The Voice region lets us communicate with other beings in ordinary and non-ordinary reality. We have many ways of communicating in ordinary reality. Words are one. We also have tones of voice, facial expressions, and body posture. I think the Voice region has a part in all of these. This region works with the mouth, throat, and other areas that send messages, such as hands for texting.
This region is also responsible for communication in non-ordinary reality. One example is sensing when something is staring at you. It also lets us speak with angels and know what is happening to a loved one who is far away. You can use this region to talk to God, but it is not the same as knowing God. That happens through the Form region. When you pray to God, words are not enough. You also need to reach out to Him and touch Him with every part of your soul.
Non-Western traditions have their thoughts on what the Voice region does. One is a set of emotions and the other is voice functions.
The set of 12 emotions are respect, contentment, offense, self-control, pride, affection, sorrow, depression, purity, dissatisfaction, honor, and anxiety. When I first looked at this, I thought it was a strange set. I didn’t know why these emotions would be in the same group. Then I read Paul Ekman’s work on facial expressions. He describes six basic emotions: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise.
Most of the emotions in the region relate to Ekman’s set. Dissatisfaction and pride fit in Ekman’s disgust category. Purity and honor might fit also, if they are based on avoiding things that disgust us. Sorrow and depression are parts of sadness. Offense is part of anger. Anxiety is part of fear. Contentment and affection might be included in happiness. Respect and self-control are showing feelings at the right time. Ekman’s work helps us make sense of the Voice region.
Body language also communicates. I think the Voice region also deals with our body language.
An important point to understand is that the body and soul are not tied together in parts. All of the body is available to all of the soul. A kiss is more likely to be from the Heart region than the Voice region. The hands and arms are tools that all of the regions use. Body language is controlled by the Voice region. We will discuss this again when we look at how bodies and souls are tied together.
The vocal functions include the sounds we speak and the musical notes we sing. Voice may also hold language skills we bring into this life. It would work with the Mind region to help us understand language.
The Voice region, as a whole, is used to express what happens in the rest of the regions. It might speak for the Heart when it wants to express love, anger, and hate. It is also responsible for letting others know what you figure out with your Mind or see in a blinding flash of angelic inspiration.
Poets tell us that there are no words to describe inspiration and love. At best they point the way. If the people you are talking to have had similar experiences, they will be able to understand. They will be able to translate your words back into what they have known.
If they haven’t had the experience yet, your words can act as signposts. As they go through life, they will look back on the words you said. Then they might say, “Oh, now I understand” or “Oh, now I know how he felt.” If you were telling them something you wanted them to do, they will know that they are on the right track. I have had this experience a lot in my karate practice. Things I was told to look for years ago still show up now and then to let me know I am headed in the right direction.
This region can also be used to express Will. Adolph Hitler was an expert at expressing his desire to change Germany. Watching his speeches, you can see how he moved his followers beyond what his words said. He used words, but he also spoke to, united, and shaped the Will of his followers. Leaders in all times use Voice to affect public opinion.
The Voice region can be used for good or evil, depending on the life force behind the message being conveyed.
Life Force Processing
This is the region of our current age. We have tossed out thinking about political issues, for example. Instead, we spend our time throwing words about the issues back and forth. We spend hours texting words to one another. The cost is that there is no time for Heart interactions.
Information is sent through this region. It can be quite detailed, but it is never as complete as the information in our Mind. It may use less complex symbols. It may be more restricted in time and content. It may use fewer spatial and time dimensions. We work to improve the information with photos, movies, holographs, surround sound, and other technology. Even so, Voice is always less than what is in reality or the Mind.
Similar problems occur when the Voice region tries to work with Heart region energy. The Voice region can’t send or receive as much energy as the Heart region. Connecting with Voice instead of Heart leaves us feeling alone and under-energized when we interact with others. Of all the important ideas in this book, here is the most important. We must use Mind and Heart instead of relying on just Voice.
Lessons
I’d like to take a look at why we should use our Minds and Hearts instead of Voices. If you are used to using Voice most of the time, these exercises might feel uncomfortable. The question is which way conveys the most life force, not how comfortable it feels. With time you can learn to process more life force comfortably. Remember that you can stop at any time.
One-Minute Exercise
The hands and arms can be used by any of the soul regions. Imagine you and another person like each other a lot. You want to share that good feeling. This exercise looks at two ways to convey what the Heart is feeling. You have about 30 seconds for each part.
• One way is to use the hands to send a text message. This uses Voice to describe what Heart is feeling. Write a quick message you would send. Write a quick message you would like to receive. On a scale of 0 to 10 rate how much of the Heart life force was included in each of the messages.
• Another way is to hug the person. Imagine doing that. On a scale of 0 to 10 rate how much of the Heart life force was included in the hug.
Compare how easy each method is and how long each takes to send the Heart’s message. Voice is valuable, but it is not suitable for everything.
