In The Frequency

Music plays an important part of our lives. We move our bodies to certain tunes that offer a dance beat. We march to march music. Lullabies help put our children to sleep. Other types of music excite the mind; make us feel glad, or sometimes feel melancholy. It all stirs emotions of some kind.

People often express the way they feel by the songs they sing, or whistle as they work. Country-western performers sing about the girls they love, lost loves or personal troubles. Happy tunes can change our mood and makes us feel glad. Sad songs turn our thoughts to dark memories.

Why does music have such a profound effect on our feelings? Would you believe it is because our bodies are composed of about 70 percent water? And water has been shown to react in unique and distinct ways to the frequencies in different kinds of music.

Dr. Masaru Emoto, Japanese author and researcher, President Emeritus of the International Water For Life Foundation and Doctor of Alternative Medicine at the Open International University for Alternative Medicine in India, is best known for his work on the effects of sound frequencies on frozen droplets of water.

Emoto has shown through his work that sound, emotions and even thoughts, and the source of the water used in the study, can dramatically shape the way water crystallizes.

Emoto has shown, for example, that polluted water can be restored through prayer and positive visualizations directed at it. Polluted water normally produces a distorted crystal pattern if not treated. On the other hand, clear water from a mountain stream produces a geometric and beautifully shaped crystalline design when frozen.

When exposed to beautiful music the frozen water droplets produce a variety of different but lovely shapes. All are beautifully shaped geometric designs. It appears as if the water is a living organism that is reacting and possibly even dancing to the music, the beauty and the atmosphere surrounding it.

The phenomenon has been found to be caused by the unique variations in vibratiions produced by the music. This has developed into the science of modal phenomena, or Cymatics. It has been found that vibrations not only have a special effect on water, but they appear in powder, flour and even sand placed on a metal plate.

Thus as sound frequencies move through these special mediums, the vibrations cause the particles of matter to dance or move until they form designs or patterns on the plate.

In the music world, sound is measured by the number of vibrations produced in one second. This is known as hertz, or abbreviated to Hz. While the human ear usually cannot distinguish between sounds produced at 440 Hz and 432 Hz, people who study music say there is a noticeable difference experienced by musicians and music lovers. That simple shift in frequency can turn a harsh musical work into a softer and more pleasant experience.

Writer and director Elina St-Onge noted that music tuned at 432 Hz "is not only more beautiful and harmonious to the ears, but it also induces a more inward experience that is felt inside the body at the spine and heart."

He added that "Audiophiles have also stated that 432 Hz music seems to be non-local and can fill an entire room, whereas 440 hz can be perceived as directional or linear in sound propagation."

St-Onge wrote: "I personally have enjoyed many bands, artists and styles of music even though they were tuning in 440 hz. However by comparing a few songs in both 432 hz and 440 hz, I can feel and hear the difference.

"I wouldn't say that my experience of 440 hz music has turned me into an aggressive person, but I can understand how an entire population being exposed to music that is more mind directed as opposed to heart directed--not to mention all of the materialistic and ego-driven lyrics in most popular music--is a perfect combination to maintain a more discordant frequency and state of consciousness within humanity."

Unfortunately, most of the music produced on recordings worldwide has been tuned to 440 Hz since it was promoted by the International Standards Organization in 1953.

But studies regarding the vibratory nature of the universe suggest that this pitch is disharmonious with the natural resonance of nature. Thus the pitch may be generating negative effects on human behavior and consciousness. Research strongly suggests that if all music were tuned at 432 Hz instead, it could have a general calming effect on a world now in general turmoil. The slightly lower frequency appears to be mathematically consistent with the patterns of the universe.