Cymatics is the study of visible sound and vibration. The name comes from the ancient Greek meaning "wave". Experiments and performances have been done with substances such as sand, membranes and water. There's even been studies of its crystallised form in ice. Now, water is a whole other subject of its own importance, and a pioneer in that field is Dr. Emoto, who delved into the consciousness of water and the impact of words, sound and emotions on the sacred waters, also within us. But for today let's delight our senses in visible sound...
As a musician and singer, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to share the joy and awareness many of us hold towards the importance of music and sound in the healing journey. We feel it deep within when we play or hear music and sense it in our voices when we sing with an open heart, but did you know you can see this phenomenon?
In this article, I wanted to share briefly two examples which I personally love, which opened my eyes, quite literally, to the visual aspect of sound and waves.
Following are two links to YouTube videos with two examples of the visual beauty of cymatics:
The first is the Cymatics, the Visible Sound, of the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra.
The mantra itself means:
'Om, one who sees the three worlds (Shiva), past, present and future, creation, growth, and completion ⠀
Whose cyclic energies are akin to a fragrance that exists everywhere, being all pervasive, existing in everything
Set me free from that which binds me, as a cucumber is cut from the vine that is the source of this energy, that keeps it alive and has it grow, may this connection be severed too
So that I may be blessed with liberation (Moksha) from death (Mrityor) and that which grips me, that I am attached to, that keeps me separate from knowing what is true and what is real: my immortality.’
The second link is to a Nigel Stanford video. Now, this is a man who had dreamt of becoming a musician but who ended up studying to become a physicist... Well, it seems it perhaps his was not such a random path, for I believe he found a unique calling in life: creating visual scientific experiments. In the following video you’ll see experiments with the Chaldni Plate, Ruben's Tube, Tesla Coil and Ferro Fluid.
A full immersion in the power of nature in one of the best music videos I've seen, personally. Turn the volume up and enjoy!
"Everything owes its existence solely and completely to sound"
Leave a comment below if this touched you and if you have anything you'd like to share on music and sound, be it audible or visible! How has music played a role in your life? What’s your experience of music, joy, healing and connection?