Joseph Rael
A Life Dedicated to
Sound, Peace, and Vision
“A true human is a listener.”
Sound and Vision with Joseph Rael
At Kusala Healing Arts, sound is not only what passes through the ear — it is medicine that stirs within us, awakens clarity, and strengthens vision. Few contemporary elders have given more to the understanding of vibration than Joseph Rael, Beautiful Painted Arrow.
Born in 1935 on the Southern Ute Reservation and raised at Picuris Pueblo in New Mexico, Rael was shaped by the stories, dances, and ceremonies of his people. Over a lifetime, he came to be known as a ceremonial dancer, shaman, writer, artist, and guide¹ — weaving together tradition and vision, ancient pattern and universal call, always pointing toward peace.
Sound as Sacred Vibration
Rael often spoke of sound as creation itself. Before words, there was vibration, and from vibration the world unfolded. Each tone, each breath, each utterance of sound carries the power to bring us into alignment with the universe. To voice a vowel is not simply to make sound — it is to re-enter the current of creation, to awaken understanding from uncertainty, to rekindle vision where it has grown faint.
Sound, in this way, is not external but rising within us, carried by the breath, resonating within the voice, reaching into the silence that holds all things. From there, it threads us back into relationship with all life. At Kusala Healing Arts, this understanding guides our sound healing and meditative practices. Here, sound is not sought for comfort alone, but for its ability to awaken, align, and call us into our highest purpose.
Joseph Rael
Beautiful Painted Arrow
“When we sustain ourselves through the energies of the land, there is a synchronicity between land and our physical and spiritual selves and with each other. Then we are in good health. When we don’t sustain ourselves in this synchronicity with the land, we will tend to polarize.” - Joseph Rael
Visionary Artwork and Living Prayers
Alongside his oral teachings, Rael’s paintings speak in their own language of light and form. Circles, spirals, radiant bursts of color — each canvas is more than composition; it is a prayer alive with vibration. Many of these works were first given to him in visions, carrying instructions on how to embody energy and wisdom through image.
To stand before one of his pieces is to encounter a doorway: a chance to see vibration rather than hear it, to feel prayer in the eyes, the brow, and the imagination. His art has traveled widely, inspiring seekers who recognize that the act of seeing can itself be a ceremony.
Literary Contributions
Joseph Rael’s insights are also preserved in his books, which serve as guides for anyone interested in vibrational healing and spiritual awakening. Among his most influential works are:
Sound: Native Teachings and Visionary Art, where image and word together reveal sound as a creative force.
Being & Vibration, which explores how vibration lies at the root of being and offers practices to awaken consciousness.
Ceremonies of the Living Spirit, describing ways of entering renewal and healing through sacred action.
House of Shattering Light, his autobiography, tracing visions, struggles, and the unfolding of a spiritual life.
Through these writings his message reached across languages and continents, offering both map and mirror to those drawn to the path of sound.
Sacred Vowels
Among Rael’s most enduring gifts is the teaching of the Sacred Vowels². He spoke of them not as accidents of language but as primal vibrations, each with its own quality of awakening:
A
(Ahh)
Purity
Purification, Direction of the East, Mental Body
E
(Ehh)
Placement
Relationship, Direction of the South, Emotional Body
I
(Eee)
Awareness
Direction of the West, Physical Body
O
(Oh)
Innocence
Direction of the North, Spiritual Body
U
(Uu)
Carrying
Center of the Medicine Wheel
The vowels are not simply sounds; they are directions. In his way of teaching, each corresponds with a place on the Medicine Wheel, carrying wisdom that brings harmony when voiced with intention. To work with them is to walk the circle with breath and sound, to call balance from every direction, to stand centered in the living wheel of creation.
Within their simplicity lies a path: toward harmony with the earth, with the cosmos, and with the inner clarity that strengthens vision for the journey ahead.
Sound and Peace Chambers
In the early 1980s, Rael was shown a vision of kiva-like chambers where people might gather to dedicate sound for peace. From this vision, communities began to build Sound and Peace Chambers, places where vibration could be offered on behalf of the world.
The first rose in New Mexico, then others followed, spreading until they stood on six continents. Each chamber is unique to its community, yet all share one intent: to anchor peace in the fabric of the earth through sound. Those who enter bring their voices, instruments, and prayers — and in doing so join a network that reaches across cultures, joining many in one circle of vibration.
For Kusala Healing Arts, these chambers embody the truth that a single vision, carried through sound, can ripple outward to unite and to heal.
A Living Legacy
Now an elder, Rael has stepped back from teaching, yet his presence remains in the art he painted, the books he wrote, and the chambers still alive with resonance. His lineage continues in the hands of his eldest daughter, Geraldine Rael, “Paah-Paah-Wee” (Spring Flower)³. She now carries the responsibility of guiding Joseph’s teachings forward, ensuring the wisdom of sound and vibration will flow into new generations.
At Kusala Healing Arts, we honor this as a living tradition — family, community, and vision unfolding together, each breath a step along the path of a living tradition.
1.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Rael
2.) Rael, Joseph. Being and Vibration. Millichap Books, 2012
3.) https://geraldinerael.com
Sound Healing at Kusala Healing Arts
The vision offered by Joseph Rael continues to resonate through our work. At Kusala Healing Arts, we approach sound and vibration as healing medicines: in meditation, through sound healing where instruments are placed directly on or around the body, and in ceremonial healing where resonance flows through many at once.
Here, sound is not technique but tonal awareness. It is the way back into wholeness, the way forward into purpose. Each session is shaped to awaken clarity, to strengthen vision, and to align us with the highest potential of our lives.
We invite you to step into this circle with us, to experience how vibration can still the noise of the world, sharpen your inner sight, and open the way to walk with purpose. Learn more and schedule your Sound Healing session today.