Vibrations: What's *that* all about?!

[Leaferne]

I've often come across the word "vibrations" in esoteric or pseudo-esoteric literature, but I've never quite gotten my head around what it's supposed to mean. An example :

The Vibrations of Anger

"...We have seen that changes in consciousness are accompanied by vibrations of matter, and that such vibrations are sympathetically reproduced by neighboring bodies. If a man is feeling angry, or depressed, or revengeful, his astral body will vibrate in assonance with his mood. The astral body of anyone coming near him will be impinged on by these vibrations, and will begin to vibrate in unison with them, these vibrations then producing in the second person a feeling of anger, or depression, or revenge, as the case may be. He will thus strengthen the vibrations produced in his astral body and will return them reinforced, strengthening those of the first, and this fatal interchange will go on, increasing the evil. But if the secoond person, understanding the law [of nature] grips his astral body with his will, prevents it from reproducing the vibrations which strike on it, and imposes on it a contrary set of vibrations, those which accompny a feeling of gentleness, cheerfulness, or forgiveness, he will quiet down the vibrations caused by evil emotion, and presently change them to their opposite. Therefore the Lord Budda taught: "Hatred ceaseth not by hatred at any time; hatred ceaseth by love." This is as certain as that a red ray of light will quench a green ray, and leave stillness -- absence of light vibrations. It is a law of Nature, and one that can readily be verified by experiment. To follow this law is to substitute a harmonious relation for an inharmonious, i.e. to be moral." p. 48

(spelling errors are in the original)

I would love to hear a coherent explanation of the term and its history, if anyone can enlighten me.

 

[brianellwood]

You should paste this in the 'dish best served cold ' thread, Leaferne.
As for vibrations, well the beach boys obviously knew about it!

 

[Anonymous]

There's probably something in this. I've noticed that people (friends/family) seem to know when I'm pissed off about something and I'm pretty sure it's nothing to do with my facial expression or body language. I've asked how they know too, and they usually reply, "I could just tell."

But the fatal interchange and reinfocement bit doesn't hold with me. As soon a someone asks what's wrong with me my mood immediately lifts.

 

[wembley8]

You should read Fortean Times, it's good on this stuff - FT179, p14:

"Spiritualism took its terminology from the scientists.... Electromagnetic waves have different frequencies of vibration, with properties that correspond to waves in an elastic solid. Visible light, heat, radio and x-rays were all vibrations of the ether, their different frequencies giving them different properties.

...This fitted well with spiritualism, which involved an invisible, all-pervading other world filled with unseen forces. Anton Mesmer’s work with ‘animal magnetism’, employing magnets to produce hypnotic effects, provided the missing link between electromagnetic waves and spirits. Clearly, the two were closely related. Just as a radio receiver was sensitive to the vibrations of a radio signal, so a medium was sensitive to the subtle vibrations of spirits. "

 

[Anonymous]

ive read a fictional book that seems to explain this

its called "the celestine prophecies"

ok its fiction but its still a good read and works in practice,well some of it..lol

 

[James_H]

I think it's a vagueness - a word that sounds impressive for a not fully-formed concept.

 

[Pete Younger]

Well this sums it up.

 

[filterz]

everything is vibration is it not , apart from dark matter and dark energy which maybe a lack of vibration, so for my new wand a vibrator

 

[KeyserXSoze]

Many complementary/alternative therapies utilise 'vibrations'. If you want to find out more, a book (more of tome, really) called Vibrational Medicine in the 21st Century (or something like that) by Richard Gerber is well worth a read.

 

[Thirtysixth_Bee]

I always imagined new-age vibrations to be like that stoner notion wherin molecules are tiny, but what makes up a molecule? And what makes up what makes up a molecule, etc. So there are all these interpenetrating levels of increasingly finer molecular and sub-molecular material, and all the little particles are bouncing off each other = vibrations. And there are different levels/qualities/types of vibrations, each corresponding to the fineness of said particles. It tends to get tied in with that Eastern stuff about other planes of existence, and chakras and such. I like this notion of what vibrations are because it's easy for me to visualize (bad word, I know!) when I'm meditating or trying to work with healing energy (which I go about in a very haphazard and fickle manner). I've been trying for awhile to understand quantum theory (in a general, non-mathematical way), but it's such a mind blower. I think this vibration idea is an easy, comforting way for people like myself to feel that they understand and more importantly, can have a direct effect on their universe.

 

[MrRING]

About Good Vibrations:

http://www.bobshannon.com/stories/Goodvibe.html

THE ORIGIN: “My mother used to tell me about vibrations,” Brian Wilson explained in Rolling Stone. “I really didn’t understand too much what that meant when I was a boy. It scared me, the word ‘vibrations.’ To think that invisible feelings, invisible vibrations existed, scared me to death. But she talked about how dogs could pick up vibrations from people; they would bark at some people and not bark at others. And so it came to pass that we talked about good vibrations.”

 

[again6]

Often have several false sleep-enterings from which I'm violently jolted awake. The jolts are sometimes caused by the sudden falling or tripping sensations experienced by many. After these, I am forced into a form of wakefulness again and in the seconds before I fall back to sleep, I realise my entire body is vibrating or trembling at a very fast, low level. At least it feels as if my entire body is vibrating, although of course it may only be my mind that's affected. On these occasions, the slightest noise sounds deafening.

 

[Anonymous]

I've always regarded 'vibrations' in this context as a sensing of life energy (or Prana to use the Hindu term) from any object, animate or inanimate.

I've never really been able to explain this, but like to think that as we're all made of earthly matter (indeed, cosmic matter) we share a bio-electrical/electrical/chemical bond on a tiny scale with that which surrounds us and whether we know it or not, we interact on this level all the time.

IMO, this is why we get wind of something about to happen sometimes by sensing the 'vibes' subconciously. We may not realise what we're doing, but we are unknowingly tapping into the ether, trying to monitor our own reality. I think it's an evolutionary thing and that all animals/plants maybe even rocks & other stuff do it. I definitely think we ought to rethink our concept of life.

QS

 

[Anonymous]

As sound energy comes from a radio/CD/song, I believe it is transformed/channeled through vibrations into other forms of energy. Just as is every emotion, every thought & every physical entity. Every electron is but a bundle of vibrations.

In the Bible Elisha is said to have sent for minstrels to play for him so that the hand of the Lord would come upon him.

In modern witchcraft the generation of vibrations plays an important part in such ceremonies as Drawing Down the Moon in which the high priestess invokes such ceremonies including petitions for things and favors wanted from the Goddess and other deities. Often such ceremonies involve the cone of power where clapping of hands, chanting, singing, and dancing occurs to the accompaniment of instruments. The vibrations produced by this activity can produce states of altered consciousness and ecstasy.