OM

The mantra OM or pranava mantra is the primordial mantra. Its use is common to various traditions like buddhism, zoroastrianism or celtic druidism though they are very distant in space and time. This fact has been lost in translation.

The mantra OM is a vibration and, in essence, all vibrations are rhythms. It is interesting to develop this notion in the light of the discoveries of a French researcher, Doctor Francis LEFEBURE. Indeed, his discoveries in cerebral physiology can transform our understanding of the phenomena responsible for illumination and initiation in a revolutionary way.

For many years, Dr Lefebure studied the relationship between the rhythms of the phosphenes and religious rites. The phosphenes are all the subjective sensations of light, i.e. those which are not directly caused by light stimulating the retina. They correspond to what ophtalmologists call images of retinal persistance or post-images.

Thanks to the phosphenes, Dr Lefebure detected unknown cerebral rhythms. Indeed, there is a particular relationship between the phosphenes and the rhythms of the brain, between light and rhythms.
The phosphenes behave in a rhythmic manner: they pulse, vibrate, alternate or oscillate. Produced by the action of light on the brain, they illustrate the rhythmic functioning of the nervous system. They adapt to the rhythms of thoughts in a subjective fashion, enabling their precise measurement.

Nevertheless, the phosphenes also have a profound and mysterious action on the nervous system. Indeed, if one thinks while observing a phosphene, it is, on the contrary, thoughts which are going to be influenced by the natural rhythms of the phosphenes.

Thus, it is the rhythms of the phosphenes that induce the rhythms of prayers, chants, mantras or sacred musics, generating currents of energy in the body that are exteriorized in the form of dances and postures.

To sum up, it is praying while focusing on a source of light that is at the origin of all religious rites.

In his book OM and the mantras, Dr Lefebure proceeds with a pertinent analysis of the mantra OM, describing many connections between human physiology and the sound of the mantra OM.
The mantra OM was not developed by mere chance, and the morphological analysis of the mantra OM by Dr Lefebure brings much information about the reasons of its development.

Extract from Om and the mantras:

MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MANTRA OM

We are going to study the pranava mantra, first of all mantras, in its simplest form: O and M. Later on, we will see that it has another aspect that is spelt AUM. Nevertheless, let us note now that the sankrit letters A and OU are pronounced together as the phoneme [O], and thus, whatever the spelling used, there is no doubt that the true pronunciation is OM. This is what Arthème Gallip (the Zoroastrian master who initiated me) recommended, a fact that has been confirmed many times by the Indians.

We can notice that the vowel [O] is obtained by forming a circle with the lips and by creating the shape of a sphere with the mouth, with the tongue pointing upwards. On the contrary, the phoneme [M] on its own is obtained by completely relaxing all the muscles involved in phonation: it is a hum produced with the mouth closed, the lips relaxed and the soft palate lowered.
The sound produced by the lips forming a circle generates circular waves in the air, i.e. the simplest possible waveforms. This process ressembles what happens when a hoop is dropped horizontaly in water.

The circular waves, centered on the point of impact, take the form of a sinewave, when observed from the side. The sinewave is the simplest of all possible forms of vibration, complex vibrations being but a combination of sinewaves (as demonstrated by the Fourier series).

We already can notice the oppositions between the phoneme [O] and the phoneme [M] as, when the latter is pronounced, the closed lips push the air into the nasal cavity. The nasal cavity is the most irregular bone cavity of the organism because of the three nasal conchae that contribute to air filtration. Moreover, the frontal and maxillary sinuses constitute oddly shaped sounding boxes.

Consequently, a vibration rising from the vocal cords that follows this course, will produce a maximum of harmonics and overtones, as the vibrations of the bones will be added to the vibrations of the air.

An interesting experience to illustrate the importance of the vibration of the bones produced by the phoneme [M] is to place one’s hand delicately on the anterior fontanelle of a baby who is crying. The sound emited by crying babies is very close to the phoneme [M] or, more precisely to the phoneme [N]. It is produced by bringing the soft palate forwards, forcing even more air into the nose than during the pronunciation of the phoneme [M].

When we will study the value of phonemes as mantras, we will see that air projected higher in such a way makes the frontal sinus vibrate more than the maxillary sinus. The former being smaller, it renders a higher-pitched sound. That is why the phoneme [N] is very close to the phoneme [M], with the difference that it contains more high frequencies.
So, when one places one’s hand on the fontanelle of a crying baby, one is surprised by the intensity of the vibrations perceived by the palm of the hand. Later, when the fontanelle is closed, the vibrations of the cerebrospinal fluid underneath are even more powerful, as their energy cannot disperse through the fontanelle any more. The vibrations produced by the sound of the voice are thus locked in the skull, spreading to the whole surface of the cortex. This very simple experiment illustrates very well how chanting stimulates the surface of the cortex but also how the pertinent choice of a mantra is important. Every phoneme generates different waveforms that will influence the cortex in different, specific ways.

The opposition between the simplicity of the phoneme [O] and the complexity of the phoneme [M] can be illustrated experimentally by analysing these sounds with a cathode-ray oscilloscope.

The principle of the oscilloscope is very simple: a microphone picks up the sounds to analyse; these sounds generate an electrical current; the vibrations of this current appear as a curve on a screen. With a proper setting of the apparatus, the curve that appears on the screen is an exact image of the motion of the molecules of air.

The aspect of the curve will vary, depending on the setting of the electrodes. Similarly, the waves of the sea will appear differently on television if a camera is placed above them, in front of them or lateraly.

For a certain setting of the electrodes, the phoneme [O] appears as a circle on the screen of the cathode-ray oscilloscope. The quality of the emission of the sound can thus be monitored, and an almost perfect circle can be obtained by changing the pronunciation. For a perfect circle, the phoneme emited is typically an [O]. For a different setting of the electrodes, the form that appears on the screen is a sinewave, i.e. the curve of the waves of the sea.

Now, if we analyse the phoneme [M] (the hum produced with the mouth closed) with a cathode-ray oscilloscope, we obtain a very precise square. This is related to what is call squarewave in the field of electronics.

Thus, cathode-ray oscilloscope analysis lead us to represent the sound [OM] geometrically by a circle within a square. We thus obtain a perfect ANALOGIC RESONANCE between the sound and its waveform. Let us also note that this structure matches the basic structure of the mandala (a circle within a square).

Practical exercise with the mantra OM

Do a phosphene, by focusing on the phosphenic lamp for thirty seconds.
Close your eyes.
Chant the mantra OM.
Observe the influence of the mantra on the colors of the phosphene.
Is the phosphene brighter?

NOSTRADAMUS

Much has been written about the prophecies of Nostradamus (1503-1566). Their interpretation is still difficult and confusing and seems to be a waste of time. Nevertheless, the Centuries (the compilation of Nostradamus’ prophecies) comprise some interesting passages that describe the mode of operation that he used to produce visions. Visions that he not only perceived himself, but that the queen Catherine of Medici perceived too.

We will study the instructions provided by Nostradamus in the light of the discoveries of Doctor Francis Lefebure, a French physician and researcher. He designed a method of personal development based on the systematic use of the phosphenes: Phosphenism. The phosphenes are all the subjective sensations of light, i.e. those which are not directly provoked by light stimulating the retina. The discoveries of Doctor Lefebure in cerebral physiology bring a full understanding of the cerebral mecanisms that are involved in clairvoyance phenomena, and allow to reproduce them at will.

Nostradamus wrote his prophecies at night in his house in Salon-de-Provence (France), by the light of a candle, often facing a silver mirror or a crystal ball. That way, he used to produce phosphenes with polarized light. At other times, he would focus on the reflection of the moon in a silver tray. It is interesting to note that the light reflected by the moon is already polarized.

Any light that is reflected on a surface is polarized. Polarized light develops intuition and eventually clairvoyance, if one practices regularily. Is the moon not supposed to inspire poets? Yes, but only if it is focused on. For a more complete explanation, check Dr Lefebure’s book: The Key to Supernatural Manifestations.

When Catherine of Medici asked Nostradamus to perform a clairvoyance in order to know how long the reign of her heirs would last, she demanded to experience this vision herself. The clairvoyant then practiced focusing on the reflection of the moon on a silver tray. A month later, when he felt ready to comply with the queen’s wishes, he had to perform a mental effort in order to let her perceive characters moving around the tray. The number of laps the characters did around the tray was supposed to correspond to the number of years her sons would reign.

The vision took place within a cloud of light. Obvioulsy, Nostradamus could not focus on the reflection of the moon every night for a whole month. It was much more simple for him to focus on the reflection of the sun during the day, or on the bright sky. In the evening, he could use the flame of candles or, even better, the fire in his chimney.

When this story is commented, authors usually emphasize on the importance of the astrological signs that decorated the silver tray. But, it seems only obvious that an object that belonged to a renowned astrologer would bear a mark of his quality; the same way the knights’ coat of arms would decorate their shields. Before Dr Lefebure, no one showed any interest in the fact that Nostradamus used to focus on the reflection of the moon on a silver tray. If many commentators insisted so much on the decoration of the tray, and on the symbolic interpretation it implies, it is because they were completely ignorant of the physiological reality that underlined Nostradamus’ practices. Though he always explained how he proceeded, Nostradamus ended up shrouded in mystery. Indeed, in the first quatrain of the Centuries, Michel de Nostre-Dame describes the technique he used to produce visions.

The astrological symbols and the ‟lunar” aspect (wrongly associated to witchcraft) of Nostradamus’ practices have hidden the essential and confused commentators, stuck in would-be occult considerations. Under the guise of a mysterious operation realised with the complicity of a character called Sélénée (actually the greek word for ‟the moon”), a constant of Nostradamus’ techniques of clairvoyance appears: focusing on a direct or indirect source of light, and thus using the phosphenes.

So, why speculate so much on Nostradamus’ Centuries? If all the books on the subject had dealt with the phosphenes, humankind might have evolved differently.

Exercise: Developing clairvoyance by concentrating on a detail of the visual chaos

The visual chaos is the name of the tiny lights that keep dancing in your field of vision, even if you have remained in the dark for a long time.

In a dark room, place an eyepatch over your eyes, in order to create optimal conditions of darkness.
Observe your visual chaos.

Focus your attention on one of those little lights and, at soon as it has disappeared, on another one, and so on, always maintaining your concentration in the center of your field of vision.
After practicing this exercise for 4 or 5 minutes, you will notice that the region you are concentrating on has become brighter, more luminous. This brightness is the third phase of the phosphene: the diffuse glow, that you have produced without focusing on a light source, thanks to this exercise.

If you keep searching for a detail within this glow, it will become more and more precise. On the other hand, if you let your attention spread to the whole of the luminous mass, it will blur.

If you keep ‟chasing for details”, you perceive something stirring within the glow: maybe a whirling vortex or tiny blots reminding of lightning bolts.

Focus on a detail of this stir, the angle of a bolt or a line within a vortex, for example. Keep concentrating on details, rather than on the glow as a whole.

Suddenly, the cloud turns into a vision. This phenomenon might appear straight away or after practicing this exercise regularily (every day for a few weeks, for example).

The visions that are generated by this process can be prophetic: in this case, they occur a few days later.

When a vision appears, if you focus your attention on the vision as a whole, the process wil stop. If, on the contrary, you concentrate on a detail of this vision, another vision often springs up. By practicing this way, you can engage an incredible inner cinema…

NLP

Neurolinguistic programming was created in America in the 70s by John Grinder, a professor of linguistics, and Richard Bandler, a mathematics student. NLP presents a set of models that describe human activity and allow to operate deep and lasting changes. Its universality is striking: a sort of user’s manual of the brain, it can be applied at work, at school or at home. Very pragmatic, it can help high-level sportspersons to improve their results, parents to educate their children, companies to train their staff in communication, sales, excellency.

Humans base their actions on the representation they have of the world, rather than on its objective properties: ‟The map is not the territory”.
This famous quote by Alfred Korzybski describes the fact that everyone builds a subjective representation of the world and assume that it is reality. Indeed, our five senses can receive millions of informations at the same time when, consciously, we can only process 7 items of information at a time. To compensate, the brain filters sensory messages: it deletes some, distorts others or operates a generalization, all this being dependent on the language we speak, the memories we have, the beliefs and the values we have adopted.

This inner representation that we build at a given moment is responsible for physiological changes, and has an effect on our behavior. The models suggested by NLP can allow us to become aware of this, to modify our representations and the responses that they trigger. They also help us understanding other people’s representations.

The key concept of NLP is modelization. Thanks to which we can install a new behavior, the same way one installs a new software in a computer. Besides, NLP stems from the modelizations of exceptional therapists like Milton Erickson. Bandler and Grinder observed his practices, extracted its essential principles and constructed a permanent model allowing the accurate reproduction of observed behaviors.

In the domain of learning, all that needs to be done is to observe the strategies adopted by outstanding students and modelize them. Student who do not experience spelling problems, for example, have discovered incidentally that it was more efficient to store words as images rather than as sounds. For most of us, recalled images are located on the top left of our field of vision. If the word has been stored in the right place, it is easy to remember it when the time comes.

Dr Francis Lefebure, a French researcher, had already found very original solutions to learning difficulties, mainly to spelling problems. As soon as 1963, he published Phosphenic Mixing Applied to Education, a book that describes the action of light on mental processes. By focusing shortly on a source of light, a phosphene is obtained, i.e. a luminous sensation that persists for several minutes. Studying during the presence of the phosphene is more efficient. Indeed, the phosphene channels the attention on the subject of study and favors associations of ideas. Moreover, it stimulates all types of memories. Spelling is the visual translation of a sound. Writing confers a kinesthesic dimension to a word. The presence of the phosphene stimulates these three sensory channels.

EXERCISE: MEMORIZING THE SPELLING OF A WORD

Observe the spelling of a word that you want to memorize.
Do a phosphene by focusing on the phosphenic lamp for thirty seconds.
Close your eyes and/or put on an eye patch.
Project the word and the phosphene to the top left of your field of vision in order to store it in your visual memory.
Write the word several times during the presence of the phosphene.

NEUROSCIENCES

Neurosciences include all the sciences that are necessary for the study of the anatomy and the functioning of the nervous system.

The different disciplines that make up neurosciences are:

– neurophysiology, the study of the physiological functioning of the basic units of the nervous system: the neurons.
– neuroanatomy, the study of the anatomical structure of the nervous system.
– neurology, the branch of medicine that studies the clinical consequences of the pathologies of the nervous system and their treatment.
– neuropsychology, that studies the clinical consequenses of the pathologies of the nervous system on cognition, intelligence and emotions.
– neuroendrocrinology, the study of the connections between the nervous system and the hormonal system.
– cognitive neurosciences, that try to establish the connections between the nervous system and cognition.
– computer neurosciences, which try to create a model of the functioning of the nervous system through computerized simulations.
– neuroeconomy, that studies the decision processes of economical factors, mainly the study of the respective roles that emotions and cognition play in those.

Dr Lefebure’s research belongs to the domain of neurosciences, and more particularly to the domain of cerebral physiology, though its framework reaches beyond the purely materialistic point of view of neurophysiology.

Dr Lefebure’s works, based on the systematic use of the phosphenes, have allowed the detection of various unknown cerebral rhythms. The starting point of these discoveries is a surprising cerebral phenomenon, that Doctor Lefebure discovered by chance in 1959 and that he called ‟THE SUBUD EFFECT”.

The phosphenes are all the subjective sensations of light that are not directly generated by light stimulating the retina. They correspond to what ophtalmologists call images of retinal persistancy or post-images.

Extract from Exploring the Brain with the Study of the Oscillations of the Double Phosphenes:

‟We have discovered an absolutely surprising and certainly unpredictable phenomenon; as far as we know, it has never been reported by any author, though a child could have discovered it as a game.
At a distance of three meters, focus on an ordinary lamp for a minute, then switch it off and remain in the dark. Wait for a few seconds until the phosphene appears. Then, sway your head at an average speed: you will notice that the phosphene sways at the same speed as your head.

Try the experiment again, but, this time, sway your head much faster: THE PHOSPHENE SEEMS TO STAY FIXED ON THE MEDIAN AXIS OF THE BODY. Now sway your head very slowly: the phosphene seems to sway a little, BUT MUCH LESS THAN THE BODY.

Thus, the association between the movements of the head and the movements of the phosphene only takes place at a certain rhythm, while other rhythms diminish or distrupt this association. We have named this unexpected opposition of the movements of the phosphenes, according to the rhythm of the head sways, THE SUBUD EFFECT, as a memory of the circumstances of its discovery (it was discovered thanks to the analysis of head sways practiced by Indonesian mystic Pak Subuh).

The Subud effect is the dissociation of the movements of the head and of the movements of the phosphene when the movements of the head are fast.

This simple fact has a considerable neurological and educational significance. It is the starting point of a new branch of study of humankind: neuro-education, i.e. teaching and learning according to the reality of cerebral physiology.”
Thanks to this discovery of the rhythmic functions of the brain, Dr Lefebure designed a revolutionary protocol of cerebral exploration: cerebroscopy. The principle of cerebroscopy lays in measuring cerebral rhythms with the oscillations of the double phosphenes (the mode of operation is fully described below). Cerebroscopy efficiently complements today’s techniques of brain imagery.

Brain imagery plays a major role in the study of the functioning of the brain. Several techniques are used by neurosciences:

– positron emission tomography (or scanner) uses radioactive isotopes injected in the blood of the subjects. Their concentration in different zones of the brain permits the visualization of the most active zones.
– electroencephalograpy (or EEG) measures the electrical fields generated by the neurons of the subjects by placing electrodes on their scalp.
– functional magnetic resonance imagery (or fMRI) measures the relative quantity of oxygenated blood that circulates in the various parts of the brain, allowing the localization of the active zones.
– optical imagery uses infrared transmissions to measure their reflection by the blood in different parts of the brain. Oxygenated and deoxygenated blood reflecting light in a different manner, this process can measure the zones of activity.
– magnetoencephalography measures the magnetic fields that result from the activity of the cortex.

Rather than a principle of imagery, cerebroscopy is rather a mode of cerebral exploration. It measures the alternation of the double phosphenes. The mode of operation is the following: using a sheet of cardboard or plastic, placed between the eyes to separate their field of vision, a phosphene is produced in each eye separatly, by switching on and off two lamps at a rhythm of two seconds per side. The phosphenes thus produced are not constant, but alternate. Unlike what one might think, this alternation does not follow the rhythm of two seconds of the lighting, but a RHYTHM THAT IS SPECIFIC TO THE SUBJET. On average, this rhythm is of six seconds per side, and the alternation lasts from four to six minutes. The object of this method is to study the regularity of the alternation. Indeed, a regular cerebral alternation shows that the brain is in a good condition, when an irregular or absent alternation shows the opposite. The cerebral alternation of a given person can vary greatly throughout the day. In the morning, after a good night’s sleep, cerebral alternation is much more regular than in the evening, after a hard day’s work. In a constant manner for a given subject, certain situations improve cerebral alternation when others disturb it. This study can measure the impact on the brain of various parameters (physical activity, diet, the use of medicines, etc.) and has allowed Dr Lefebure to determine a new law of cerebral physiology:

‟EVERYTHING THAT IMPROVES CEREBRAL ALTERNATION IMPROVES INTELLECTUAL WORK, AND VICE VERSA”

Dr Lefebure then transposed his discoveries on the sense of sight to the other sensory organs, thus revolutionizing our comprehension of the mecanisms of perception.

Perception is the capacity to receive information by the sensory organs and to interpret it with the brain. Sight and audition are the two main senses that human beings use for perceiving the environement, but the sense of touch, smell, taste and also the sense of balance have their role to play.
In the course of his studies, Dr Lefebure has demonstrated that there are inner equivalents to physical perception. The phosphene, for example, corresponds to sight. It seems to be a kind of neurological echo of the visual perception.
The same way, all the other physical senses have inner equivalents, Dr Lefebure called them ‟physiological phenes” and together, they form the ‟phenic system” of the person.
A phene is a physiological intermediary between the physical sense to which it corresponds and an equivalent spiritual sense. When that spiritual sense is awakened, intangible energies and events are perceived (i.e. aspects of the universe that cannot be perceived by the physical senses).
When it is stimulated, the phenic system provokes the perception of the spiritual planes, that the traditions call ‟beyond”, ‟invisible worlds” or ‟subtle planes”.

The phenic system is constituated by:

– the phosphene, that corresponds to the sense of sight.
– the acouphene, that corresponds to the sense of audition.
– the gustatophene, that corresponds to the sense of taste.
– the olfactophene, that corresponds to the sense of smell.
– the pneumophene, the phene of breathing.
– the osteophene, that is connected to the vibration of the bones and the tendons.
– the gyrophene or statophene, the phene of the sense of balance.
– the tactuphene, that corresponds to the sense of touch.
– the myophene, the connected to muscular activity.
– the subjective perception of time.

All these phenes, and probably other ones that have not been detected yet, are all connected together. This is why, when a particular phene is stimulated, sensations related to a different phene can be perceived.

Moreover, there is a third sensory system that, until now, is usually refered to as ‟psychic centers” or chakras. This third sensory system is connected to the phenic system and to consciousness. These psychic centers or chakras could be, in a certain way, the organs of consciousness.

Dr Lefebure’s discoveries are major advances in the domain of neurosciences and, without a doubt, will inspire new discoveries to the researchers of the future.

MUSIC THERAPY

All forms of spirituality use music: from the ancient shamans to the Celtic bards; from the African drummers to Western sacred musics, the connection is obvious. Everywhere, music is used as a medium for healing and for communicating with the sacred.

The discoveries of Doctor Lefebure on the phosphenes and the cerebral rhythms have allowed him to explain, in a scientific manner, the physiological processes underlying these practices.

The phosphenes are the colored patches that appear after focusing on a source of light.
Thanks to the phosphenes, Doctor Lefebure has discovered unknown cerebral rhythms. Indeed, there is a particular relationship between the phosphenes and the rhythms of the brain, between light and music.

The phosphenes behave in a rhythmic fashion: they pulse, vibrate, alternate or oscillate. Produced by the action of light on the brain, they illustrate the rhythmic functioning of the nervous system. They adapt subjectively to the rhythms of thoughts, allowing to measure these rhythms precisely.

Nevertheless, the phosphenes also have a profound and mysterious action on the nervous system. Indeed, if one thinks while observing a phosphene, it is their thoughts, on the contrary, that will tend to take on the natural rhythms of the phosphenes.

Thus, the rhythms of the phosphenes induce the rhythms of prayers, chants, mantras or sacred musics, generating currents of energy in the body that are exteriorized in the form of dances and postures.

To sum up, it is the act of praying while focusing on a source of light that is at the origin of all religious rites.

Music and its rhythms transform the state of consciousness of the musicians and their audience, leading them to states of ecstasy.
On a therapeutic level, music can generate various states of consciousness. From the mothers who sway their children, singing a lullaby to soothe them, to the musics of war, meant to give courage to the warriors, it is a whole range of emotions that music can generate.
The Celtic legends relate that the music of the bards had the power to heal, to make people cry, sleep or even to terrorize opponents.
The Blues, music of the Black slaves of America, is based on a sway or a swing. It is thanks to this sway that the blues musicians give to themselves and to their audience the courage to live, even in the worst conditions.

All musicians feel the power of music, and it is during concerts that it explodes and becomes meaningful, resulting in a genuine communion. Bruce Springsteen expresses this very accurately: ‟Doing a concert is like taking a train, going on a trip. Every time, I wonder where this train will take us, the public and myself. And the band and myself do everything we can so that it takes us as far as possible”.

Exercise
Choose one of your favorite pieces of music.
Do a phosphene.
Close your eyes and sing the rhythm or the melody mentally.
Repeat this operation during 15 to 45 minutes and you will perceive the energy of music.