Entrainment Ecosystems
by
, 05-28-2011 at 06:45 AM (36607 Views)
I live in a wooded area near a lake and with wide open spaces compared to most suburbanites.
To give you an idea of my surroundings, last evening I went outside to sit in my favorite nighttime spot on the deck and as I was getting ready to slip down into my rickety wicker chair the security light clicked on and tucked behind the woven legs was a 3 foot garter snake nearly camouflaged in the darkened wood. No doubt he was looking for a place to dry off after all the storms we have been having as of late.
I had a quick moment of mental lockup as my brain sputtered and struggled to deliver the appropriate response upward to my higher conscious centers. Fight or flight or everything?s all right? Truly, that is a unique feeling to experience: the moment of disconnect when something totally shocking intrudes upon our cozy habitat. When a small chasm forms between what we expect to see and what we actually are seeing. Nonetheless, he wasn?t any real threat so I politely made the snake aware of my dominion then went inside for a while (to hide?) and let him go on his slithering way, which he did without further incident.
This sets the tone for this blog post.
Admittedly, I am a committed night person. Throughout my entire life I?ve been fascinated with the sounds of the night.
A wholly new world of sights and sounds envelops the landscape as the sun goes down. Strange choruses of infinitesimal creatures serenade the dim surroundings tucked away in nooks and branches, blades and furry beds. Crickets and cicadas, bats and beetles, owls, coyotes, frogs and howling dogs... these are the voices of the shadow side.
Sitting outside at night there are rare moments when I sync with the symphony and feel the armor come off and raw nature shake itself free. That feeling of oneness, a melded being, a lift above and a look beyond, more than just me, but a drip in a stream.
If you have ever been camping and slept outdoors, felt the cozy mirage created from simmering firelight, then you may share a sense of the feeling, as if ancestral echoes whisper near.
As thousands upon thousands of insects sing, their pulsating orisons, fluent etudes and shrill staccato sending out mating calls. And frogs puff and bellow, punctuated by eerie warbles from wind-struck leaning trees, reader are you with me? Can you hear eternal nature cry out in symphony? Is the pulse of your heart beating in sympathy? Are your brainwaves firing, aligning in synchrony?
That to me briefly is an untitled enlightenment, when night eyes have few sights to see, the serendipity of the smallest sound surrounds me.
So let?s put the poet to bed for a moment. The idea that I am trying to convey is that nature at night can alter our consciousness. We on this forum understand somewhat the science of brainwave entrainment or are trying to. Any steady pulse in the right range of frequencies can cause our awareness to shift, toward meditation, sedation, excitation, exhilaration...the shaman?s rattle and the flickering flame are piping through microprocessors at the speed of light.
I am a believer and proponent of primordial sound. What is that? Sounds like those I am describing... sounds that speak to our deepest being. Those that signal our DNA to unfurl ancient memories, sounds that trigger remnants of dreams or set imagination scouting out into space, at once at home and at the same time alien. You will read and hear more from me on this topic.
For now I want to describe a technique that I am working on. I call it Entrainment Ecosystems or Eco Entrainment.
Basically through the magic of sound synthesis I have finally begun to do what I have always secretly wished was within my grasp. That is, act as conductor of the calls of the wild and set their pace for my amazement and play. You see, here at the top of the food chain, we have theory, artistry, audacity... yes, it is enough to become one with the fertile earth...yet, eons of neurons cause us a yearning to learn... o poet stand firm for you?re floating...
So in the example audio file I have posted, I have synthesized a chorus of crickets and cicadas. I have sequenced them to begin at 8Hz and ramp down to 4.5Hz. This is only the barest proof of concept. There is also an Audiostrobe track contained within if you download the full FLAC version.
For now, simple as it is, it may be rather grating... at a distance it is fine but close in headphones...a little much. Soon, though I plan to expand this idea into full environments. Each element aligned for timing, assigned to entraining rhythms.
And at last, happily, the sounds of the night at my bedside...ready to ride...where ever they lead me.
Hope there are a few that enjoy the sounds of the night as much as me... comments encouraged and welcomed.
http://soundcloud.com/neuroasis/eco-entrainment-8hz-to-4-5hz