I first became interested in constructed sound back in the 1970s initially as a musician and then later with meditative explorations.

You are probably aware that a mantra is a collection of syllables, that have no inherent meaning in terms of language, but, when repeated, has the potential to produce a significant change in a person's state of awareness. These "constructed sounds" can be used as catalysts to create a whole range of different and varied state changes. A person with specialist knowledge of sound or mantra construction is often aware that around the physical body there is an energy network. This network sometimes referred to as an aura, functions like a step up step down transformer utilising specific energy centres or chakras. These chakras or "wheels of energy" can sometimes be seen clairvoyantly as having different combinations of colour depending upon the make-up of the person in question.

The sounds of different mantras resonating within this energy field produce potentially wide ranges of effects and benefits. For example, a simple mantra for enhanced well-being is LOMM SEE, (LOMM is pronounced like "OM" but with an "L" in front and "SEE" is pronounced like the word "sea") which, if repeated silently by a person in a relaxed state, can produce a balancing effect for the meditator. I included this mantra on the "Letters to your Unconscious" CD so that people could be introduced to the power and benefits of constructed sounds.

The syllables that make up these mantras are usually repeatedly silently and it's important to ensure that each syllable is kept separate from the one that follows it, maintaining a regular rhythm. More complex and powerful mantras may have many different syllables, and in some instances one mantra can be used to accelerate a specific state, and another can be used to earth that state. The number of syllables and choice of syllables will determine the effect of the mantra. This can range from a two syllable mantra up to as many as 9 or more syllables! I have run numerous seminars on the power and effects of sound, demonstrating how different combinations of constructed sound produce a range of different altered states. During the seminars people can experience how different mantras produce different effects, ranging from deeply relaxed states to heightened energy states.

Some of the more advanced mantra systems can use combinations of crystals and different metals in conjunction with locating different energy centres in the body to produce accelerated state changes. The science of constructed sound is a very precise one, but has sometimes been confused with simple repetition of ancient names from "scriptures", passed off as useful mantras. My advice for anyone seeking to explore state change in this way is that, as with nutrition in eating, a "diet of sound" should similarly be applied with care and precision. The benefits quickly become obvious with correct due care and attention.

Many people who become interested in mantra meditation for enhanced well being then can naturally tend to progress to the more powerful (and some say easier) direct energy meditation, which of course works in a fundamentally different way...