About Sound - Quareness Series 212th "Lecture".
"As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear-headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this minute solar system of the atom together". Having recently again come across this declaration by the renowned German theoretical physicist Max Planck (1858-1947) I started mulling over whether vibration and frequency might really be at the heart of our existence. I have summarised below some of what emerged from my mind and memory which hopefully will be of some interest for the readers.
Many of humanity's spiritual traditions have regarded sound as the formative force of creation. To take just a couple of examples of such - "In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God" (St.John's Gospel) and "In the beginning was Brahman, with whom was Vak (= the word) and the word is Brahman...by that word...he created all things whatsoever" (per the Vedic Brahmanism tradition of Northern India). Could these long lasting belief systems be pointing to a "scientific foundation" for sound as the primordial organiser of the Universe?
Current scientific theory suggests that the early Universe was filled with high density particles and although sound cannot travel in a vacuum (e.g. the vacuum of space) it can travel wherever matter is dense enough to allow atomic particles to collide. Indeed it is this process of collisions between atomic particles that defines sound i.e. the transfer of vibrational information at the moment of collision between any two atoms or molecules. It is generally held also that life here on Earth began in the vicinity of hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor and where hot mineral-rich gases bubble up from the planet's core into the seawater making contact with molten lava. And we understand that sound has the power to structure matter at the atomic scale e.g. in water it acts to form "sonic scaffolding" that causes molecules to coalesce in an orderly manner. Could this dynamic sonic mechanism have sparked life?
There's a scientific instrument called a CymaScope ("cyma" comes from the Greek "kyma" meaning wave) used to study the visual geometry created when sound encounters a membrane or fluid medium. The "CymaGlyph" images created can show the imprint of sound on the surface and sub surface of say pure water. And such pure sinusoidal sounds contain mathematical ratios e.g. the "Golden Mean - phi" which ratio is one of the defining characteristics of life here on our Earth...suggesting a link between sound and life?
In any event it would appear that sound may have some ability to support and heal life...restoring order to organisms that are malfunctioning. Studies have shown that music for example has significant healing properties in both humans and animals, as a result of stimulating the brain's pleasure centres to trigger "feel good" hormonal secretions. There's also the physical effects of sound at the cellular level. Lithotripsy is a medical technique that employs high intensity ultrasound to shatter kidney stones and gallstones...deploying a destructive sonic principle. And using the same sonic principle high intensity focused ultrasound may be able to shrink tumours. Of course therapeutic ultrasound can also be deployed towards a constructive sonic effect e.g. to accelerate cellular division in soft tissue and accelerate bone growth.
Whilst the precise mechanisms by which such constructive sound therapies trigger the body's healing response are as yet unknown we can reasonably speculate at this stage on the possibilities. When a system of cells is traumatised (e.g. due to physical trauma or invasion by a pathogen) they go into a quiescent phase where they are not replicating. Cells in this state require good nutrition and/or rest in order to rejoin the normal cell cycle leading to normal replication and healing. In this regard it could also be that exposing quiescent cells to audible sounds of the correct frequencies may act as a catalyst that stimulates them to move to a phase in which they prepare for replication. In effect applying sounds to a system of traumatised cells may stimulate their integral membrane proteins and imprint them with a cymatic pattern that provides a form of energetic sonic nourishment...causing their frequencies to return to normal.
To close with some words from a somewhat spiritual perspective:
Despite our tendency to fixate on the possible negative rather than positive consequences of any health challenge, the power of good intention (which increases the chances of a successful outcome?) utilising the universal field of energy along with healing sounds may dramatically accelerate the healing process. Indeed we humans tend constantly to use the power of intention either positively or negatively every day. However, it does seem that the Universe can be rather neutral in these matters and will return in kind whatever we focus upon. We could say that our thoughts, feelings and imaginings are the templates for the results and experiences of our lives. It may well be that when we merge the mind's energising force with the universal field of energy for the purpose of healing and creation, the health and quality of our lives can be transformed. And even though many people tend to believe things only when they see them, it could be more aligned with our lived reality to accept that when we believe it we will see it?
We're told that when we act as if our desired outcome has already happened, the subconscious mind doesn't differentiate between what is factual or imagined...it believes our intention is actual reality. And this suggests that the mind in itself may harbour healing and creative powers and will continue to work on our behalf as long as we maintain our conscious focus of intention. It also suggests that fear-based issues and limiting beliefs may tend to set up internal conflict for us. It would appear that our feelings and conscious mind need to be in alignment with our powerful subconscious mind in order to become part of our reality. When the thinking-feeling self aligns with one's underlying belief system, the power of intention fully engages with all systems in alliance. And perhaps intention powered by the healing energy of sound can be a key to inspired improvement in health and other aspects of our lives?
Sean.
Dean of Quareness.
October, 2024.