Musica universalis
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
Musica universalis (lit. universal music, or music of the spheres) is an ancient philosophical concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies—the Sun, Moon, and planets—as a form of musica (the Medieval Latin name for music). This 'music' is not usually thought to be literally audible, but a harmonic and/or mathematical and/or religious concept.
In Buddhism and Hinduism it is believed that one can literally hear this music when one develops the siddhi of clairaudience after extensive meditation practice.
Contents |
History
The Greek mathematician and astronomer Pythagoras is frequently credited with originating the concept, which stemmed from his semi-mystical, semi-mathematical philosophy and its associated system of numerology of Pythagoreanism. According to Johannes Kepler, the connection between geometry (and sacred geometry), cosmology, astrology, harmonics, and music is through musica universalis.
At the time, the Sun, Moon, and planets were thought to revolve around Earth in their proper spheres. The most thorough and imaginative description of the concept can be found in Dante's Divine Comedy. The spheres were thought to be related by the whole-number ratios of pure musical intervals, creating musical harmony. Johannes Kepler used the concept of the music of the spheres in his Harmonices Mundi in 1619, relating astrology (especially the astrological aspects) and harmonics.
The three branches of the Medieval concept of musica were presented by Boethius in his book De Musica:
- musica universalis (sometimes referred to as musica mundana)
- musica humana (the internal music of the human body)
- musica instrumentalis (sounds made by singers and instrumentalists)
Hinduism
Some Surat Shabda Yoga Satgurus considered the music of the spheres to be a term synonymous with the Shabda (also known as the Audible Life Stream) in that tradition, because they considered Pythagoras to be a Satguru as wellTemplate:Fact.
Buddhism
It is believed in Buddhism that when one practices Buddhist meditation and eventually reaches a higher level of consciousness, one can activate one's third ear and hear the music of the gandharvas ("the celestial musicians").
Esoteric Christianity
According to Max Heindel's Rosicrucian writings, the heavenly "music of the spheres" is heard in the Region of Concrete Thought, the lower region of the World of Thought, which is an ocean of harmony.
It is also referred to in Esoteric Christianity as the place where the state of consciousness known as the "Second Heaven" occurs.
See also
- Astrology and astronomy
- Astroseismology
- Esoteric cosmology
- Mental body
- Mental plane
- Monochord
- Orbital resonance
- Plane (cosmology)
- Titius-Bode law
- Ray of Creation
