How Sound Shapes Our World

Cymatics is the study of sound made visible, showing how sound shapes our world. We don’t usually see the effect vibration has on matter. Yet since 1967, when Swiss physician Hans Jenny published the first volume of Cymatics: The Study of Wave Phenomena, acoustic science has tested sound’s impact.

Experiments often involve what’s called a Chladni plate, a metal surface sprinkled with sand to show emerging patterns as related to sound frequency.

Listen and watch matter magically move in this brief demonstration (2 min):

What fascinates me about this phenomenon is the power that we, as sound producing beings, have on our environment. Ever seen a child shrink back at a teacher’s scolding? Or watched an athlete take in all the fans’ cheers for a sprint to victory?

Sound is powerful, whether individual or in a collective group. 

Certain frequencies produce patterns. Some tones form clearer images on the Chladni plate. This got me curious about resonance and imagery.

What if we’re more mindful of internal thought habits and external sounds in our environment?

Can we clear our mind with higher frequency thoughts? I’ve been experimenting. When stressed about a particular outcome, I choose to say “we’ll see,” as a more neutral viewpoint than gloom and doom. This increases my ability to ride life’s ups and downs and my confidence that all is in its right place.

Similarly, if we play an uplifting piece of music repeatedly, will we “see” a difference in our household? My husband and I notice that playing a sacred chant in our home on a regular basis calms us and our environment, including our cat Zoey.

When we recognize sound’s impact on matter, we look more closely at our choices.
We notice the effect of sound and try new thoughts, new tunes in order to stay uplifted.

That is living as music.