How does a Radio pick up a signal?

How does it separate it from all the other signals?
How does it translate it into audible sound?

There are three elements that affect the signal that is tapped by a radio.  On the one hand, the receptor has to be positioned in an area where the radio signals rain down.  The position of the radio receptor delimits the range of signals that have the potential of being picked up.  Within this limited universe of signals, the length of the antenna limits the type of waves that can be picked.  The length of the antenna has a geometrical correspondence with the amplitud of the waves that could be received and transformed into sound.  Finally, a dial in the radio further modulates the reception to single out a particular signal.  Let's see how this can be applied to our efforts of grabbing a universal signal and singling out a specific manifestation of this Radio Free Clear Light in such a way that it becomes relevant to us at that moment.

Sometimes a special mood comes to you.  It sneaks in and covers you.  You go out on the street and the weather seems weird, like it contains different possibilities.  It feels clean but full of sensations.  Stuffy.  It usually happens around the sunset, a little bit before.  Sometimes, it comes right before a storm--but not always.  This is a mood that you might find difficult to explain.  In fact, it can be a mood difficult to hold.  You might want to run from it; or rather, you find yourself beginning to do something else as if you are unconsciously trying to forget about it.  Some might think that this mood comes with some kind of odd guilt, shame, or embarrassment.  It is a pregnant mood.  It is hard to explain, but you might find yourself in the middle of it and you become aware that it can go in different directions.  It is electrical, kind of suffocating.  It doesn't seem to be related at all with the rest of the day.  It is not connected to other events in your day.  It just stands there, with you and around you.  There might be a heaviness in your chest.  All the things that you do to analyze it are just attempts to find the familiar in it.  This is futile.  Once you find the familiar, the known, you're out. 

Next comes the modulation of the frequency.  So far, you have placed yourself in an area where you can receive many signals--an area of maximum exposure.  Now, you apply some discrimination.  Now is time to leave unnecessary signals out.  When choosing an area for reception of radio signals, look for an area with the least amount of unintentional interference possible.  Try to have a clear area, free of unwanted noise, symbols, people, rats, soldiers, bar-fights, topless beauties, etc.  Find just a clean spot, and give yourself some room.  Define the area for yourself.  Delimit the circle of reception.  You can create a boundary by placing stones around it, by locking a door, by hanging curtains, or by marking your territory in any other way.

By now, you've chosen a place where signal reception has been maximized, and you have also reduced interference by blocking out distracting noises, people, and other sources of vibrations that might interfere with the signals you want to intercept

Now, we need to modulate the incoming signal so that the desired signal is augmented and isolated from the rest.  In other words, we shall enhance some signals and minimize others--which in effect will delegate them to the status of "white noise" or "background".

Virtually anything that can serve as a reminder, analogy, symbol, or representation of the vibrations or signals you wish to invoke would do.  For instance, a symbol that represents the mathematical features could be placed in the periphery of the circle.  Also, music or chanting that in some way resonates with the desired vibration could be played.   The more senses you involve in this, the stronger the radio signal will be.  Use incense and aromatic oils for the sense of smell; music, drums, and chanting for the hearing; symbols, colors, paintings, geometric patterns, photographs for the sight; clothing, statues, ceramics, wands, skin, oils, heat and cold, etc., for the sense of touch; food, drinks, kissing, and chanting for the sense of taste; dancing, jumping, moving, and postures for the sense of balance.  In addition, certain concepts, names, descriptions, laws, principles, and mental images can be sustained by the mind in order to align concentration and imagination with the vibrations being invoked.  Similarly, there are emotions that are appropriate because they resonate with the vibrations you are attuning to.

Experiment 1

Someone told me one time that we should not be called Homo Sapiens because not only we don't know, but we really mess it up when we think we already do.  Instead, we should be called (according to that person I can't remember who it was, but I remember being very familiar to me when I met him) Homo Ludens.  This is because we make up games.   Here is one:  sometimes you might hear a sound in your head.  It could be something like a ringing in your ears, or like a current that keeps sounding behind you.  You might have heard this sound when alone in a silent night.  Perhaps you never talked about this sound to anyone because we suspect other people don't hear it.  Or perhaps you did talk about it and their response shut the sound for good.  If you hear this sound, try thisgame (don't worry if you don't hear it, it's not important and we will see a variation of this exercise later).  The game consists on playing with the sound that only you can hear.   See if you can make it louder.  Sharper.  Change pitch.  Move its location.  Quieter.  Almost unbearable.  Intense.  Gentle.  See if can take over your entire body for a few seconds.

Experiment 2

Now, we can try a variation of the TV experiment.  Try the following experiment only after you have successfully done the previous two (the TV and the one in the paragraph above).  Find a quiet place where you can hear the vibration inside your head.  Make the sound loud enough to be the main sound in your consciousness.  As with the TV experiment, keep your attention on the white noise for a while.  Now, write a poem.  Try the same thing, if you are inclined, with any other artistic media.

Experiment 3 - Channel the Radio

For this experiment, you will need a pad of paper, a pen and a radio.

1. Sit down next to the radio with your paper and pen ready.
2. Set your timer for 15 minutes.
3. Move the dial in the radio around and find a station at random. It can music or talk or a combination of both.
4. Now start the timer.
5. Start to draw or write you quick reactions to what is flowing out of the radio. Besides the obvious (writing down the lyrics of songs or the chatter of talk radio) try to describe the images, the inflections and connotations between the lines of speech, the vistas that are opened by the harmonies and rhythms in the music, etc. You can make a combination of drawing and writing or you can concentrate on only one.

Don't just make one drawing for the full 15 minutes! You should be constantly reacting and translating what is coming through the radio. Don't allow your mind or hand to rest for the whole time. As soon as a new vision, a new idea or a new emotion hit you, make a new drawing or write a new word or phrase. Use as many pages as is necessary. Work restlestly!

Group Experiment - Crossfire

For this experiment you will need at least 4 people. If you have more than that, it should be an even number. If you have an odd number of people, then one of you will sit out and people can take turns. Or if you are the group leader, you sit out. That's just the way it goes.

1. Form a circle where you are facing one person across the circle.

2. At the signal from the group leader, everyone should start talking to the person straight across from them, very softly. It should be so soft that it's right at the threshold of hearing.

3. The objective is to hold a conversation while the other pairs are holding a conversation simultaneously. This will involve intense concentration and contact.

4. Rest after 15 minutes or so. After about 5 minutes of rest, try it again.

*    *   *

Your radio is not only picking up external vibrations, it is also emitting them from inside. The wave that comes from inside, from the system, modifies (amplifying or reducing) the incoming wave. For instance, the impression of a sunset comes through
your eyes, and your system responds to it by comparing it to other sunsets, or by plans to tell someone about it, or by beginning to write a poem about it. All
this "interference" affects the incoming wave.
Sometime the waves coming from your system would diminish the strength of the incoming signal, when for instance your thoughts revolve around how late you are
to your next meeting or what a lousy day you had. The waves you emit could also enrich or strengthen the incoming wave by, for example, the romantic feelings it evokes if you are with your partner or by writing a poem to it.

In other words, the electromagnetic signals generated by your own nervous system (i.e., your radio) modify the vibrations coming into the radio.   So, part of the trick behind a good tuning strategy is to learn what actions, postures, thoughts, feelings, and moods enhance the signals you want to tune into; and which ones minimize the noise, that is, the signals you want in the background instead of the foreground.

Experiment

1. Extend your arms to your sides, forming a cross.
2. Mentally say to your left arm: "MOVE!"  Do not, however move either arm an inch. 
3. Repeat this mental command for at least five minutes, but do not move the arm.
4. At the end of the experiment, is the left arm more tired than the other?

[ How Does A Radio Pick Up a Signal? ] [ Gods and Humans in Greek Myths ] [ Music as a Path to Resonance and Reception ] [ Posession and Santeria ]