THE BASIS:

The meditative process, being in the moment, needn’t be burdened with cultural or sectarian baggage. To be truly present, one must abandon all external references - any idea, any concept, any philosophical system is an abstraction beyond the simple state of being. In order to truly experience the moment, one must do so through the sensations of the body - without qualification, without abstraction.

Most forms of meditation are object-based, dependent on an externality in order to focus the mind.  Examples would be any form that uses a mantra, deity, belief system, specific movements, a golf-ball, athletic activities, knitting, sex, etc. While these forms of meditation do focus the mind and to some degree alleviate the tension between the perception and true nature of reality, they are still dependent on at least one layer of meaning, abstraction or qualification. Sensation-based meditation on the other hand, removes all externalities, dissolving any layers of qualification or interpretation that may impede purely experiencing the moment. Nothing gets in the way of being present.

The SPHEREAL experience uses external object-based meditation to focus the mind at the outset, in the form of ambient music, which gives the practitioners a point of focus to calm the mind. It then moves into a sensation-based process to bring the practitioners into a higher level of awareness. Ultimately, it combines the two, giving the practitioners a new level of experience and insight.

THE MUSIC:

Ambient electronic music performed live - a combination of sequenced layers and the human hand - allowing for a calming point of focus that retains the warmth and spontaneity of human touch.

THE VOICE (voce):

The voice within SPHEREAL, is voce (VOH-chay) - Italian for “voice” in the tradition of musical notation; voce is the guide, the communicator, the musician, the electronic artist.

THE NAME:

SPHERE arises out of the desire to create an energetic ambience wherein the practitioners congregate. This ambience, or space, is formed by the actual participation of the practitioners. It is made and influenced by their own energetic presence - their own separate energetic spheres coming together to form a collective SPHERE.

REAL comes out of the experience that when all layers of qualification, intention and abstraction are transcended, the bare essence of reality as it is, becomes apparent.