Wednesday, December 18, 2013

" knock on the sky and listen to the sound..."

 "Each celestial body, in fact each and every atom, produces a particular sound on account of its movement, its rhythm or vibration. All these sounds and vibrations form a universal harmony in which each element, while having it’s own function and character, contributes to the whole."
Pythagoras (569-475 BC)



        How many of us can name a Christmas or holiday song containing the word "bell"?  Have you ever wondered what the significance of bells and chimes mean in religious and spiritual ceremonies? The distinct ring of a bell resonates throughout space in all directions. Bells of churches call the masses together, signal warning, announce events or a time of mourning. Bells symbolize beginnings and endings.  A few religious practices use bells to ward off evil spirits and demons. Most commonly bell tones are used to purify and heal. The actual study of bells is called campanology.

       Bells seem to have a multitude of meanings and purposes and can be all different sizes, producing a multitude of tones. Bells can be made from ceramic or glass, metal and brass and some of the most popular this time of year are Sleigh Bells, Carol of the BellsSilver Bells and Jingle Bells.
    
       Scientists have long theorized that the universe is ringing with the sound of countless cosmic bells. These sound waves fill the emptiness of space with ripples like the surface of a pond pounded by stones. Sensitive instruments have allowed astronomers to derive and interpret the sounds of silence. The sound is deep and there is a simple reason the primordial sound is so deep, the Universe is gigantic!  Objects that vibrate more slowly have a deeper pitch. In a young universe, the size of the regions vibrating are many thousands of light years across so their vibrations are exceedingly slow.  Virtually everything on Earth is vibrating.
     Now imagine a bell resonating with a low deep tone. You can hear it in your ears, feel it in your mind and body.  In the universe the number of sound waves passing our ear per second or the sound frequency gives the sound its pitch which is about 50 octaves below our audible range.
    
      Plato, one of the deepest thinkers of our own universe and greatest philosophers of humankind stated  “Harmony sinks deep into the recesses of the soul and takes its strongest hold there, bringing grace also to the body and mind as well. Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything. It is the essence of order…"

                  .......and the musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart once wrote,
“The wonders of the music of the future will be of a higher and wider scale and will introduce many sounds that the human ear is now incapable of hearing. Among these new sounds will be the glorious music of angelic chorales. As men hear these they will cease to consider Angels as figments of their imagination.”
      So sound breathing life into everything does give a soul to the universe, " wings to the mind". In the essence of order on our beautiful flight maybe every time a bell rings an angel really does get its wings.