The Mysteries of His System

The Verses in His Life

A Love Story

by Barry Grant

Part Seven

LIX

The Allergist

A dark-skinned man stood in the doorway to the living room. The thirty-six members of the Antinomian Audiophile Association gathered that night, and Audie, a visitor among them, perceived a palpable presence.

"There so much here, here," said Audie to himself. The others, gathered, said the same to themselves.

The dark-skinned man strode to the front of the room.

"His footsteps emerge from an absolutely black background," said Audie to himself. The others, gathered, said the same to themselves.

The man set a thick black cushion on the floor, placed his buttocks on the cushion, tucked his ankles atop his thighs, and began chanting.

Om, tri, tes, sov

Om, ge, tes, sov

Om, svet, tes, sov

Om, tri, tes, sov

Om, tri, tes, sov

Om, aer, tes, sov

Om, syl, tes, sov

Om, tri, tes, sov

"The sound of his chanting defines the corners of the room," said Audie to himself. The others, gathered, said the same to themselves.

The man was slight of build, with eyes of black pupils and black irises, deep pools of piercing calm. His silver-gray hair fell in waves over his shoulders. (Not once during his talk did he touch his hair.) Only the members sitting in the front few rows of chairs could see him, but, when he stopped, chanting, and started, talking, each one, gathered, felt his own, Johnson.

My name is Johnson.

Om.

I speak of systems and their

Connections.

Om.

What is a system?

Om.

A system is this.

A system is that.

Om.

All things are systems,

And within each system,

More systems.

Endlessly.

Om.

Here you speak of

Sound

Systems.

Sound

Reproducing

Systems.

Om.

This is a mistake.

Om.

There is no reproduction.

Om.

There is only Original Sound

In all its manifestations.

Om.

All systems are perfect.

Om.

All systems are flawless.

Om.

All systems are without fault.

Om.

The wave in

Is the wave out.

Om.

How does unhappiness with a system arise?

Om.

How does dissatisfaction with a system arise?

Om.

How does frustration with a system arise?

Om.

Unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and frustration

Arise from        

Addition.

Om.

Unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and frustration

Arise from        

Hearing what is present

And what is not present.

Om.

Unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and frustration

Arise from

Creating two where there is only

One.

Om.

How can we hear only what is present?

How can we rediscover the One?

How can we restore Original Harmony?

Om.

We can hear only what is present.

We can we rediscover the One.

We can we restore Original Harmony.

Om.

Through.

Om.

Harmonic Meditation.

Harmonic Homeopathic

Meditation.

Om.

Om.

The sound of the One,

Awakens the One.

The sound of the whole,

Creates wholeness.

The sound of the present,

Restores true awareness.

Om.

Om.

Om.

[long pause]

Breathe in.

Om.

Breathe out.

Om.

Breathe in.

Om.

Breathe out.

Om.

Breathe in.

Om.

Breathe out.

Om.

Listen.

Om.

The sound in

Is the sound out.

Om.

Om.

Om.

Johnson closed his eyes, bent his hands into an oval, and began chanting. Bob, hesitant at first, joined him in his chanting. Then Fred and Adams. Then Appelbaum and Samuel and Dean and Peters and James, until all thirty-six members of the Antinomian Audiophile Association gathered that night, and Audie, a visitor among them, had joined Johnson in his chanting.

Om, tri, tes, sov

Om, ge, tes, sov

Om, svet, tes, sov

Om, tri, tes, sov

Om, tri, tes, sov

Om, aer, tes, sov

Om, syl, tes, sov

Om, tri, tes, sov

"Have I been wrong about waves, all this time?" said Audie to himself. The others, gathered, said the same to themselves.

LX

The Allergist

To construct a system is to construct oneself.

--Paul Val�ry

Dr. Johnson strode tanned and brisk into the meeting room. ("I’ve never seen a suit like that, not that I can remember," Audie said to himself, admiring Johnson’s three piece. "Must be some sort of rare Italian silk.")

"Thank you, Dean," said Johnson as he shook Dean’s hand with both of his hands. Eschewing the podium, Johnson pulled an empty chair from the first row and set it backwards at the front of the room. He entered the chair, legs straddling the stiles, in perfect fluid motion. He loosened his tie, swept a slow panorama of the members of the Antinomian Audiophile Association gathered that night, and began his address.

"A man’s relationship with his system is one of the most intimate relationships in his life. A man’s system is in truth the man himself made manifest. The vibrating soul of the man. When a man and system are in tune, all is well. Harmony reigns. Peace rules. Notes are pure. When they are not in tune, anxiety, despair, alienation, forlornness dog his days." ("True," thought Audie. "I think that’s true.")

We are naked before our systems. Our systems have no secrets from us and we, no secrets from our systems. It is not uncommon for an audiophile to dream that he and his system are one and the same. Such dreams are healthy. They indicate growth. ("Really," thought Audie. "What kind of growth?") I myself have had this type of dream several times. In one of them, I was visiting Disneyland. Mickey took my hand and led me through a tunnel. At the end of the tunnel was a huge mirror. I looked into the mirror and saw my system, not as it was, but golden, glowing, perfect. I sighed. I am not ashamed. ("So, it’s a phenomenon," thought Audie.)

This great intimacy, naturally, causes great anxiety. The more intimate the relationship, the greater the anxiety we experience because of it. Last night I was talking to my friend Edith. ("He knows Edith? She has never mentioned him to me, or to Prudence. I wonder why.") She’s an artist, makes her own furniture, and a pretty good living I’ll tell you. ("That’s true," thought Audie.) She’s also a philosopher. Like myself she believes in harmonic rightness. A very important concept. We were talking about men and their relationship to vibrations. She is of the opinion that men are vibrationally obtuse. Not in touch with their own vibrations. What this means for her is that men are more likely to return her furniture with vague and anxious complaints that it doesn’t "feel right." ("I almost did that," thought Audie.) What this means for men and their systems is that we are very likely to be dissatisfied with our systems, to continually tweak and change things, replace equipment before it’s even broken in. You know the phenomenon.

Vibrational obtuseness, I submit to you, is the main and hidden source of dissatisfaction with our hi-fi systems. Vibrational obtuseness. The problem with our systems is in us, not in our systems! ("That’s an idea," thought Audie.) We are so used to fixing our systems that we never think of fixing ourselves! You are what’s wrong with your systems!

No more cables, tweaks, new amps, no more obsessive dissatisfaction, gnawing feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, shame even. My Harmonic Homeopathic Method can free you from all this!" ("This method is bad for audio business," thought Audie.)

The method is premised on the concept of harmonic rightness. The congruence and mutual supportiveness of somatic and system vibrations. When you are harmonically right, you are in tune with your system and your system is in tune with you. In other words, you are in harmony with yourself!

How does Harmonic Homeopathy work? It’s different for everyone, because every person, every system, and every home is different. Basically, I work with you in your home with your system. In essence, I tune you to your system, and your system to you. I teach you techniques that enable you to get fully in touch with the entire spectrum of your vibrations. Did you know that the human body has an average fundamental of fifteen hertz? With my training you can hear that tone within yourself and extend your effective range of hearing to that point and lower. Higher too.

I’ll leave you with an exercise you can try with your systems. Pick a quiet time when you are alone. Turn your listening room lights low. Get comfortable. Wear slippers. Loosen your belt. Sit in your chair. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly through pursed lips. Play a short vocal piece, preferably a male vocal. Then put on a CD with test tones. A CD works best because you can easily replay the same tone. Pick a midrange tone around 400-500 hertz. Close your eyes, take some more deep breaths. Play the tone once. Now, hum or drone in tune with the tone. Open your mouth comfortably wide and set your mouth chamber, esophagus, and chest vibrating in tune with the tone. Keep doing this until you can match the tone for its duration. Then play the vocal piece again. You will immediately notice that it sounds much better, richer, easier, more musical. What changed? You changed of course. You became more in touch with your own vibrations and right with the harmonics of your system. Instead of fighting your system’s expression of that wavelength, you are in tune with it, inside and out! ("Who knows," thought Audie. "It could work.")

LXI

Audie tugged the door of the brownstone closed behind him. The brass knocker bounced against its brass plate. The sharp click of metal on metal echoed off the houses across the street. "Was that one click, or two?" Audie asked himself.

LXII

Audie entered

the dark street

thinking

as he walked

thinking

as he lifted

his head

to watch

the moon

lighting

the clouds

thinking

as he felt blood

pulsing in his throat

Prue

Prue

Prue.