12 kindredspirit

Relax as Jeff Volk tells you how the sound frequencies used in

Cymatics can Tone up your Body and Tune up your Mind.

ou’re resting in a comfortable chair, softsoothing music playing in the background as

a cosmetologist hovers dotingly overhead,gracefully waving her magic wand about you.

You watch in amazement as years of life’saccumulated anguish vanishes from the

topography of your face like south-facingsnowflakes melting beneath springtime’s warming

rays. After just one 45-minute session, you noticethat those stress marks around your eyes are not

nearly as pronounced. The contracted skin around your lipshas relaxed, and you look like you’ve just awakened from themost restful nap you’ve ever had. Perhaps it was a dream,but it’s a dream you can step right into and walk out looking,and feeling like a new person! (See p15 to see the results).

As wonderful as this may seem, the Cymatique® beautytreatments are just one of many new therapeutic applications inthe field of Cymatherapy which uses specific sound frequenciesto stimulate muscles, organs, even bones, to their natural stateof resonance. Unlike ultrasound, which uses very highfrequencies to hyper-excite the cells in the body and can causetissue damage if performed incorrectly, Cymatherapy employsspecific overlays of frequencies all within the audible range, andposes no such risk. In the example of our ‘sonic facelift’ wavesof sound emitted by a small, hand-held applicator ‘wand’gently penetrate the skin, stimulating blood and lymphcirculation to help remove toxins, while toning and firming thefacial muscles. The average 40 to 50 year-old should noticesignificant and long-lasting results after 10 to 15 painless,relaxing sessions – a far cry from the ‘nip and tuck’ option!

[12-15] cymatics/jh 23/5/06 12:02 Page 12

All matter exists at specific densities, orlooked at another way, at different rates of

vibration. Therefore, each individualparticle, or collection of particles, will haveits own unique resonant frequency. This is

why you can make a wine glass or acrystal bowl sing so brilliantly when youexcite them within the narrow range oftheir natural resonant frequency. For

several years medical scientists have beenusing this principle to break up kidney

stones, and more recently, to excite theindividual cancerous cells within a tumor

to the extent that they rupture, thusdestroying the tumour (2).

Over many years of research in the1940s and 50s Dr. Manners and his

colleagues ascertained a large body of‘commutations’ for specific bodily organs

and tissues. Because every person’sanatomy is different, the same organ ortissue in your body will have a slightly

different resonant frequency than mine, butwithin a very narrow range. Mannerssolved this problem by using a tone

consisting of an overlay of five frequencies,producing a harmonic of the tissue. Five

seemed to be the ‘magic number’, creatinga frequency signature precise enough to

stimulate the targeted bone, organ ormuscle tissue, while at the same timeenabling one generic setting to work

effectively, despite individual variations. Why five frequencies? Various theories

have been put forth including that it relatesto the Chinese Theory of the 5 Elements,

which are themselves based on theesoteric principles of the five platonicsolids. A more biological interpretation

might be that these frequencies aresomehow related to the five main stages of

the cell renewal process. Suffice to saythat this particular patterning of fiveaudible sound frequencies has been

shown to effectively correspond with thegiven tissue throughout a broad populationover several decades of clinical research

and therapeutic application.

A Closer Look at Sound-

All is Vibration!

kindredspirit 13

Cymatherapy is based on avibrational device originally designedby Peter Guy Manners, a Britishosteopath who performed extensiveclinical research at his Bretforton HallClinic from the 1970s until its closeupon his retirement in 2005.Contemporary research and furtherclinical trials have been carried out inthe States in a variety of settings,with applications ranging from dentaltreatments to bone and muscleinjuries. Some of the most dramaticresults include the rapid recovery ofprofessional athletes from a varietyof injuries.

Sound of BodyOne well-known 34 year-old FootballLeague player, suffering from aligament tear and bone chip in hisankle, used Cymatherapy as hisprimary treatment. His rapid recoveryamazed his doctors, withinflammation and even fibrotic scartissue resolving within the first twoweeks of treatment. Full range of motion, muscle strengthand balance effortlessly returnedwithin four weeks of treatment. Ifyou’ve ever even slightly sprainedyour ankle, you know how long itnormally takes to be ‘up and runningagain’. Yet within one month he wasable to run and even turn on asixpence – a very stressful move forthe ankle – without any furtherdifficulties from his injury. Hisverdict? ‘My ankle feels as good asit did prior to my injury.’ He is butone of a growing number of athleteswho uses Cymatherapy not simplyremedially, but as a part of hisgeneral health maintenance regimenand to prepare his ‘psychologicaledge’ for his demandingprofessional life (1).

Perhaps the most rewarding casewas that of the thoroughbredracehorse, ‘Rarely Found’, whosustained a torn flexor tendon(similar to our Achilles tendon).Usually when this occurs, regardlessof the amount of rest, massage,acupuncture, electric shock andother therapies, the horse is unableto race again, due to the build-up ofscar tissue. His full recovery with noscar tissue in only six weeks (asopposed to two to three years ofconventional treatment) amazedowner and veterinarians alike, andmight very well have saved him frombeing put down.

A Brief Overview of CymaticsCymatherapy is a therapeutic applicationderived from the pioneering work of Swissscientist, D. Hans Jenny, who in the 1960scoined the term Cymatics from the Greekword for ‘wave’. Dr Jenny spent over 14years documenting his experiments ingreat detail, publishing books and filmsshowing many intricate and elaborateforms which sound produced in variouspowders, pastes and liquids (3). AlthoughJenny was a medical doctor, his primaryinterest was studying the way inanimatematter responded to sound from a physicalperspective, rather than directly exploringthe therapeutic effects of sound. However,his extensive body of work did, in manyways, lay the foundation for much oftoday’s burgeoning field of sound healing,vividly showing how sound can restructurematter into a more coherent form. A shorthistorical review may help to explain.

Sound adviceFrom his studies of the natural sciencesand Anthroposophy, the mystical scienceof Rudolf Steiner, Jenny was well awarethat all matter responds to vibration in aunique way, having its own resonantfrequency ‘signature’. He wished to showthis empirically, using simple materials andprotocols whose results could be readilyrepeated. Jenny’s scientific rigour openeda new chapter in the detailed study ofsound patterns popularized in the early19th Century by ‘the Father of Acoustics’,Ernst Chladni. Whereas Chladni had tosteady a small steel plate covered withsand in his fingers while stroking it with aviolin bow, Jenny had the advantage ofelectronic equipment, giving him muchgreater control over his experiments. Thisallowed him to recreate these vibrationalpatterns at will by reproducing the samefrequency (pitch) and amplitude (loudness)of the exciting signal. He used sand,pastes, water, and a fine sphericalpowder called lycopodium, which is veryresponsive to vibration, allowing him tosee the complex resonances createdwhen a thin steel plate is vibrated atvarious frequencies.

All matterresponds to vibration

in a unique way, having its ownresonantfrequency

‘signature’

“

”

[12-15] cymatics/jh 23/5/06 12:02 Page 13

14 kindredspirit

With subsequent advances inelectronics and engineering,

contemporary researchers such asGerman photographer Alexander

Lauterwasser, and British acousticengineer John Reid, are now able to

create precise ‘sound figures’ or‘CymaGlyphs’ in water, sand

and lycopodium.Lauterwasser is the son of a

well-known portrait photographer,so it’s no surprise that his focus,so to speak, has been to create

and compile the most strikingcollection of Cymatic photographs I

have seen in over 20 yearsdocumenting this field. His book,

Water Sound, beautifullyportrays many of theinfinite ways that

sound can structurematter. This fascinating array of

images shows how thepowder configures itself

along the node lines(areas of minimal

vibration) of a steelplate, clearly

mimicking naturallyoccurring patterns

such as zebrastripes, leopardspots, tortoise

shells, and even thecomplex structures

of the ectoskeletonsof crustaceans.

Sound waveBut for me, his most

awe-inspiring images arethose created in samplesof water vibrated in a small

petri dish. As the sound wavestravel through the water, they

reflect off the walls of the container,creating characteristic wave train

patterns, again determined primarily by thefrequency and amplitude of the sound signal. The water

sample is illuminated from above, and his camera is alsopointed straight down. So, as light reflects off the many

wave crests on the surface of the water, the most delicatepatterns appear with geometric precision.

It’s important to note that these patterns are strictly theresult of physical vibration; nothing is added to the water,nor are these images altered or digitally enhanced. While

such figures could be derived using well-known formulas ofphysics, their similarity to patterns found throughout nature

– from the structures of galaxies to the forms of single-celled animals and microscopic plants – is most striking.

This raises some interesting conjecture as to the underlyingvibrational nature of physical reality, and Lauterwasser

quotes liberally from various creation myths and sacredscriptures to support this understanding.

You’ll never look at sound the same again!Perhaps the most frequent inquiry I’ve received over the pasttwo decades has been, ‘How can I do this? How can I makethese kinds of patterns; with my voice, with my harp, withour chant group? In Water Sound Images, Lauterwassershows a series of sound figures created in water usinginstruments as diverse as sitar and digeridoo, and withmusic ranging from Bach and Beethoven to Skrijabin andStockhausen. ‘But I want to see this for myself! How can Ido it?’

Well, thanks to the untiring efforts of ‘retired’ acousticengineer John Reid, I may finally be able to give a helpfulreply to that question. With the assistance of Americaninventor/designer Erik Larson, a greatly improved version ofthe tonoscope, which Hans Jenny originally produced as atoy nearly 50 years ago, may soon be coming to a store

near you! The simple acoustic model, whichReid is calling the CymaScope Jr, is a

small table-top instrument that up tofour people can sing into at once,

to create multi-coloured,mandala-shaped sand

patterns on a vibratingelastic membrane. A

prototype of the morecomplex electro-acoustic device, theCymaScope SE, hasalready receivedgreat acclaim in theUS, and will beofficially unveiled atthe FirstInternationalConference on

Cymatics: TheScience of Sound and

Vibrational Healing inAtlanta, Georgia on

October 21 - 22, 2006(5). This unit features

precision engineeredcomponents in phi ratio

proportions, to create the complexsand figures, which Reid calls

CymaGlyphs, on a vibrating membrane. Itaccepts a variety of audio inputs, and a built-in

video camera will project these images onto a screen orvideo monitor. Specially designed membranes will also allowwater images to be projected. A smaller, high frequencymodel enables the sounds of nature, such as bird songs,whale and dolphin sounds, to be rendered visible, opening anew window into acoustic analysis of animal communication.

Vibration mimicstortoiseshell

(It’s) a bit like viewinga high-speed movie

of the development oflife itself!

“”

[12-15] cymatics/jh 23/5/06 12:02 Page 14

kindredspirit 15

ks

Sound effectReid, who turned the ‘sarcophagus’ inthe King’s Chamber of the GreatPyramid into a giant cymatic resonatorby stretching a membrane over itsopening and applying electronicfrequencies to set it into resonance,has his own theories of how sound

was essential to the beginning of lifeon earth. He also believes that thesefundamental principles are encodedinto the architectural design of theGreat Pyramid, most particularly in theacoustic properties of the initiationchambers and in the geometry of theenigmatic passageways leading upfrom those chambers (6).

Indeed, the formation of the worldthrough sound is a theme that echoesthrough the sacred texts of all the world’sgreat spiritual traditions, so it is especiallyheartening to see the scientific method

rigorously applied to a field which hasbeen, for so long, relegated only to faith.To actually be able to observe, actuateand reproduce the creation of life-likefigures from inert matter, and then towatch as these forms become morecomplex as the frequency increases, is abit like viewing a high-speed movie of the

development of life itself!Perhaps the science ofCymatics may even some dayhelp to unite two diametricallyopposed ideological factions –the religious fundamentalistswho believe in a literal versionof Genesis and the‘fundamaterialists’ whoseviews of evolution leave thebig question (Where did it all

come from?) unasked, no lessunanswered. In the mean time, thisdiverse field is rapidly evolving in itsown right, providing valuableopportunities to peer into the invisiblerealms of creation, ‘hear’ and now.

Perhaps even more promising thanthe potential that Cymatics holds as atherapeutic modality, is its power as a‘living metaphor’ to inspire awe andwonder, and to awaken that subtleyearning within us to ‘return to theSound’ which gives rise to all form andstructure. When you look at the origin ofthe word ‘resonance’ in the light ofCymatics, it’s easy to conceive ofcoming into attunement with a UniversalTone... a view which is music to myeyes, and sustenance for my soul!

moreinformation• Award-winning producer, Jeff Volk, lectures widely throughout North America. Jeff created a series of videos onCymatics and re-published Dr. Hans Jenny’s groundbreaking Cymatics books, which scientifically demonstratehow audible sound creates harmonic, geometric patterns found in intricate life forms, and in the sacred art andarchitecture of the world’s Great Traditions. See Kindred Spirit’s mail order pages for some of these products.Further information may be found at www.cymaticsource.com• 1 For clinical documentation on this and similar case studies, see www.cymatherapy.com• 2 The Role of Music in the 21st Century, Fabien Maman, see www.cymaticsource.com. Regarding furtherresearch in the field of sound healing. Firstly, Drs Gimzewski and Pelling of UCL, concerning the field ofsonocytology: www.darksideofcell.info/ An abstract of their original paper can be found at:www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/305/5687/1147/ Also the work of Gendel, in Northern Ireland, with their CEFUS technology (Combined Electric Field andUltrasound) can be found at: www.gendel.co.uk/• 3 See feature article in Kindred Spirit issue #60, Sept. ‘02 available on the Kindred Spirit website.• 4 © 2002 Alexander Lauterwasser. English edition, MACROmedia Publishing, 2006. www.cymaticsource.comAfter August, this book will be available via Kindred Spirit magazine and website.• 5 See www.cymatherapy.com or www.cymaticsource.com for conference details.• 6 See Egyptian Sonics, by John Reid (c)2001, Sonic Age, UK.

1. Reid beside sarcophagus 2. The Cymatic ‘Sa-loopwith (inset) the hieroglyph for protection

1. 2.

[12-15] cymatics/jh 23/5/06 12:02 Page 15