Sound Magic for Manifestation
What if music is a pathway for our collective energy to transport manifestations from the spiritual realm into reality?
Happy First of August ☀
I’m writing this on my way back to New York, after spending my weekend at the Newport Jazz Festival with two of my dearest friends.
I’ve been wanting to go to this festival for years and this year the stars finally aligned… and phew, was I in my element.
Got to see so many of my favorites like Yussef Dayes and BADBADNOTGOOD to legends such as Ron Carter and Gary Bartz performing with Jazz Is Dead.
It was nothing short of magic, but then again, isn’t magic what music is?
In my last newsletter I shared back in May, I wrote about how I understand “higher power” to be the collectively generated energy of all living things.
Together, me, you, we, animals, the trees, etc. generate shared energy, creating a combined energetic force greater than any one of us singularly or individually. Through this, I touched on how manifestation work is the ability to access and harness this energy force to sow seeds that can be collectively feed, nurtured and moved into our shared reality.
So hear me out. I’m no scientist or anything, but if we know that know energy travels through sound waves, then I imagine this collectively generated, higher power energy can travel through them as well.
I imagine music to serve as a pathway between the individual and collective higher powers and a portal between possibility and manifestation. Sound waves weaving into sound beds for spiritual information to take root.
And like trees use their roots to exchange water to keep each other alive and growing, these roots of information coiled around sound waves entangle with one another to exchange spells for manifestation back and forth, collectively keeping the seeds of our dreams alive and growing until the time arrives for them to sprout into our present reality.
This theory, this pondering, this belief makes me think of Black churches, the blues, bebop, hard-bop and the power that we’ve seen Black music demonstrate time and time again to unleash spiritual forces that collectively move us beyond our control.
Talking about energy and spells, I recently just had an energy work session with Cy X last week. Through that experience, I realized something: I live an extremely, hyper-cerebral life. Like, I completely live in my head. My work requires me to live in my head. My passions require me to live in my head. My hobbies keep me living in my head. My favorite shows: heady. Favorite topics to talk about: heady. I’m just a headass, deadass.
But as Esperanza Spalding reminded me during her set at Newport Jazz Fest (which was actually, definitely a sonic spell casting session), the brain is cool and all, but the soul and the spirit live in the body (specifically the hips, she said).
I had to remember that the brain is simply a processor; a conduit for the body to exist in relationship with nature.
I suppose, in a similar way to not wanting to live in my phone because I believe it should be a tool to help me better live in and navigate the real world; I shouldn’t want to live in my brain all the time, as that is simply a tool to help me better live in and navigate my body.
This August, I’m excited to call in more explorations, practices and acts of play that encourage me to tap into more sound magic and body alchemy.
What are you calling in this month? What are you manifesting? What do you need community to hold for you, that cannot grow if only you hold onto it alone?
I end this shared reflection with these questions— invitations— above.
And now for some links, asks, offers!
ADDITIONAL READING & PONDERING:
Harmony Holiday’s latest essay on D’Angelo and sonic spells.
Two blocks from my Are.na channel, bpm (black preservation of music), that capture some additional thoughts I’ve had around jazz magic:
ASKS 🌻
Any recommendations for BIPOC folks who offer sound bath practices in Brooklyn/NY? Drop ‘em in the comments.
Any drama TV writers in Brooklyn? I want to start a weekly co-writing and peer review group. All experience levels welcome. Email me directly.
Anyone like to box? I finally just bought my own gloves and punching mitts. Trying to have a lil session in Prospect Park soon.
Anyone know of any Brooklyn-based climate justice organizations led by BIPOC folks, focused on climate justice work that directly impacts communities of color? Drop ‘em in the comments.
OFFERINGS 🤲🏾
A brief 30 minute playlist for you to cast your own manifestations for the month. Listen to it while journaling, meditating, manifesting, tending to your altar and/or doing energy work on your heart.
IRL HAPPENINGS 🎨
The People’s Forum is hosting a free collective reading and text study of the Combahee River Collective Statement this Thursday.
Artist, Suleyman Wellings-Longmore, is having an opening reception for his work showing at the Somewhere Good Bed-Stuy space this Friday.
CARA is putting on Conjuring #3, three days of programming this weekend in Brooklyn.
With ease, always,
Van 🎶