Written by Kristina N. Terzieva, Reiki Master Teacher
Kristina N. Terzieva is a Reiki Master Teacher, as well as an energy healing practitioner with experience in sound healing and voice spectrum analysis. She is the founder of Astraea Healing Connection – a private holistic health practice – which offers distance healing through the following modalities: Reiki, sound healing, and voice analysis.
It has been two years now since I embarked on a transformational journey through sound healing, and the results have been astounding! I first “discovered” the concept of sound healing while looking for the Sanskrit version of the 100-syllable mantra (Vajrasattva Mantra), known for its purifying effects on the listener, or the one who chants it. In my search for the Sanskrit rendition, I chanced upon the YouTube channel of Nepali sound healer – Anup Panthi. This serendipitous encounter introduced me to sound as a form of medicine.
“Singing is one of the most efficient ways to shape our body. The body literally vibrates with song and harmony. The act of singing permits us to open a dialog with space so that we become flooded by its vibrations and merge with it, acoustically speaking.” – Alfred A. Tomatis
My motivation for seeking sound solutions came in response to the profound shift that I experienced, based on my previous encounter with the Mantra of Light (Vairocana Mantra). I felt an energetic block that constricted my ability to express myself and to manifest my true potential. Over time, I noticed that chanting this mantra regularly helped dispel, or lift off, even if temporarily, the energy that caused these constraints. Seeing these encouraging effects, I continued my regular practice ever expanding on the selection of mantras for my daily routine.
Eventually, I added some vocal toning aimed at balancing the tone patterns of my speaking voice. Having done a voice analysis session with an expert in the field, I had established that a range of notes – such as D#, F, F#, G, and G# – did not show up quite as often when I spoke as the low and the high notes – C, C#, A, A#, and B. I left the session with a sound medicine prescription of vocal toning of 15 minutes to one hour per day, focused on chanting mantras within that specific range. Six months into that practice, I found myself being able to feel, hear, and vocalize the “missing” range with ease – be it while entraining with a singing bowl, or just humming on my own.
What difference does it really make? – one might ask. One of the key principles of Hermetic philosophy – “As above, so below” – underlies the foundation of this type of voice analysis, which combines medical astrology and sound healing. More specifically, this approach links the planetary alignment at the time of one’s birth (or natal chart) to the tonal spectrum in one’s voice. According to this method, a musical note corresponds to each zodiacal sign. The analysis aims at discovering what frequencies in one’s voice may be dominant, or missing and how they correspond to the musical notes linked to the zodiac.
In my case, it turned out that I was missing the notes corresponding to my Sun and Moon sign (both in Sagittarius), as well as the ascendant (in Cancer). I took the vocal toning prescription to heart and started practicing up to a full hour daily over the course of nine months. I found that self-created sound does, indeed, massage the body from within. More importantly, it does assist with metabolism and enhances the body’s overall vitality. It also improves muscle strength and endurance, when done regularly. Better concentration and improved verbal expression also count towards the numerous and varied benefits that I experienced as a result of this practice.
Songaia Sound Wheel © Ani Williams
“Self-created sound affects you from inside out, whereas external sound affects you from outside in. There is really no comparison. Self-created sounds create a vibratory force – a resonance – within you that is difficult and frequently impossible to achieve through any other means. Different parts of the body, especially the brain would resonate with the sound. Some like to say that self-created sound gives you an internal massage.” – Jonathan Goldman
On an energy level, sound healing through vocal toning has helped me release body tension caused by stress. Energy, which we do not release in an effective way – be it through sound, sports, or creative projects – stores up in various body parts and can cause long-term, or chronic physical discomfort. Being able to deploy vocal toning as a means to release stuck energy has been a transformative experience for me on different levels and one that has yielded many unintended and unexpected benefits.
One of the best ways to use vocal harmonics is humming, or chanting mantras, if you feel so inclined. Make this your sound medicine on daily basis and you will notice results within a few weeks’ time. The way sound works to balance various systems in the body is by the process of entrainment. Entrainment, simply defined, is a way of harmonizing and aligning with a specific frequency. This process occurs primarily in the brain, and induces a specific brainwave frequency, but the body, overall, also entrains to that frequency, as we experience audible sound not only as a brain stimulus, but also with our entire body. Thus, organs can also “entrain” with a specific frequency.
"A person does not hear sound only through the ears; he hears sound through every pore of his body. It permeates the entire being, and according to its particular influence either slows or quickens the rhythm of the blood circulation; it either wakens or soothes the nervous system. It arouses a person to greater passions or it calms him by bringing him peace. According to the sound and its influence a certain effect is produced. Sound becomes visible in the form of radiance. This shows that the same energy which goes into the form of sound before being visible is absorbed by the physical body. In that way the physical body recuperates and becomes charged with new magnetism." – Hazrat Inayat Khan
Humming in one’s own voice has a therapeutic effect on the entire body, as it relaxes the nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve, which is the longest nerve in the human body and it regulates the parasympathetic system, responsible for calming the body. As we hum, or tone to a specific frequency, we, in essence, give our body and internal massage. Practicing vocal toning daily improves focus, mental clarity, balances metabolic processes, and strengthens the immune system.
The starting point for this holistic health modality, which combines aspects of medical astrology and voice spectrum analysis, as stated earlier, remains the natal chart. It represents the blueprint of who we are for this incarnation, and gives us the roadmap for this lifetime. It serves as a basic tool to keep us in alignment with our higher Self. As we bring back the weak or missing frequencies in our vocal spectrum, by toning regularly to these notes, through the process of entrainment, we harmonize with that celestial blueprint with the end result being to attain balance on all levels – physical and beyond.
According to medical astrology, each zodiac sign rules specific part of the body, and, given its corresponding note, we can impact an organ, or a system by toning to the note (frequency) corresponding to that sign. The following table shows the zodiac signs and the various organs and systems within the body that they rule. (Source: Zodiac signs and the body parts they rule)
Sign | Body Part | Glands and Organs |
Aries | Head, face | The suprarenal glands (adrenal glands), the eyes |
Taurus | Neck, throat, jaw | Thyroid, sensory organs |
Gemini | Hands, arms, lungs | Thymus, respiratory and nervous systems |
Cancer | Breasts, stomach, gall bladder | Mammary glands, body “containers” that retain water |
Leo | Heart, back, spine | Heart and major arteries |
Virgo | Intestines, abdomen, spleen | Pancreas, esophagus, intestines, digestive system |
Libra | Lower back, kidneys, bladder | Endocrine system and glands, urinary system |
Scorpio | Genitals, colon, rectum | Reproductive and elimination systems |
Sagittarius | Hips and thighs | Liver, hepatic system, pituitary gland |
Capricorn | Knees, bones, skin, teeth | Skeletal system |
Aquarius | Calves, veins, circulatory system | Pineal gland, blood, circulation system |
Pisces | Feet | Lymphatic system, pituitary gland |
Toning with intent further amplifies the effect of this practice. Using focused intent to direct the sound towards a target area would produce faster and lasting results. Jonathan Goldman’s formula: frequency + intent = healing applies fully with this regard. This technique works well with physical and emotional discomforts alike. Should we find ourselves in emotional distress, we could tone into the feeling with the intent to release it by giving it a “voice.”
Vocal toning presents one form of integrative medicine easily accessible to us, as it does not require anything other than our focused intent and our willingness to spend some time throughout the day either humming, or chanting a mantra. Toning to a specific frequency enhances this practice by adding another layer of intention and has the benefit of harmonizing our vocal spectrum with the tones corresponding to the zodiac sign(s) that rule a specific part of the body. For best results, one may consider building up this practice incrementally, starting with 15 minutes per day and extending the duration, as one’s schedule and free time permit.
Read more from Kristina N. Terzieva
Kristina N. Terzieva, Astraea Healing Connection
Kristina N. Terzieva, founder of Astraea Healing Connection, has a long-standing interest in energy medicine and Hermetic philosophy. She considers Reiki to be her guiding light and a "universal medicine" in its own right. Kristina recognizes and appreciates Reiki as a holistic medicine in the broadest sense. Her profound connection with Reiki, which she understands as Buddha’s Light, motivated her to become a Reiki Master Teacher, after 20 years of having worked with this energy on different levels. In addition, Kristina has dedicated significant time and resources into sound healing and voice spectrum analysis. For Kristina, sound healing has proven to be another type of "universal medicine" and a potent tool for inter-dimensional healing.
