As Don Campbell (The Mozart Effect) points out in the introduction to this authoritative work, chanting is "the music of the cosmic spheres and the natural expression of our consciousness. . . . it is an important tool used by people everywhere to heal their bodies, quiet their minds, and bring the sacred into their lives."

Robert Gass has been involved with chanting for over 20 years and is the founder of Spring Hill Music, a leading producer of chanting and transformational music. He has written an excellent overview of this ancient and sacred practice. For him, chant is singing our prayers, vocal meditation, and a means of discovering Spirit in sound. He shows how this devotional tool can transform our consciousness by the triggering of associations, the power of entrainment, breath, sonic effects, and intent. He demonstrates the important role chanting has played in Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Native American, Hindu, African, and Goddess/Earth traditions.

Several crucial chapters outline the steps of learning to chant and the benefits of group chanting where worship, healing, and communion are involved. Gass concludes this helpful resource with suggestions for incorporating chant into everyday ritual. This spiritual practice, he notes, "is a powerful means of aligning our bodies, hearts, and minds to the wavelength of Spirit."

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