By DEEPA BHARATH

LOS ANGELES (AP) — With eyes closed and a small mallet in hand, the Rev. Kyohei Mikawa gently struck the bronze Himalayan singing bowl resting in his palm and bathed the Buddhist sanctuary in a resonant hum.

Mikawa spent the next 45 minutes skimming bowls, playing a tongue drum and chanting to create an immersive experience called a sound bath as he sat facing a dozen people relaxing or meditating on yoga mats.

Sometimes known as sound healing or sound meditation, sound baths have surged in popularity over the past decade, driven by growing public interest in mental health and wellness. But sound baths are no longer confined to yoga centers, crystal healing studios or other new age spaces. They have crossed over to mainstream worship spaces, including churches, temples and synagogues.

Faith leaders like Mikawa, who oversees Rissho Kosei Kai Buddhist Center in Los Angeles’ largely Latino neighborhood of Boyle Heights, are increasingly embracing sound baths. They see it as a way to reach out to their neighbors who may not be affiliated with a religion, but still want to be in community with others seeking spiritual experiences. They have also found ways to make this practice mesh with their respective faith traditions.

Adding religious practice to sound baths

The sounds that punctuated Mikawa’s session emanated from centuries of Buddhist tradition and practice, energizing and calming the mind at once, he said. A chant at the end of the sound bath, he said, means: “Seek refuge in the true spirit of who you are.”

“The goal is not to become a Buddhist, but a Buddha — the best version of who we are,” he said.

Rabbi Jonathan Aaron, who leads Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills, a Reform synagogue, performs a sound bath the first Saturday of each month at the end of the Shabbat service, during a ceremony called the Havdalah. As part of this ritual, blessings are offered over wine, sweet spices and a multi-wicked candle while participants reflect on the difference between the sacred and the ordinary.

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Aaron says a rejuvenating sound bath fits perfectly with the sensory nature of the Havdalah, preparing attendees for the week ahead. The rabbi works with a practitioner who uses crystal bowls, gongs, rain sticks and an ocean drum, which mimics the sound of waves, to create a relaxing, meditative atmosphere.

He believes that while a sound bath might not be inherently Jewish, it lends itself well to Jewish heritage, thought and prayer. Aaron points out that the first chapter of Genesis describes God creating the world through sound by speaking the words: “Let there be light.” Hearing, listening, and sacred sounds, including the call of the shofar that heralds the Jewish new year, are all important aspects of the faith, he said.

“I’m not trying to make the sound bath Jewish,” he said. “But I’m trying to bring Jewish energy and an experience by creating this environment that has a sound bath as part of it.”

Anna Reyner, a member who attended the sound bath, said the synagogue is a perfect space for it because it builds community — often a main purpose of a house of worship.

“When you are in this intricate sound wave experience with others, you feel a sense of community and a connection to the source of holiness,” she said.

Connecting with neighbors through sound baths

The Rev. Paul Capetz, pastor of Christ Church by the Sea, a United Methodist congregation in Newport Beach, California, said their monthly sound bath sessions, performed by a local practitioner, are drawing people “who would never otherwise darken the door of a church.”

“I find the sound bath brings you to another level of existence,” Capetz said. “It’s almost hypnotic, but it’s not a drug. You’re experiencing it in real time that leaves you with a feeling of such serenity.”

The goal of having practices like sound bath and meditation in the church is not to convert, but to relate to others in the community who may be spiritual but not religious, the pastor said.

Churches are naturally conducive to sound baths because of their sense of history, sanctity, reverence and, often, pristine acoustics, said Lynda Arnold, a longtime sound healer who has performed at Episcopal churches in Los Angeles.

“We talk about wanting to bring people into a state of deep listening, contemplation, prayer and intention,” she said. “In this church environment, there is an endless amount of creativity that can happen with sound and music.”

While sound baths are a more recent phenomenon, the power of sound has been harnessed for healing and spirituality for millennia. Alexandre Tannous, a New York-based sound researcher and sound therapist who has done these sessions around the U.S. and abroad, said many religions and cultures believe in the primordial nature of sound.

In Eastern religions, “aum” is believed to be the primordial sound or vibration from which the entire universe was created and is sustained. In Egyptian mythology and the Hermetic tradition, the universe is believed to have been created through the power of the spoken word, also known as Logos. The concept of the universe being “sung” into existence or created by sound is a common motif found in several ancient and Indigenous traditions and mythologies.

“In Western science, how do we believe the universe started?” Tannous said. “With a Big Bang, right?”

The instruments used in a sound bath — such as gongs, singing bowls, bells, chimes, didgeridoos — all provide vibrations and grounding harmony that help a person quiet the mind and become focused, he said.

“Those notes between the notes have the power to quiet the multitasking monkey mind,” said Tannous, referring to the unadulterated harmonics produced by these instruments.

The science of sound

Ramesh Balasubramaniam, professor of cognitive science at the University of California, Merced, has looked into how the brain resonates with and responds to sounds — particularly in some frequencies that could induce a deep, meditative state. A sound bath, he says, is one of the routes to get there.

“When you hear a sound wave that oscillates four times a second, you’re going to facilitate brain waves in the same frequency range by a process known as entrainment,” Balasubramaniam said. “We have 100 billion neurons and they all sing in concert in the same frequency, producing this collective effect like a crowd chanting in a football game.”

Jazmin Morales, who lives near the Rissho Kosei Kai Buddhist Center, has been attending Mikawa’s weekly sound baths for several weeks. She doesn’t know the science behind it. She just knows it works for her.

“I’ve always had trouble focusing when I meditate,” she said. “But a sound bath helps me focus. It’s helped me sleep when I was unable to sleep. It’s helped me let go of emotion. It’s even sparked my creativity.”

For Ridge Gonzalez, who practices yoga and meditation, it was her first time in a sound bath.

“It was amazing,” she said. “I could visualize the sound as if it were being sprinkled. I could see and feel it. When you’re meditating, you feel a sense of clarity. The sound bath feels like just another way of extending that practice.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

By JOSH JACQUOT, Edmunds

If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, the remaining weeks of December could very well be a great time to buy. Several recurring industry trends converge at year-end, creating favorable conditions that can help you save money. The auto experts at Edmunds have come up with three key reasons why December often delivers the opportunity for better deals — and what to know to ensure you get the best one.

Year-end sales quotas and dealership incentives

Manufacturers and dealers operate under annual targets, and December is when they make their most concerted effort to meet them. According to Edmunds transaction data, December has historically delivered the highest average discounts off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for both new and used cars. The pandemic somewhat upended that, sending new car prices skyrocketing year-round as demand exceeded supply, but that blip has largely stabilized since 2022.

Typically, as the calendar year draws to a close, automakers and their dealer networks shift into high gear, deploying cash-back incentives, financing specials and price cuts to help them meet sales goals and finish the year strong. As a car shopper, you can take advantage of this year-end push. By choosing to buy a vehicle in December, you are more likely to encounter a dealership willing to make a deal, even if it’s less profitable.

It can get even sweeter for you if you can wait until the final week of the month. Edmunds data shows that the last few days of December — when dealerships are truly up against the wall of both monthly and annual deadlines — tend to produce the deepest discounts of the year. Think of it as the auto industry’s version of a clearance countdown when every sale counts a little extra.

Outgoing model year inventory and clearance deals

As new-model-year vehicles begin to arrive, many dealerships find themselves with previous model-year vehicles still on the lot. These outgoing models become ripe for discounts because they’re taking up space and declining in value. In a handful of states, dealerships are also required to pay a tax on the value of their inventory on the lot as of January 1. This is a massive hidden motivator that drives desperation on December 31, specifically for vehicles that have been on the lot for 90 days or more.

Edmunds highlights that vehicles from the outgoing model year or those undergoing minimal changes often get steeper incentives. While new models are launched year-round these days, December is when current-year models still on the lot are targeted by sales managers as “must-move” inventory. Currently, that means 2025 vehicles will receive the largest discounts.

Accordingly, you can also maximize your savings if you can be flexible on features, trim or color, so the deals on carry-over models can be substantial. If the vehicle you want hasn’t changed dramatically from year to year, you may be able to purchase a car that’s essentially the same as a new model at a lower price.

More financing leverage in December

Beyond price reductions, December offers an advantageous backdrop for better financing terms on new vehicles. Edmunds’ research shows that automakers and their financing arms often bundle lower interest rates, longer promotional terms or enhanced lease offers at year-end in tandem with their clearance efforts. For example, an automaker might offer special 0% financing on certain vehicles for well-qualified buyers. Getting 0% financing, or even 2%, is a big savings over the standard financing rate of 6%-7% currently.

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Dealers eager to clear out their new vehicle inventory before the end of the year may be open to negotiation on specific vehicles — especially those that have been on the lot for a while. You can check the days on the lot when you browse Edmunds inventory.

For shoppers who have done their homework — secured preapproval, identified the trims they’re willing to consider, and are ready to sign — this timing can offer both a lower purchase price and a lower cost of borrowing. Buyers can gain even more leverage by being strategic: a dealer may have several examples of the same model, some of which have been in inventory for an extended period. Each day a car sits unsold costs the dealership more. That creates extra motivation to discount older inventory or specific vehicles.

In short, it’s not just about when you buy, but which specific car you target. The right combination of timing, financing and flexibility can make December deals even more rewarding.

Edmunds says

December packs together three powerful forces for buyers seeking the best deals: dealer urgency to hit quotas, clearance of outgoing-model stock and enhanced financing leverage. Make sure to get an early start on the shopping so that you have a better selection and don’t feel pressured to make a hasty decision.

This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. Josh Jacquot is a contributor at Edmunds.

VIRGINIA — A Duluth hunter has been charged with illegally taking a moose, which he told officers he mistook for a deer.

The Duluth man faces a gross misdemeanor charge after allegedly shooting the animal on Nov. 8, the opening day of the firearms deer season, just north of Cotton.

Minnesota has not had a moose season since 2012, as the once-thriving population began a rapid decline about 20 years ago.

The incident was reported to the Department of Natural Resources shortly after 9 a.m., according to a criminal complaint. Conservation officers Shane Zavodnik and Jake Peterson responded and met the man and his hunting party at their camp in the Melrude area.

The man allegedly said he was in his stand when he saw what he believed to be deer antlers and shot the animal. He fired again, causing it to fall.

Officers learned he had sent a message to another member of his group, stating: “I f—ed up and shot a moose.”

The hunter said his stand faces east and that the trees and glare from the sun made it difficult to see, but he thought he was shooting at a six-point white-tailed deer. The moose was found approximately 110 yards away from the stand.

Both officers reported that the man’s eyes were “bloodshot and watery” and that he smelled of alcohol. He allegedly acknowledged drinking beer the previous night, and a preliminary breath test showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.10, which is higher than the legal limit for driving.

The officers seized the man’s rifle, and the moose was turned over to the 1854 Treaty Authority, which manages off-reservation tribal hunting rights in Northeastern Minnesota.

State law sets restitution for the illegal taking of a moose at $1,000. The charge itself carries a fine of up to $3,000; jail time is not typically imposed for hunting violations, and the man does not appear to have any criminal history.

He was issued a summons to appear in State District Court in Virginia on Feb. 20.

A DNR estimate this year placed the state’s moose population at 4,040 — a figure that has remained relatively stable for the past decade, but a far cry from the 8,840 estimated in 2006.

The figure plummeted to just 2,760 in 2013, which prompted the DNR and area tribes to suspend the hunt. The three Ojibwe bands in the treaty area resumed a limited harvest in 2016.

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Across much of the industrial world, trust in government is low and declining. Why is this happening and why, exactly, does it matter?

An unusually thorough new study looks at these questions and finds answers that are somewhat unexpected and, in one way, more disturbing than you might have guessed.

The fact of diminished trust is hardly a revelation, least of all in countries such as the U.S., where anti-establishment populists have turned politics upside down and elite expertise has become not just distrusted but disdained.

Last year a survey found that fewer than one in six Americans expect Washington to do the right thing “nearly always” (1%) or “most of the time” (15%).

At the turn of the century, such measures for the U.S. were more than twice as high. Across the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, many other countries (including the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, New Zealand and Chile) have also seen trust decline. But in others (such as Finland, Ireland, Portugal, and Mexico) trust has increased. Levels of trust, as opposed to rates of change, also vary a lot. These widely differing patterns make it possible to examine causes.

On the face of it, the collapse of trust seems like a phenomenon of social psychology — a perspective that tends to highlight a confluence of cultural and technological factors. Social media, disinformation and misinformation, echo chambers, epistemic bubbles and whatnot are often taken to be responsible.

This view is mistaken, according to a study by Michael Boskin, Alexander Kleiner and Ian Whiton, all of Stanford University. Their paper adds to a body of research that says straightforward economic factors are what count.

Looking at 34 countries between 2007 and 2023, they find that per-capita gross domestic product, debt, social spending, unemployment, and inflation all have pronounced effects on trust in government. In their analysis, the interactions and trade-offs among these measures largely explain the outcome, leaving non-economic factors to play “only a supporting role.”

Overall, an increase in per capita GDP (in real, after-tax terms) of $1,000 corresponded to a rise in trust of 0.2 percentage points. The effect of higher social spending was even more pronounced: An increase of $1,000 per capita is associated with a 1.4 percentage-point increase in trust.

Higher inflation and higher unemployment both reduce trust, as you’d expect; each increase of a percentage point reduces trust in government by 1.6 and 1.0 percentage points, respectively. Half a century ago, the economist Arthur Okun coined the “misery index,” the sum of the rates of inflation and unemployment. Evidently, misery means distrust, and inflation is especially likely to induce it.

More important are the trade-offs connecting these various measures. Other things being equal, trust rises when social spending goes up. If higher spending coincides with a period of high unemployment and spare economic capacity, it’s likely to cut joblessness without pushing inflation up.

The net effect, thanks to lower unemployment, would then be an even bigger improvement in trust. But if the spending coincides with full employment and no spare capacity, it will likely drive up inflation – most likely by enough to yield a net reduction in trust. The authors surmise that this is what happened in many countries, especially the U.S., once the recovery from the pandemic was well under way.

One way to summarize the finding is to say that sound macroeconomic management — not the same as “big government” or “small government” — promotes trust, and that the main test of sound macroeconomic policy is low unemployment and (especially) low inflation. But there’s another more unsettling implication: Declining trust will be self-reinforcing if, as seems likely, it makes sound macroeconomic policy more difficult.

A vicious circle of macro mismanagement and declining trust is plausible. Inflation expectations are anchored by the credibility of policymakers’ commitment to keep prices under control. If that credibility erodes, achieving low inflation gets harder.

And this risk isn’t confined to the decisions made by central banks. Fiscal policy is equally implicated. Rising debt arouses distrust in its own right; at a certain point, it also calls into question the government’s preference for low inflation (because higher inflation would reduce the debt in real terms). Higher inflation means less trust; less trust makes higher inflation more likely. Trust in government requires good government; good government requires trust in government.

The good news in this study is that restoring trust might be more straightforward than cultural revolution and/or technological stasis. Plain old sound economic management — with particular stress on keeping inflation tamed — might suffice. The bad news for countries like the U.S., which have seen trust in government fall so precipitously, is that sound economic management is now a lot more difficult than before.

Clive Crook is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and member of the editorial board covering economics. Previously, he was deputy editor of the Economist and chief Washington commentator for the Financial Times.

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