Quote:
Originally Posted by elnoctumblanc  Angelique, merci. I will most definitely give that a go.  Balbrae,
I suppose more in the sense of actual mantras (Hinduism I believe?)
Would you consider both similar.
I wanted to basically know if anyone finds that the mantras do indeed hold a power of their own rather than as in affirmations, we intend that power.. not too sure if I'm getting my point across properly  ... |
Hi, Elno:
There is no doubt in my mind that words have power. Spoken words contain vibrational power within themselves. In this regard, hearing poetry and lyrics recited can cause us to experience tremendous emotions. But, as you correctly note, even absent any power of vibration in a word, we invest power in words. For example, the words: "turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, a warm fireplace" can make us feel warm, safe, and loved. However, ultimately, there may be no meaningful distinction between the
inherent power of a written or spoken word (
i.e., its vibration upon being read or spoken) and the power of words generally, owing to their invested
meaning. That is to say, they
both affect us profoundly. As such, whether the effect of words stems from their inherent vibratory power or from their invested meaning may not be significant.
Please consider the excellent work of Masaru Emoto. Emoto pioneered a scientific project, wherein he photographed water crystals after the water from which they were formed was exposed to written messages taped on water bottles or music played on loudspeakers near the bottled water. He pioneered this project upon the hypothesis that water stores information received, long after the information has been removed. In his experiments, he observed that crystals forming from water that was exposed to kind or loving words or classical music formed in a beautiful shape, while words exposed to mean words or violent-sounding music formed in an "ugly" or broken shape. You can learn more about this from his book,
The Hidden Messages in Water. The subject is quite fascinating.
Aside from the written word, the spoken word derives power from the fact that it is based on vibration. We could agree that chanting, (
e.g., Gregorian Chants and Buddhist Chants) impart vibrational frequencies which have a reality to their own. Instrumental music is the same way, apart from the beauty of a musical composition. Doesn't the mere
sound of a French Horn or an Oboe just haunt your very soul? It does to me. Musical instruments use no words, but their sounds affect us in profound ways. That that should inform one that the timbre of sound (its tonal quality) also imparts a power.
With this in mind, consider that mantras are simply sound vibrations (which vary in slight ways from person to person, based on the timbre of their voice). It is said that the word "om" is considered to cause vibratory effects that cause positive effects on the body, whether opening up chakras or making the mind resonate with the overall frequency of the sound.
This theory is not far-fetched by any stretch of the imagination because science teaches us that ALL is vibration in the world--objects, sights, sounds--everything. There are no solid objects, but only vibrating subatomic particles or packets of information. Sight is frequency of light registered in the brain, from the eyes. Sound is frequency of air waves registered in our brains, from the ears. Touch is the magnetic "push-back" of electromagnetism (a vibration) registered in the brain, from our kinesthetic senses. Besides this complicated explanation, don't you find that certain words just "sound pretty"--without regard to their meaning? For example, the word "bliss" is a beautiful-sounding word. The word "strife" or "angst" seem more "biting" in their sound.
Food for thought.