THE SOUND IN THE SCHOOLS OF WISDOM

In the ancient schools of wisdom, such as those of Egypt, Rome, Greece or India, knowledge of sound was a very refined science, based on the understanding of vibration in terms of the main causal force of the universe. As Jonathan Goldman points out in his book Healing Sounds, in ancient mystery schools, priests and wizards often were also musicians. Many of the great scientists of ancient times, such as Pythagoras, were also often directed towards esoteric studies. Their wisdom came from an understanding of the universe that only now has been quantified in fields such as quantum physics, where science and spirituality become one.

In ancient Greece, Apollo was considered the God of music and medicine. There were temples of healing that used music as the main force to harmonize body and spirit.

It is well known that Pythagoras (6th century BC) used music and sound for healing purposes. He called his method ‘musical medicine’ and, in his school in Crotone (a town in Italy forming part of the ancient Magna Graecia) teachings were given about the secrets of psychic transmutation and healing through music and sound. “Every celestial body down to every single atom produces a particular sound because of its movement, rhythm or vibration.

All these sounds and vibrations form a universal harmony in which each element, while having its own function and character, contributes to the whole”.

The ancient Egyptian priests were well-aware of methods of using the power of sound to awaken and rebalance the energy centers of the body. In the Sufi tradition, the uses of sound for physical and spiritual well-being abound in complexity and richness and, according to their culture, this is Ghiza-l-ruh (food for the soul). For its part, the Hindu tradition considers the entire cosmos as an ‘ocean of vibrations’, and the Nad yogis (sound-masters) have employed the power of sound vibrations to heal the body and reach the deepest spiritual essence.