Rhythm Ritual and Resonance

Triangles talk July 8, 2024

Rhythm, Ritual and Resonance

Barbara Valocore

Rhythm is all around us and in all of us, it exists in every life form. Rhythm is part of daily life and affects all of humanity, all life on Earth, it is part of the common human experience. We are all subject to the rhythms of the cosmos; the sun, the moon and the stars as we are all an integral part of this Universe. Nothing is separate. Every life form has some kind of regular pulsation, some kind of vibratory activity, from the simplest single living cell to a planet, the sun and beyond. Science recognizes the heartbeat of the sun and each rhythmic pulse of light supernal is an expression of the life of the One in Whom we live and move and have our Being.

The soul has its rhythms as well and any spiritual seeker is striving, either consciously or unconsciously, to synchronize his life with the rhythms of the soul and to establish an inner sensitivity. Fulfillment of the divine Plan requires this. The soul knows oneness and the personality seeks to understand it. Building an inner sensitivity is greatly aided by the conscious use of rhythm and regularity in the daily life. Rhythm automatically harmonizes the aspirant with the forces of Nature helping to align all the vehicles of manifestation. Rhythm brings one into harmony with the Universe and enables the soul to do its work more efficiently and cleanly. There is a beautiful statement in the book Esoteric Psychology II by Alice Bailey which expresses this idea poetically: “The Magician said: 'Listen, O Worker in the furthest world, to the rhythm of the times. Note the pulsation in the heart of that which is divine. Retire into the silence and attune yourself unto the whole. Then venture forth. Establish the right rhythm; bring order to the forms of life which must express the Plan of Deity.'”

Rhythm and ritual go hand in hand, ritual is always rhythmic and measured. Any rhythmic activity can be characterized as ritual as long as the ritual is being performed with a clear sense of the sacred. When the goal is to raise one’s vibratory rate, the ritual becomes a magical high tuning to the divine. Deliberate ritual is a group activity and provides protection. Ancient writings speak about rituals involving rhythmic movements of the body that create various geometrical shapes, of the rhythmic swaying of bodies and arms designed to harness cosmic currents. The ritual spinning of Whirling Dervishes is one beautiful example of modern day rituals involving a devotional activity and a sense of the sacred. On a more mundane level, the rituals of weddings, funerals, graduations, births, deaths and so on, are familiar to all as group activities which hold deeper meanings.

Many of us are familiar with the ceremony of Wesak which takes place at the full moon of Taurus. Aside from many groups meeting subjectively all over the world to celebrate this high point of the spiritual year, a ceremonial ritual is performed in the north of India where the assembled company symbolically depicts the meeting of the Buddha and the Christ. The Buddha approaches the Earth to bring blessings to his brother, the Christ, who later distributes it to all of Humanity. We are told that the assembled company moves forming different geometrical formations designed to bring extra planetary energies closer to the physical plane. People who have been in the Wesak Valley during this time, report the ceremonial blowing of horns, of pilgrims doing ritual prostrations approaching the site and of a great silence that falls over the crowd at certain moments of deep prayer.

The daily sounding of the Great Invocation, or the daily meditation practice in any tradition, and of course the daily linking with our triangles partners, these are rituals we practice as a service to Humanity and to the divine in all. The Triangles project is a group activity practiced all over the world. We know the soul is group conscious and linking with the souls of two other people daily in a dedicated moment of contact and communion creates an energy which can be used by higher forces. As we visualize the energy flowing in and through our own triangle, or in some cases, multiple triangles, we can then expand our thoughts to a global perspective and imagine a vast network of lighted triangles encircling the planet. For in reality, this is what has been developed for many years. Each triangle unit is a microcosm of the whole. Triangles activity helps engender a sense of the whole and makes it easier to visualize the world filled with light. 

Anyone attracted to the Triangles work knows the truth of the old adage, energy follows thought and that thoughts are things. Esoteric students know that all is energy, so as we link up with our triangles partners, we create an image of the three points of the triangle as representing the principles of light, love and will, a balanced and stable structure allowing the circulating energies to lift and aid the whole.

On the physical level, it has been proven that a triangle is a highly stable structure. Buckminster Fuller, the 20th Century architect, inventor and innovative thinker, developed the geodesic dome, the result of envisioning a domestic structure that could be stronger and more resilient than the traditional box like house. He found that applying pressure to a rectangle quickly caused it to collapse, but a triangle could withstand more pressure and was far stronger. And thus was born the geodesic dome, a spherical structure constructed with materials made of interlocking equilateral triangles. The round shape enables air and energy to circulate more freely within and this design has proven to be the most efficient human shelter. This is a perfect visualization for the triangles network, if we imagine the entire earth surrounded by the pulsing and vibrant network of light and goodwill.

Resonance has to do with affinity of vibration. In the physical world, resonance happens when sound is enhanced through contact with certain conditions. For example, in music, sound becomes resonant when it is produced and interacts with some harder surface. A violin can be heard in a concert hall because as the bow passes over the string, it moves over a hollow area surrounded by wood and the sound becomes amplified. The human voice can become extremely powerful when the air passing over the vocal chords comes in contact with the hard surface of the facial bones. The shape of a room or the materials of the walls can enhance or dampen the room’s natural resonance. Echoes happen when sound bounces off a hard surface such as rock.

Ancient Celtic peoples built stone structures throughout Great Britain, Ireland and Scotland, the most famous of which is Stonehenge. Other structures, not as famous but nevertheless well researched, can be caused to ring or resonate if certain pitches are toned in a specific space within them. We can imagine these ancient people performing rituals in which tones are sounded by the group and the stones actually sing and ring. Inside the King’s Chamber of the great pyramid at Giza, there is a stone sarcophagus of a size that a full grown man can sit or recline in it. If a note of about 116 hertz is sounded, the sarcophagus rings as a singing bowl. One can imagine the rituals that would have been performed here in ancient times.

On the more subtle levels, resonance is created through the same affinity, in this case, in the mental substance of three triangle members as they synchronize their thoughts and intention while reaching out to the soul. As each point of the triangle seeks to become mentally harmonious with the other two, a resonance of souls is set up. Over time, this soul resonance builds and adds to the cosmic sound of Life. The ritual daily linking with two others as a service makes the divine Plan possible. This daily global ritual evokes the will aspect and this is a great achievement of humanity.

The Tibetan Master has said that the Triangles project is dear to his heart and we can make it so in ours, as well as other opportunites such as full moon festivals which are wonderful examples of monthly rituals which bring people together subjectively in an approach to the kingdom of souls and Shamballa. Although these festivals may change their format or work differently with the informing energies of each zodiacal sign in the future, they are monthly rituals which are destined to set up an approach between humanity and hierarchy, whereby the individuals and groups seek to align with the higher centres widening the path of contact and of spiritual impression between them. The triangles service echoes these monthly full moon festivals and their significance lies in the fact that each triangle embedded within the planetary network of light and created by each of us, is a daily ritual to vitalise human consciousness through invocation.