No amount of foresight, or celestial plan, can account for the infinite variable mechanisms that drive the progression of the cosmos. Each chance encounter and synchronistic moment propels the vibratory resonance of existence along the entire web of life, evolving the individual and the universe as new energies and experiences are incorporated. This transfer of energy—this movement from one frequency to another—creates new identities, as with the birthing of stars, the mingling of genes, or the nourishing of plants by sunlight. It is a translation from one language, one vibration, to another understanding.
Every moment, new experience erodes old notions, while something authentic is revealed—a self more true, balanced between all notions of time. This true self is reflected in every person, creature, and object encountered; all are connected by the resonance that sparked our mutual existences, through countless “big bang” moments (Lemonick, 2010). In every new integration, a shedding of skin occurs, birthing an entirely new self.
Throughout this process, there is a center point of balance—a field of vibration held together by the tension of opposites. The old self and the new are always in dynamic interplay, creating a clear space, home to the inner self beyond the veil: the void, the central hub of all realities. From microcosm to macrocosm, there is always this point of void—a space of balance, the unified plane that sparked existence and is home to all notions of the divine, beyond the event horizon that holds all light and information (Kaku, 2008).
Meditation aims for this balance, silencing the mind’s chatter to bask in that point of suspension. Artists, consciously or unconsciously, find themselves in this state during the “flow” of creation. For the shaman, it is a field beyond ordinary senses. For the yogi, it is the center of AUM, the driver’s seat of the omniverse.
Because life is dynamic—a perpetual motion of mutually interacting forces—this balanced state is sustained infinitely, self-generating along the system of life. In meditation, images or emotions arise as one teeters from center, generating ideas like sparks. These bursts—bits of information, broken codes—are received and processed through our personal lexicon. Once processed, the self is transformed and the former self becomes past; the new idea is now part of our consciousness (Chomsky, 2000).
Letting go of attachment to old selves allows us to live in the present, integrating energy and experience into a new whole. This moment of conception leaves a resonance, like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings after transformation. Artists capture this in the “flow state,” focusing on balance, encompassing the moment of conception—the “big bang” that sparks new being.
A blank canvas or page is a landscape in perfect homeostasis. The first stroke is a “big bang” moment, disrupting stasis and creating a new entity. The act of creation mirrors the universe’s own evolution: order emerging from chaos, beauty born from violent transformation (Tyson, 2007).
This cycle of death and rebirth is the essence of shamanic initiation. Our present personality is a state of balance, but as energy, perception, and experience evolve, so must the self. Even subtle experiences—a new food, a change in routine—evolve perception. The shamanic initiation, however, is a more profound disruption, often sparked by physical trauma, illness, psychological crisis, or the use of hallucinogens like ayahuasca or LSD (Harner, 1990; Narby, 1998).
In each case, reality is altered, the self undergoes a metaphorical death, and—once through the threshold—the body, mind, and spirit are reborn. Integration is crucial: the new reality must merge with the old, and the shaman becomes a vessel of communication between worlds.
The reality encountered by shamans is as valid as our everyday world, but operates on a different vibrational field. Just as there are countless musical tones, so are there countless realities, each with its own frequency (Castaneda, 1994). Science confirms that the electromagnetic spectrum visible to us is only a small fraction of what exists; string theory suggests parallel realities may vibrate just beyond our perception (Kaku, 2008).
The Transmissions Project, developed with Christopher Bruno, is an artistic exploration of these ideas. According to astrological theory, each celestial body, including humans, emits a unique electromagnetic and sonic imprint—a frequency of vibration. The cyclical nature of the cosmos and zodiac produces unique periods of influence, both gradual and immediate (Cruttenden, 2006). As our sun moves around a companion point, it carries Earth through magnetic fields that impact civilization on a grand scale, influencing consciousness and societal change.
Humans are not separate from these cosmic forces. The Earth’s electromagnetic field, solar radiation, and even weak ionic charges influence our thoughts and actions. The Cemi Field Theory posits that the brain’s EM field allows each cell to access and communicate information, reinforcing the connection between energy, consciousness, and the cosmos (Cruttenden, 2006).
In Transmissions performances, these influences are “filtered” through the zodiac and transmitted via sound and light. Musicians, artists, and audiences participate in an intimate circle of energy transfer, translating celestial influences into sensory experience—a ripple effect that mirrors the universe’s own evolution (DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2010).
To the Dogon, the breaking of Amma’s Egg—the big bang—began the weaving of the cosmic web, held together by vibration (Scranton, 2006). Modern astrophysics finds dark matter forming strands “like a giant web” across the cosmos, shaping visible matter (Folger, 2010; Tyson, 2007). Michio Kaku suggests dark matter may be a higher vibration of superstrings, or ordinary matter in parallel universes, implying realities beyond our current frequency (Kaku, 2008).
These ancient and modern insights converge on the truth that vibration propels all motion, all life. The golden ratio, phi, appears in evolutionary design, and has now been found in solid matter—revealed by transforming quantum vibrations into measurable frequencies (Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, 2010). All perception and reality are thus rooted in dominant frequencies, and translation between forms—light to sound, matter to energy—is a matter of shifting vibration.
Artists and shamans alike alter perception and vibration through sound, breath, and sacred plants. Carlos Castaneda described “assemblage points,” infinite vantage points along the spectrum of consciousness. Ancient cultures used sound in ritual to heal and communicate with the divine, and the human body, as a bio-electrical system, can be tuned or balanced through sacred sound (Andrews, 1992).
The Theta state, accessed by shamans via drumming and rattles at 4–8 beats per second, is a deep meditative state—a doorway into alternate reality (Kane, 2010; Harner, 1990). In these altered states, a deep resonance or humming is often heard, a sign that the web of reality is vibrating, shifting perception and opening new fields.
Jeremy Narby, in his research with Amazonian shamans, noted that DNA emits ultra-weak-frequency photons—bioluminescence visible only through altered perception. Shamans, guided by ayahuasca, see this light, suggesting that by shifting frequency, we can access previously invisible information (Narby, 1998).
The translation of vibration is not limited to vision; sound can be made of light. Mickey Hart’s “Rhythms of the Universe” slowed the frequencies of supernova light into audible sound, creating cosmic melodies (DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2010).
Language itself, as Noam Chomsky posits, is rooted in genetic coding and is a “system of discrete infinity,” allowing us to internalize and express infinite possibilities. By translating new vibrations—symbols, sounds, ideas—into our lexicon, we evolve perception and expand reality.
This is the shaman’s work: altering vibration, navigating realms, and translating the ineffable into forms we can recognize and share. The artist, too, channels energies from beyond, shaping them into works that reflect the universe’s creative principle.
Ritual, myth, and archetype anchor these practices in human experience. Ritual aligns perception and intention, allowing consciousness to slip into new fields, and every act of creation becomes a microcosmic journey—a rebirth from the void, a new universe from a blank canvas.
All creation is reciprocity, the transfer of energy and intention. This is the foundation of life, connecting all beings and all matter. Even destructive actions have effects, returning energy to the cycle. Awareness and positive intent can nourish mind and body, and on a macrocosmic scale, become a beacon for others.
Through conscious acts of creation—music, art, ritual—we participate in the reciprocal cycle of the cosmos, transforming sound into light, and energy into new forms. Dreams, visions, and purpose follow their own frequency, rippling through the sea of consciousness and shaping our journey.
By surrendering ego and allowing ourselves to be guided by balance, we, like the shamans, may awaken to new realities. We can become reborn and conscious navigators of our lives, journeying beyond the field of ordinary reality into the great expanse.
