Coordinated group function
by Anne Blaney and Sanford Baran
Anne Blaney: Two weeks ago, John Gray spoke of the undimensional Presence which we call Source. We also refer to Source as the Focus of Spirit, or the True Tone. This tone has been sounding eternally, but at this time on earth, it is sounding unheard by most human beings. Like sound which cannot be heard in an airless vacuum, human beings in their deafened state lack the essential medium necessary to hear the tone. This vacuum depicts the absence of mankind, isolated from spirit, separated from wholeness. Man, composed of both male and female, in his whole state, is designed to provide the connecting substance between spirit and form, and to express true spirit on earth. As John said, Man was created as the apex, to express the tone on earth and be the crowning presence. Man’s presence on earth is an extension of spirit, an expression of spirit whose nature is love. In reality, we would be conscious that we are love, living on the planet. That’s who we are—love.
In our gatherings we frequently speak about spiritual substance, pneumaplasm or fine substance. I’m sure we have an idea of what this means for us. We also say that this substance connects us to the tone, to our Being state; or said differently, it is the medium by which we hear the tone. When it really comes to point, this medium is the expression of love—it is love substance. When we love the Source of Love, love substance is created, and in that atmosphere we clearly feel and express the tone of love. When we express this crowning Spirit, we then know who we are. We realize that in truth we are that spirit, we are love in human form. We all know what it’s like to be in the atmosphere of love. People in love walk in a cloud of loving light that is almost perceptible, and the lovers themselves feel that atmosphere. When the atmosphere of love surrounds us we can more readily connect with the Source of Love, which is the crowning spirit.
The term fine substance is very accurate—the tone is fine vibration; it is invisible spirit. The means by which man is able to perceive such vibration would also have to be of fine vibration. John mentioned that there are gradations of spiritual substance, from the coarsest to the finest. Well, the tone has immense variety of vibration—it is full spectrum. It has immense potential resting within it, eternally sounding, and available to man. It has always been available, but man has not been present to receive it. Man, sensing that he should have power, tries to manufacture power and use it in manipulative ways. But that power is stolen, and his creations are not sustainable because they are not being fueled truly by the Source of Love, they do not have the power of love in them. If that power, and the design which is inherent in the tone, were to be accessed rightly by human beings, our stewardship on the planet would be based in love, and things would be very different. Man would indeed live at the apex, crowning the creation.
Many don’t hear the tone adequately, and we have to admit we don’t hear the tone all the time, or perceive it full spectrum. Of course, we don’t have to hear physical sound to hear the tone. There are those who cannot physically hear and yet hear the tone very vividly. Helen Keller is an example. She was blind, deaf and couldn’t speak, but she heard the tone vividly. Here is a quote from Helen Keller: “I believe that God is in me, as the sun is in the color and the fragrance of a flower—the Light in my darkness, the Voice in my silence.” However the tone is very powerfully conveyed by sound, notably by the human voice; and also in written words, which provide a form for the human voice to speak. We have ancient records which have blessed mankind greatly because the tone was expressed in words—spirit speaks and the tone is expressed.
Humans have an ability to express life in an immense range of activities. Certain activities allow a finer generation of substance. For example, in the morning someone may be digging in the garden, expressing spirit and generating a certain quality of fine substance; and later in the day may pick up a violin and play an ecstatic piece of music, generating finer qualities of substance, accessing finer ranges of tone that we are built to receive and express. We may talk about the tone in lofty words, like how it is dimensionless spirit entering into the dimensional realms through us as humans. But actually it is very familiar—we know it well, because we are alive! Life is an aspect of the tone, and we all know very well how to express life. We, as the tone expressing, are alive and we express dimensional spirit all the time—very easy to do!
The name of our new website is the Tone of Life. Life and living are intrinsic to the tone. Tone of life is a perfect name. Because the tone is integral to the quality of our living, we could think of the various ways that we express the tone in our daily living. I’d like to read, as an example, a passage from Jean Hammond’s book, titled Vistas from My Voyage. “Her outer movements and those of her accompanist were specific. Every hand movement, every glance, the nanosecond of every pause, every step on and off stage, each little nod and every word spoken to the audience meant something. There was no tension—just perfect flow. I could see that the audience was very receptive, knowing that professionals were being encountered and that there was no question as to whether or not they would get to a note. This assurance produced a collective relaxation in the listeners, allowing them to be free to become aware of deeper levels in the performance. The opportunity opened to listen to something else—to the Spirit being conveyed—and to hear sound coming from a level above the outer presentation.”
There’s a lot in this passage to note. There’s the obvious perception by the writer, Jean, of the fine tone being shared. Of course, there is the resonant substance in Jean’s being, with which she was able to read the audience. She could feel what was happening in the room; she had living substance attuned to musical expression, yes, but attuned to the tone, she could perceive tone in the room. This touches on the role of the subconscious: to perceive and store impressions of the tone which can become conscious, either immediately or perhaps later. For example, when we are in conversation, in a lively atmosphere where ideas start to flow, often new and original ideas appear which had not been consciously thought before. Essences which had been waiting in the subconscious, now surface consciously. I think Jean was consciously aware of what others were sensing subconsciously. Undoubtedly Jean was emanating considerable life substance herself.
Love is the essential spirit that is conveyed by the tone—love is all, all is love; the Beatles said it and we all know it; love is what we are. Other aspects of spirit are differentiations of this one great spirit. Love is the most powerful quality we can express. Love unifies, love opens hearts, and it touches all aspects of living. If you think about it, everyone is expressing love all the time; but the question is, “What is being loved?” Love belongs to the Source of love. It is not ours to steal and use for self-centered purposes—not for long. Unaligned with the tone, so called love is a constant struggle—the stuff of songs and movies, and most lives. The opposite of love is hate, and hateful expression covers the planet. But for those who are attuned to the invisible spirit of love, the sustaining power of love is known. When expressed appropriate to the circumstance, we may introduce a transforming power into situations, one that disarms hardened hearts. Examples are too many! How do I love thee? Let’s not count the ways here—but there are many. We are love. We know the Source of love as we resonate at the upper ranges of vibration and expression.
Protecting love as it finds expression in the world is a responsibility we all have. It takes courage and wisdom, as we learn to keep safe what of the divine is emerging through us and around us. Creation of a true home is a prime example of protecting the divine, and mothers, parents, most everyone, knows that. Sanctified spaces, environments where the substance is purified and filled with love allow a very powerful expression of the tone. Other people are affected by our homes, because we enter our worlds through the atmosphere of our own homes. Thoughtfulness and care for wherever the process of awakening to the tone is occurring is part of the ethics of the tone. Learning to be still, learning what to say and when to be silent are signs of spiritual maturity, all of which protects the precious substance of the tone. Stillness allows us to sense what is required in all situations, letting us attune to the design inherent in the tone. What to do becomes clear. When the mind is directed to the Source of Love, the current begins to flow and pushes aside what is not of love—it just fades away.
Respect for life is given lip service in most cultures. The taking of another’s life is regarded as the greatest crime, and yet life is squandered to an incredible degree. Death is actually the spirit that controls most human beings. Living a life of vitality and purpose satisfies a void in the world. Continual thankfulness for life is the antidote to the pervasive identification with what is passing away, what is not fueled by the true Source. Living our lives with this spirit foremost is the greatest form of service in these days of intensity—lives of light and love for life. Many are not feeling that, and so to exemplify vitality is a healing balm. This is the tone expressing through us.
From a stance of spiritual dependability, everything that comes to us has arrived to be uplifted in our consciousness. In these times of confusion, we can sanctify, lift up all that we encounter. Blessing is a natural quality of spiritual stature and understanding. The pall of judgment is everywhere and judgment dissipates fine substance immediately. We have seen non- judgment and great generosity of spirit in such ones as Mother Teresa. Here was a figure who brought blessing to great numbers of people. She said, “One thing I ask of you: Never be afraid of giving. There is a deep joy in giving, since what we receive is much more than what we give.”
Focused attention is another quality that allows for expression of the tone. A single-eyed attention is required to stay centered in the midst of distractions. People notice someone who is centered on things that are of the highest and finest. If the attention is on the tone, the extraneous falls away, and largely unconsciously in most, there is an updraft toward the Source of Love.
Released, the tone could literally bring forth a new earth. Political and social endeavors are examples of attempts to bring about a renewed earth—mostly they fail. But we can change our personal earths, lightening our bodies, moving in an ascending direction.
One man I admire is Paramahansa Yogananda, an east Indian teacher whose life was committed to love and to spirit. With his early life spent in mediation, worship, devotion, chant—he created a new earth body of light and life, and was compelled to travel and speak widely in the USA, opening spiritual doors for thousands until his death in 1952. The fine substance of his life and of those he touched, contributed to the work we find ourselves doing now. His transcendent spirit speaks in this quote: “Come, Spirit! Come with the glory of the dawn; come with the vitality of the sun; come through the portals of our silence.”
We are what we express. What endures is not concept-based behavior, but taking advantage of life’s opportunities to express qualities of the tone, with distinct decisions that we make moment by moment. The experience expands when we meet others who represent these fine spirits. Of course the primary requirement is to be that representative oneself. We know these qualities of character are who we are, and times like this are opportunities to articulate what we know. And now I’ll turn it over to our friend Sanford.
Sanford Baran: Thank you Anne. It occurred to me that we’ve known each other for over 40 years. Over the years our paths have crossed, but not all that often. So, it’s been excellent these last number of weeks, to share some time together, having some wonderful long-distance conversations as part of our preparation for this morning’s talk. And in the process, it’s been abundantly clear that what brings us together is our love for the tone—the tone of life expressed in our day-to-day living.
The Tone of Life describes the spirit behind the finest, most noble qualities of character in every one of us. This is the reality of who we are, and it is the nature and essence of life everywhere. You might ask, “Really?” You’d never know it looking around at the world of mankind. Well, best not to waste any time paying attention to that, which likely includes remnants still hanging around in ourselves. But as we increasingly touch into what is real, it becomes clear that the Tone of Life is abundantly present everywhere, and that we have a part to play in all of this.
Our job as individuals is to embrace that tone—to express those essences of nobility and fineness, so they are present and visible in our own moment-to-moment living. This goes hand-in-hand with the sharpening of our capacities of perception so that we accurately recognize and discern the tone wherever it happens to be sounding. The more we sound the tone in our own living the better acquainted we become with its intrinsic nature and distinctive signature. And the more adept we are in unmistakably sensing its presence the more capable we are in expressing it ourselves. Quite simply, to express the tone is to know it and to know the tone is to express it.
How wonderful to listen deeply and perceptively—and to really trust in our own ability to do so. Surely by now we can easily tell the difference when the tone is present and when it is not. And what a blessing to notice sour notes surfacing in our own expression—not to berate ourselves but to make the necessary adjustments in attitude and orientation to increasingly become ever more capable of sounding the tone in our moment-to-moment living.
This coming Thursday I will be hosting the “Morning Sound Alternative” show on our local community radio station. Being just a few days away, I’ve pretty much zeroed in on the forty-plus pieces that I’ll be playing over the course of this two-and-a-half-hour program. Needless to say, picking the music involves quite a bit of listening. To come up with that many pieces requires that I listen to maybe double or even triple that number. For me this is fun stuff but also is a lot of work. It’s an interesting process that comes together over several weeks.
So, what to play? There is so much music that has been recorded over the years the possibilities are almost endless. To narrow things down I focus on new releases, recordings that are less than a month old or even hot off the press. It’s terrific by the way having my finger on the pulse of what musical artists are up to these days. But even as I restrict myself to current releases there still is a mountain of choices as new material gets churned out relentlessly week by week.
So, this is where quality listening and discernment come into play. In a way it’s like separating the wheat from the chaff. Actually, to my ears and sensibilities identifying the chaff is relatively easy. There is the sound of the music itself but also there is the atmosphere and ambiance back of that sound. I pay a lot of attention to that atmosphere and I can usually tell within a few seconds whether a piece is potentially suitable or not. Quite simply if it’s off-tone, it’s out.
Now there are many pieces that I don’t reject outright but know that I’ll need to spend a little more time with—do some more attentive listening to determine if there is enough going for it in terms of quality and atmosphere.
And I’ll run into music that unquestionably is good—interesting, original, catchy and definitely fits the character and tone of the show.
Sometimes I’ll find material that I think really has promise and then only later discover has some serious problems like explicit language or it rapidly nose dives in tone somewhere later in the song.
And occasionally I’ll have the good fortune of stumbling upon music that is outstanding in every regard—musically interesting, on-tone, has something worthwhile to say and carries a beautiful atmosphere. It’s an absolute delight to discover musical gems like these and then have the pleasure to be able to share these with my radio audience.
So, I find this intensive listening work to be incredibly valuable. I think of it as vibrational ear training which I know has application beyond just my work at the station. I’m pretty sure that it positively contributes to other areas of my living outside the world of music. And I suspect it works the other way around. As I express the tone of life in my day-to-day living, that positively influences what I am putting out onto the airwaves at the station. It’s all good stuff.
We have tremendous opportunity to allow the tone of life to be expressed through our own everyday living. This is the starting point—real flesh and blood human beings stepping up and taking full responsibility for doing this. And as there are those who genuinely take this on, another level of opportunity begins to open up. That level has to do with amplification—through the coordinated action of individuals who each are carrying the authority of their own individual living. And on this basis, there is a collective coming together magnifying and amplifying life’s current, far greater than the sum of the individuals concerned.
I attended a really interesting lecture recently—all about some of the amazing feats that social insects like ants are able to achieve through coordinated group function. Now individual ants are amazing creatures in and of themselves. Depending on the species a single ant can typically carry five times its own weight. But if you get a swarm of ants together, the group is able to move fifty times the weight of all of them combined.
It’s amazing to watch video footage of this—hundreds of ants moving some gigantic piece of food back to the nest. You’ll have half the swarm at the front pulling the object and the other half at the back slightly lifting it up to reduce frictional drag. And if the swarm needs to make a turn, they can pretty much turn on a dime, requiring some of the ants who were pulling to all of a sudden be lifting and vice versa.
Another fascinating trick they have up their sleeves is that there are solo observer ants hanging out on the periphery. Their job is to keep an eye on where this object needs to go, like back to the nest. Now these observer ants will join the swarm armed with the most current positional information to possibly set a new course for the swarm, guiding it in a new direction. And if this happens, the swarm instantly responds, collectively changing their trajectory, following the lead of this newly enlisted navigator. And this might last for a little while until another observer ant decides to join and possibly turns the swarm again in a whole new direction. It’s truly an amazing piece of coordination and choreography.
It’s fascinating that all of this sophisticated choreography and seamless integration doesn’t require physical supervision. There isn’t some chief executive ant barking out orders. There isn’t a hierarchical command structure—it’s largely self-organized. Individual roles are incredibly fluid and dynamic. But of course, back of it all, the tone of life itself is what is doing the organizing, dynamically marshalling whatever resources are available to accomplish something larger.
Here’s a beautiful example of group function where individuals, in this case lowly ants, work together to magnify their presence and accomplish feats that are totally beyond the imagination of any one individual. Each ant does need to pull its own weight. But it requires the collective action of the swarm, organized by life, to get the job done.
Well, we’re not ants but as individual human beings we also need to pull our own weight, spiritually speaking. And in doing this we increasingly develop a greater sense of confidence in our own authority—trusting that we ourselves are the ones to sound the tone today, backed up by our own day-to-day living. We then find ourselves in position to participate in the greater works—the realm of collective spiritual function and government. I don’t think anyone at this juncture can even begin to imagine what that might be or how it will all manifest in form, but it is coming.
So, it’s been terrific to gather this morning in friendship, sharing our love for the tone of life and bringing the authority of our own living into a larger collective context. In a way that’s all that is really required. How exciting to see what comes next.