To chant is to sing. To chant is to celebrate. To chant is to create an altered state. To chant is to let go. Chant has been moving through humanity for thousands of years. It serves the masses and it serves the individual.

It tells stories, quiets the mind, opens the heart, uplifts the Spirit, mourns the dead, redirects thinking, establishes a visceral rhythm, lightens the load, unifies consciousness, builds energy, stills the heat of the moment, impacts the cells, and alters the vibration of the chanter and all who listen.

Chant is medicinal, motivating, empowering, centering, balancing, redirecting, community building, opening, fun, playful, inspirational, powerful, life altering, and can change the forms before you.

Used by the civilized and the non-civilized, it unifies Heaven and Earth, man and woman, friends and enemies…chant has transcended time and space to breathe life into each being and bring them back to their own unique I Am Self in the current moment.

Chant can be sound alone in a rhythmic cadence. It can be a message in the mother tongue or in a language unknown. Chant can be a Holy phrase or an idea spoken over thousands of years. It is sound blessed with intention and thus crosses all boundaries. For it a cellular call that it puts out…and all cells are designed to receive. And receive they do.

Chant can be a formal practice, a song created by children to lift the frequency of play, a unifying song to lighten the collective work load, a well intention group experience, a vehicle to drive home a point, a worship and celebration of the Sacred.

Chant impacts the body in a multitude of ways:

• Elicits Deeper, slower, more rhythmic breathing
• Massages the inner through the specific vibrations of the sounds
• Alters brain waves to evoke relaxation or heighten creative energy.
• Relaxes muscle tension, soothes nerves, reduces blood pressure and heart rate
• Reduces stress, sharpens mental clarity, expands all the senses
• Infuses every cell, organ, and system with life force chi

The experience of chanting can be enhanced by your environment or atmosphere. Chanting in a natural ambiance outdoors creates relationship with the Earth Kingdoms and thus amplifies the experience. Chanting in a building, church, temple, synagogue brings forth the reverberant qualities to impact the size and sound of the chant. Echo extends the duration of the sound, creating additional tones and harmonies.

Chanting in a group creates nuances of pitch that create a chorusing, or sweetening effect. This expands the vibrational impact of the notes. Adding harmonies spontaneously will give birth to new harmonics that will clear and cleanse old energies in a profound way. Additionally, the group energy impacts your mood and opens you to connection with others. A collective experience is bonding and always unique. Plus the power of the chant is amplified by the group numbers.

Group chanting is safer for some, giving them the need protection to play with their voice because it is not exposed, but blended. This helps you to grow in comfort and gives rise to greater risk in rediscovering your own magnificent voice. In the group one can lose oneself to find themselves again in a higher frequency.

Chanting alone is deeply personal and can lead you to the very place that is the most important for you at the time.

• Use rhythm (drum and rattle) and or instrumental accompaniment (harmonium, guitar, ukulele, flute)
• Chant together or in a call and answer
• Alternate men and women for different tonalities and frequencies and feel
• Repeat for up to 20 minutes
• Repeat in 7, 9, 0r 12 as a set and then begin another set after some kind of interlude…or just chant straight through until you are complete
• Use spiritual or religious phrases or statements to chant. Chant sounds (vowels: ah, ay, ee, oh, oo or seed sounds: om, ha, ksa, ma la va ra, yam)
• Chant affirmative statements
• Learn specific chants from Native American, Tibetan Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Earth Goddess, African, Balinese, Christian, Atlantean, and shamanic cultures and groups. The more you learn the more expansive the experiences.
• Put new lyrics to familiar songs, especially children’s songs
• Chant your full birth name for a grounding, yet expansive experience
• Sitting may allow you durability. Do your best to sit up to allow the movement of energy along the spine.
• Standing will allow some flexibility and movement. Adding movement to the chant can be a tool to increase the energetic impact

20 chants to know

1. Om
2. Om Mane Padme Hum- Tibetan
3. Gate Gate Paragate- Buddhist
4. Wani Wachialo- Lakota
5. Bismillah-Islamic
6. Gopala-Buddhist
7. Ele Ele Tau Mai-Hawaiian
8. Power-Intentional
9. Wichi Ti Ti-Native American
10. Hung Vajra Peh-Tibetan Buddhist
11. Be Here Now-Intentional Song
12. Ah Le Oh Oo- Atlantean
13. Serapis Bey- Invocation to Ascended Master
14. Arcturus and Victoria-Elohim Invocation
15. Apache Power Song-Native American
16. Hare Krishna, Hare Rama-Hindu
17. Strength-Intentional
18. So Connected-Intentional
19. Heart Please Open-Intentional Song
20. Will-Intentional Song

I stand here in my Power I Am fully realized
I Am free of limitations I Am Holy I’m Divine
With endless energy and talent
I manifest my dreams
All my cells are in alignment
I’m as God created Me
I Am I AM I Am I am
   Power, Mark Stanton Welch, c. 1992