It is often claimed that singing bowls are made of a special alloy composed of seven metals that correspond to the seven major planets: gold for the Sun, silver for the Moon, mercury for Mercury, copper for Venus, iron for Mars, tin for Jupiter, and lead for Saturn. This mystical combination sounds very alluring, as if such an object would be imbued with the powers of the solar system.
However there is no evidence at all that this combination of metals would produce the high quality resonance or magical effect that is suggested, and extensive testing of over 100 antique singing bowls carried out by a team of scientists led by Dr Peter Northrup at Oxford University in 2010 revealed that they are not made of seven metals at all. A few bowls (less than 2%) were found to contain a small quantity of iron. The rest were made of bell metal bronze, which is an alloy of 77-78% copper and 22-23% tin. The seven metals claim is nothing more than a marketing ploy.
The idea that singing bowls can be substituted for bells to do space clearing is also a New Age myth. They are very different to bells, both in the sound they make and the effect they have.
A singing bowl consists of a metal bowl and a mallet. The bowl is held or placed on a cushion in the palm of one hand, and the mallet is held in the other hand. To produce a sound, the mallet is placed in contact with the lip of the rim of the bowl and slowly circled around it to produce a continuous melodic sound.
I’ve tried space clearing with singing bowls and the sound can certainly be very beautiful and does fill the centre of a room. However it does not amplify areas where there is stuck energy in the same that a Balinese bell does, it’s not possible to direct the sound into the walls and corners in the same way that you can with a Balinese bell, and most importantly, it cannot be used to shatter energy imprints in the same way that a Balinese bell can. Singing bowls are also quite heavy and require the continuous use of both hands, whereas a bell can be held in one hand and can easily be carried from room to room during a space clearing ceremony.
For all these reasons, I do not consider singing bowls to be a space clearing tool, and do not recommend their use. They do not clear energies. It’s not what they were designed to do.
So what are singing bowls good for? The sustained sound they can be caused to produce can be used to induce states of relaxation and well being that can assist with certain types of healing. I have heard that some people use them for meditation too, but have never figured out how this could work since complete silence and physical stillness are so essential to achieving the high states of consciousness that are the aim of meditation.
In relation to space clearing, the only possible use of singing bowls would be after a space clearing ceremony, to help set the space in a room if the person does not have the skill to do this during the ceremony with bells, as the space clearing practitioners I train are able to do. Using a singing bowl for this has a somewhat blissful, horizontal, and unconscious effect, whereas bells can be used in much more awakening ways to harmonize, verticalize, and transform the superastral space of a room. Many years of personal development work, subtle bodybuilding, and high level practitioner training and practice are required to be able do this effectively, so it is an advanced skill that you would expect from a professional space clearer but it is not required for doing basic space clearing in your own home following the 21 steps in my book.
Other space clearing myths
Why smudging is not a space clearing technique
Space clearing and salt
Related post
What’s so special about Balinese bells
Copyright © Karen Kingston, 2014