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Visiting waterfalls
Category: Actions
Type
Involuntary and voluntary
Introduction and description
In the section on sensory deprivation, there is a description that shows that one of the most pleasant and extremely effective ways of inducing trance whilst staring is to watch and listen to running water – see running water.
Thus in theory I could have placed this mechanism within the classification of sensory deprivation and it would have been classified as a suppression technique.
But waterfalls produce sound and it is often quite high intensity sound and I think the sound possibly has more effect on us than the staring. It would certainly work a lot more quickly. Thus waterfalls produce their spiritual effects via resonance. Any form of sensory deprivation is an added bonus!
Background
The sound produced by waterfalls covers a whole range of frequencies from audible to inaudible. In effect our bodies are being vibrated by a whole range of frequencies when we visit a waterfall including the low frequencies….
Waterfall Low-Frequency Vibrations and Infrasound: Implications for Avian Migration
Alfred J. Bedard
NOAA/ESRL/PSD/CIRES
This paper reviews past measurements, attempting to gain insight into the sound and vibration generation processes from weirs and waterfalls. Measurements made in the vicinity of Niagara Falls show that exceptional infrasonic pressure levels can occur in the regions of large waterfalls (>100Pa at a range of about 500 meters). Indications are that the dominant frequency from a waterfall is inversely proportional to the waterfall height and that the sound pressure level depends upon the hydrodynamic power of the waterfall.
So the higher the waterfall the lower the frequencies generated.
Volcanic eruptions, lightning, and a waterfall: Differentiating the menagerie of infrasound in the Ecuadorian jungle - Jeffrey B. Johnson,Jonathan M. Lees,and Hugo Yepes GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 33, published 23 March 200
In northeastern Ecuador, near Reventador Volcano, the airwaves are filled with infrasound. Here we identify the locations and characterise three distinct sources of local infrasound, including two types of infrasonic sources, which are not commonly discussed in the literature. The first of these novel sources is an intense and continuous radiator with a fixed location corresponding to San Rafael Waterfall.
The signal from the river exhibits a tremor-like envelope that is well correlated across the 3-element infrasound network. Beyond the river, we also observe and map spatially variable sources corresponding to thunder. These transient signals have impulsive onsets, but are not well correlated across the network and are attributable to spatially-distributed source regions. Finally, we identify plentiful infrasound corresponding to Reventador’s volcanic vent that is associated with unrest. This study demonstrates the utility of dispersed infrasound networks for distinguishing variable sources and improving interpretation of mechanisms of infrasound radiators.
Method
Find a high waterfall. Find some way of sitting in a comfortable and relaxed way beside it. Watch the water falling without trying to reason or think about it, just let the sounds and images flow over you and wait.
Niagara falls – author’s own photos
How it works
Physically
This activity works through Stimulation via resonance - see this section for a full explanation.
However benign this may look it works via high intensity. The noise from a waterfall is ‘surround sound’ in that it will affect the whole body. As every person differs in the size of even the organs in their brain, it is possible that a certain frequency will have one effect for one person but not another. The technique is, as you can see, not without its dangers and is entirely arbitrary in its actions.
The wider the range of frequencies emitted by the waterfall the greater likelihood that we may get all sorts of odd effects in the process – high emotion, sudden bursts of reasoning power, sudden bursts of learning ability, the need to go to the toilet……
So if the sound is very loud do not do this for long, or as I have indicated keep a reasonable distance away.
Functionally
It may be helpful here to have read the generic description of How spiritual experience works.
There is a high contribution from emotions – Extreme emotions - mostly positive – awe, wonder, a little bit of positive fear [there is such a thing – perhaps respect may be a better word] and if you let it, a humbling effect – the realisation that there are forces of nature far larger and more powerful than man – this is a good dent to the ego and the Personality.
Advantages
- It works well. If we simply use the number of waterfall sites regarded as sacred places as a guide, I think we can see that there is every reason to believe waterfalls are very effective at promoting spiritual experiences.
- It is legal.
- If there is a high enough waterfall near you it is free, if not you will have to bear the cost of travel and accommodation there, but hey! what a lovely holiday
- It is not intrusive.
- Listening to and watching a waterfall, moreover, is not going to make you vulnerable to brain washing or any interference from third parties.
- You have no need to be taught any techniques, you just listen.
Disadvantages
- You have to find a waterfall high enough to get the effects. Iceland has lots which might account for the number of myths and legends the country has produced, but some countries are rather short of really high ones. South America is blessed with quite a number, Africa has some. People in the Netherlands might be struggling!
- The effects will be unpredictable, you may get nothing at all because the frequencies cannot be predicted. But a waterfall has the advantage that it is beautiful and usually found in beautiful places, so if you don’t have any effects spiritually, you will still have a lovely time.
- Be aware of the dangers of prolonged exposure.
References and further reading
Related observations
Healing observations
Hallucination
- Geopathic Stress by Richard Creightmore 026585
- Russell, George William - Aerial clashings in an ever-changing musical silvery sound 013964
Wisdom, Inspiration, Divine love & Bliss
- Hiroshige’s waterfall 002301
- Mircea Eliade - On Sacred springs 010946
- Ramon Medina Silva - And Waterfall stimulation 000765
- Russell, George William - Aerial clashings in an ever-changing musical silvery sound 013964
- Sacred geography – Picts – Springs and wells 01 026592
- Tendai - Seiganto-ji 002307
- W.Y. Evans-Wentz - The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries - Sacred springs 014073
- Watson, Lyall - Sacred wells and pools 011382