Mar 2003
Thanks Kyrielle for bumping this up I do have both quartz and Tibetian singing bowls...I've worked with 6 quartz crystal bowls for almost 8 yrs now...clear and frosted and all the notes except A...usually relating to the third eye if considering chakra correspondances(someday I'll complete the set)...the bowls I have range in size from 22 inches in diameter to 6"...they are astonishing tools of sound/vibration and light...and bring in all the added benefits of quartz...as programable and containing/splitting the light spectrum...and the tone is very different then Tibetian bowls...reminders of Atlantis... they have had lots of use by members of my family and friends and by participants at celebrations and earth healing and prayer circles...and we have done much shamanic journeying and meditation with them as well...I have used them in house blessings and clearings and made many gem and mineral elixirs and some flower essences and planetary alighnment/astrological elixirs with them too... they can be played by the sliding stick around the edge method or within the edge method or struck as a gong...the corresponding tools/sticks being necessary...and it is certainly true lots of room between bowls is needed to prevent shattering...one of my favorite things to do is play the bowls in a spontaneous manner and just see what developes...I often use essential oils or flower essences or mineral elixers within the bowls to vibrate these into our surroundings and lift or clear the energy...and photos or prayers are often used...many items could be placed within...but be careful of a rattling vibration...a pad of clean cotton gauze is ideal beneath what you might add to the bowl... they are very effective in distance healing or directly in person...each note can be correlated to each chakra and energizing clearing and balancing occurs...but because of quartz's programability this can also be achieved in a different fashion with only 1 bowl as well...they are a wonderful way to clear and program stones and crystals...clear massage tables...(plastics and foam are often difficult to clear)...and clear energy blockages within the body...and I often play one or more to complement other healing modalities... in structuring water for health benefits and raising vibration they are unparalleled...the benefits of structured water in baths...drinking...for pets...plants...etc...has been proven to me many times over...will find and add links at a later date...the quartz bowls also have the capability to split sunlight into its full spectrum and add these benefits to water and all these benefits impact our health and the health of all living things... they are multipurpose tools...but I have found that most people prefer either the Quartz bowls or the Tibetian bowls...I love both...so does my husband and the animals usually prefer the quartz...If I had to choose just one for it's capability and versatility though it would have to be the quartz...there are full moon ceremonies around the planet that quartz bowl players participate in to help and bless the earth and all her children... these have been going on for many years...cont...

RAVENAL	06 Mar 2003
I acquired my Tibetian bowls before my Quartz bowls...I have 5...and 2 are ancient authentic ones...and yes these are of fuller sound but the others of good quality are powerful and lovely too...I first heard them played in Woodstock NY...there is a Tibetian Buddhist Temple up in the mountains overlooking Woodstock and we have loved to visit there... the sounds of the horns and bells and cymbals were lovely during celebrations and during prayer and meditation but nothing captured my attention and my heart as did the singing bowls...the haunting sounds and the almost crying...whining...whirring...unearthly melodies they made...and the peaceful expansive feelings they engendered were awesome...they almost always made me cry... later in exploring past lives I found a life in Tibet and the singing bowls allowed me to visit this time again and gain much useful information from that life...they can be used to travel the Sri Yantra in meditation and other conscious states...exploring beyond the confines of body or earth...and thru the solar system into the cosmos and are the easiest way I have found to venture there...but these paths are ancient and easily followed...especially with the song of these bowls... the range of sound from a good Tibetian bowl is wider than the quartz bowl...they are played in the same way...because of their smaller size they can always be held...either flat in the palm or upon the fingertips...and this vibration traveling thru the body is another way to clear...energize and balance... they can be used for many of the same things as quartz bowls...but not in making the essences and elixirs and not the same structuring of water... but the bowls are often filled with water when played...this changes the energy and sound issuing from the bowl and the water is structured ...but the drinking of this can introduce too much metal into the system for this to be a regular healthy practice... they are often used to clear and balance energy very efficiently and I have done this both with and without the addition of essential oils and essences and elixirs...they clear and charge crystals and stones and any space and do so very quickly and completely...often I will use them to "smudge" an area or person with sound if unable to use sage or other things...they cannot be programmed...and do not have the capabilities of working with light...they work well in journeys and meditation and easily allow access to many states of consiousness... the tone is not pure and crystaline like the quartz bowls...but it is able to work deeply to heal and effects all the chakras...they may be more grounding than some of the crystal bowls depending on size and note(of the quartz bowls)...they are more easily portable and need not the special care in transporting or use as do the quartz... there is a legend of the 7 sacred metals used in the original bowls makeup with one being meteorite from the stars...this cosmic connection is often associated with Tibet and traditionally the bowls were played as altrustic service... and love/ prayers/blessing and vibration were sent out to all the cosmos... sending out this vibration for the highest good of all... and the returning energy of love/prayer/blessing/vibration..."good karma" was then multiplied back for earth and all her creatures...the Tibetians continue this practice still...it's wonderful to play them with this intention and know how it connects to this ancient tradition and blesses us all... there must be others out there who have experiences to share...what do you use singing bowls for... Kyrielle...what about you...???

DarkElectric	15 Mar 2003
My Reiki master uses singing bowls to open, cleanse, and tune the chakras. Apparently, different tones correspond to different chakras, and when the bowl sings over the one which vibes to it, the chakra opens and clears. She has used this technique on me, with great success. I'm learning how to do this now. When I get my Reiki II I'll be using bowls regularly. Has anybody else heard about the use of singing bowls in Reiki?

RAVENAL	15 Mar 2003
I have had personal experience playing both quartz crystal bowls and Tibetian singing bowls while a friend used Reiki...they are certainly compatible during any healing...friends and I have often started the cleansing process by a "smudging" with sound...at each chakra...we usually start at the area above the head and the front of the body and sweep the ringing bowl downward thru the aura to the feet.. sometimes concentrating the sound/vibration at any chakra or area which is blocked, sluggish or closed...etc...the client is standing for this process and after cleansing the front this same procedure next sweeps the back... this could be done for activating and balancing as well while standing and in itself could be a complete healing and toning system...I have often used this to begin other healing techniques...it is so fast and efficient that any healing modality which is used after is also more effective...I have done crystal layouts and used the bowls in conjunction as stones and crystals work with the vibrational principles too...sound vibration at the chakras and anywhere on the body or within the aura adds further dimension to any healing technique... many healers also use the bowls to finish a session...setting the new pattern of the healing into place at a very deep level... they can also build a sheid of protection if necessary...by repeated striking they can be used to bring the client into a more present awareness and grounding when any healing work or meditation is complete...I have often sounded a certain note into a quartz crystal (programed/encoded it) enabling this vibration to be carried and used after the healing...if more work with a chakra or any area corresponding to this note is necessary...a comforting and soothing note is also able to be encoded and used in this way... Reiki water can be made in a quartz crystal bowl and further encoded with sound...vibrational pattern...the quartz energy and light...I have known of Reiki attunments taking place while using the singing bowls too...both quartz and Tibetian...

coldsuns	16 Mar 2003
What is Chakras? And whats a singing bowl for? Can someone tell me more about it?

Kyrielle	16 Mar 2003
I use mine in a way similar to smudging, also. For a space or room, you walk around and play the bowl, moving it high and low and making sure to catch all the corners and crannies. For a person, move it around their body. It has a way of getting stagnant energy going again and making you feel calmer and more grounded and centered after a time of frustration or depression. I also use them to send out waves to the universe in general or to certain people or groups I have in mind. Or even to my own self. For example, peace or healing. Hold a bowl up, center yourself, and form your thought into a single word or concise phrase. This is your mantra. Strike the bowl once with a soft mallet and speak, chant, or tone your mantra. Hold the thought of the mantra in your mind as the bowl sounds, visualizing the thought riding the sound waves out into the world and reaching the far corners of the universe, or whoever you intend the energy for. Let the first ring fade, then strike the bowl again and repeat the mantra. Do this as long as you wish. It works best if you use a bowl with a very long ring. You can also, instead of striking the bowl with a soft mallet like a gong, work up a strong vortex of sound and energy by singing the bowl with a stick (puja) around the rim, and then release the puja when the sound is strongest. In this case, you can repeat your mantra as you sing the bowl, feeling the energy build, and then release it and send the waves out into the world as before. It works well for me to chant the mantra in tune with the bowl. Pick the overtone (note) that is most comfortable for your vocal range, and sing along with the bowl. One book I have says the note corresponding to the mantra "OM" is C#, but whatever note you resonate with is the best, I think. Or slide from overtone to overtone and make up a little song. When you sing in tune with one of the bowl's overtones, you feel like you are part of the bowl, and thus part of the history and continuum of energy associated with these bowls and the still very mysterious culture which invented them. I also have a set of tingsha that I sound, then hold one up beside either temple, and they lift my spirits, relax and focus me, and get energy moving very effectively. You could also use these to signal the beginning and end of meditation, as they are used by the Tibetan monks, or the start and end of a ritual. Tingsha are small, thick cymbals made of the same metal alloys as the bowls. They come in sets of two, joined through the centers with a leather thong. Hold the thong and let the cymbals touch each other to ring. Lovely, high, and purifying. Tibetan bells can be rung three ways: with the clapper like any bell, by striking with a soft mallet or puja, or, uniquely, they can be sung like a bowl with a puja around the outer bottom edge. A Tibetan bell will usually come with a dorje ("thunderbolt"), which represents the male principle to match the bell's female principle. This can be moved along with the bell in special patterns to enhance meditation and please the spirits, who like to watch the patterns. The only people I have ever heard of who actually know these special patterns, though, are lamas. I have never seen one perform in person. Someday I'll get a crystal bowl to experiment with, now that I've read some of the different properties of that material. -- Kyrielle

DarkElectric	17 Mar 2003
When I got my Reiki I attunements, my Reiki master used the bowl! It definitely enhanced my attunement. I really felt totally attuned after she did it, and am looking forward to receiving my Reiki II and my own bowl. I know, I could buy one. But I can't afford one right now, and I think one will be coming as a gift with my Reiki II :)

The Singing bowls thread was originally posted on 26 Sep 2002 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.