First there was the word and the word was God
The word sent a vibration into the great nothing. The vibration created. The vibration created form. It created Heaven and Earth.
How does vibration create form?
The word, “mana” in Sanskrit, मन, means “mind.” It is of course, the root of the English words, “man,” “woman,” and “human.” This mind is the One Mind, Brahma, the One Consciousness from which all thought arises. “Mana, मन” is also the Sanskrit word for thought. Thought is a condensing process of mind, a channeling between the higher and lower forms of manas (Antahkarana). From the Akasha, आकाश, the ether, Brahma and the vehicle of life and sound, arises abhidhaana, अभिधान, the word. Abhidhaana also means manifesting. The English “word” is vrata, व्रत, which is will, a command. Sound is a vibration, a pressure that can propagate through all mediums- gas, liquid or solid. Vibration and its corresponding frequency create. Vibration and frequency create matter, form, and life.
To integrate this teaching begin at the beginning, with a story. The story of the Big Bang is a wonderful illustration of this as is Genesis from the Bible.
The Big Bang
There was nothing, only pure potential, total, complete emptiness, the great void, Tao, Shiva. There was no wind, no stars, no day or night. In a single moment, a moment just like now, it began. Some call this Shakti, others the Big Bang, a thought, like a pebble dropped in a still pool of water, in the middle of nothing. This thought, a mere butterfly in flight, caused a vibration that made a sound, a word, in the middle of nothing. This word sent a rippling vibration into the void like undulating waves spreading into larger and larger waves as it spread out from its source. This that began as a whisper, a mere thought, tremored throughout the great emptiness and separated the heavens. The waves grew and divided and changed shape and frequency as they intersected creating masses, masses of such enormity that drew in upon themselves, condensing into enormous bodies in the heavens. The intense gravitational attraction generated by these masses conducted energy of such magnitude that in the darkness there was light. The vibration began by that moment of sound is still reverberating throughout the Universe to this day. And it is still creating everything.
Story woven by Karen
Listen to the sound of Shakti, the Big Bang, by created by physicist John G. Cramer from the University of Washington
Also see the story of Shiva and Shakti from a previous post.
The Beginning: Genesis
Genesis is so powerful because it demonstrates the naming of the elements and bringing them into form, Abhidhaana.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
All of creation sung into form
I also recommend the book, All the You was Singing, retold from the Aztecs by Richard Lewis. The Sky and Earth separated by the Earth-monster long for one another and the Sky pleaded with the wind:
“Wind, we must bring music to the earth.We must bring music to the waking dawn.We must bring music to the dreaming man.We must bring music to the moving waters and the flying birds.Wind, life upon the earth must be music.”
According the the Aztecs, the whole of Earth’s creation was sung into existence by Wind.
Practice in sound vibration, the mantra
A wonderful mantra for this teaching is Humee Hum Brahm Hum, which means “We are We. We are God.” This mantra connects us to our true selves, a vibratory body connected to all the vibrations of the Universe and the original sound. It is a great opener for the throat chakra as well, our instrument of communication, expression and vibration. In this practice, we understand that with our gift of sound, we are God and we create. What we express manifests.
Visualizing sound
In my past blog post, Mantra is for Kids, I write about the healing power of sound and cymatics. Cymatics is a method of visualizing sound on a vibrating plate with the used of liquid, particles like sand or paste. In that post, I provide some videos demonstrating mantra in a cymascope. Here are some more:
Visualizing sound at home
To make these forms in the classroom or at home, put a drum over a speaker. On the drum add a particle. Find more ways to visualize sound at Token Rock.
Copied From Token Rock:
Try Alexander’s experiment: Hold a balloon very gently in your fingertips (if you have long nails make sure your skin touches the balloon’s surface, not your nails.) Now, bring the balloon close to your mouth, close your eyes and make a low-pitched ‘oo’ sound while focusing your attention on your fingertips. You should easily feel the sound of your voice through your fingers. But apart from the fun you’ll have doing this, it’s a wonderful reminder of the bubble nature of sound because a balloon is bubble- like and you will feel the trembling of its surface, almost as though you could see the trembling sound bubble coming out of your mouth as you speak.
💓 Karen
Definitions:
Akasha : “Not visible ;” ether ; space ; sky ; the subtlest of the five elements ; the substance that fills and pervades the universe ; the particular vehicle of life and sound ; the element from which the sense of sound ( shabda )–both speech and hearing
abhidhaana : telling , naming , speaking , speech , manifesting ; a name , title , appellation , expression , word ; a vocabulary , dictionary , lexicon ; putting together , bringing in close connection ; ( – tara } ) KaushBr ; see
