Week 6: Vibrations

[painting by Alex Grey]

Are all vibrations good?

Vibrations are energy; energy is life. All of the universe is in motion. Yes, I think this means that all vibrations are good, though something in me wants to refrain from judgments of good and bad and just remain in the middle. There are horror stories starring “bad vibes.” Maybe these are just blocked vibrations that become stored up and the matter they are trying to travel through leaves no exiting pathway. I am sorry that some vibrations have caused suffering, but I like to have faith that even though some things seem to cause suffering, in the end growth and understanding will result even from that which is considered to be “bad.”

The way we shape ourselves and the world about us can sometimes prevent vibration from being able to travel freely. Since there can be blockages in matter energy can get trapped; and since energy can not be “destroyed” the energy collects until it has enough power to blow the blockage out. I think something about my conceptualization here is a little off, but this is the only way I am wrapping my head around this right now.

Resonance in my world...

I spent time trying to understand the meaning of resonance, in physical terms -- to understand exactly what is happening. I don’t really understand this concept yet, though intuitively I do. Resonance seems to have something to do with the relationship between matter and energy -- the structure of matter and the way it allows certain vibrations to be realized. I found this definition of resonance: “resonance is the tendency of a structure to oscillate at maximum amplitude at a certain frequency.” And also, “The natural frequency is also related to the speed the waveform can propagate through the structure.” So, it’s the marriage between the properties of specific matter and the ability of a mechanical wave to travel through that matter. Mechanical waves need matter to transport their energy, like sound. Electromagnetic waves require no matter for travel, like light.

Outside of that scientific meaninglessness, I think I have personally experienced what may be a sort of human energetic “resonance.” It’s kind of close to what is termed “ESP” for me. When I’m feeling really “in tune” with myself and another person, I have this strong feeling/thought on occasion that I know exactly what they are going to say and what they are thinking--but I know it with my full body, almost as though we are one body/mind. This resonance happens to a lesser extent when I first meet certain people, like at a party -- people that I just really “click” with.

Connections between energy an qi...

From my very elementary understanding of both “energy” (in the scientific sense) and “qi,” it seems that an understanding of qi cannot be divorced from the body’s meridians. I see qi as the way energy flows through matter, how successful the energy vibrations are flowing. A build up of energy in the physical world can lead to major events like earthquakes and tsunamis--the energy is still trying to get through and can be blocked for only so long until it bursts forth. Perhaps this what happens in the human body if energy is blocked, resulting in a build up of stress which can lead to sickness or violent outbursts. The study of mechanical energy in Western science looks at how vibrations move through matter and the study of qi in Chinese medicine looks at how qi moves through the body. There is also electromagnetic energy which requires no matter to move itself and perhaps this “light” energy can be felt by the spirit even if the “matter” of the body is blocked or sick in some way. The spirit always has a way of transferring energy regardless of the condition of the physical body.