If music and sound has the power to heal us, to empower us, to bring peace into our lives and to transform us, then how can we take advantage of this immensly abundant natural resource in our every day lives? Physicists tell us that the physical world is made up of vibrating energy; in fact, ancient wisdom reveals that all matter comes from vibration or sound. This is the principle of RESONANCE. Modern science supports this belief. Because of this basic truth, we possess the power to transform our physical, mental, spiritual bodies through the use of sound vibration. By understanding how we resonate, we can then balance our energy more optimally with that of our surrounding environment. Simon Heather of the College of Sound Healing in England, explores the four aspects of sound – Resonance, Intervals, Harmonics and Chant in his book The Healing Power of Sound and in his Sound Healing courses. Heather states that "each organism has its own vibratory rate. Every object in the universe has its own unique resonant frequency. Tap a wineglass and it will emit a ringing sound determined by its size, shape and the thickness." It has been observed that sound travels in air at 760mph, in water at 3350mph, and in glass at 5600mph. Because the human body is made up of 70% water, our bodies are excellent conductors of sound!! Heather goes on to point out that "Every organ, every bone, every cell in the body has its own resonant frequency. Together they make up a COMPOSITE FREQUENCY like the instruments of an orchestra. When one organ in the body is out of tune it, affects the whole body. Through the principle of resonance it is possible to use sound to bring the body back into harmony, hence avoiding the need for drugs or surgery."

A second very important principle at work in our world is ENTRAINMENT. In 1665 Dutch scientist Christian Huygens, 'discovered' the principle of 'entrainment' which states that "whenever two or more oscillators in the same field are pulsing at nearly the same rate, they tend to ‘lock in’ and begin pulsing at exactly the same rate. The powerful rhythmic vibrations from one source will cause less powerful vibrations of another source to lock into the vibration of the first source." Examples of the law of entrainment are birds flying together in migration, or the synchronization of menstrual cycles in women who live or work together. Clocks placed on a wall, whose pendulums are swinging at different rates will, within a few hours, synchronize so that their pendulums are swinging at exactly the same speed!! Thus, when we listen to music in our car, home or workplace, the principles of resonance and entrainment are at work, whether we are aware of it or not. Furthermore, scientific research identifies specific sound frequencies which relate to different parts of the body. The beauty in this phenomenon is that we can actually retune a part or all of our body, just as a piano is tuned. With the vast library of music and sound effects now available to us on the internet, in small digital portable devices or in large home or work audio systems, we now possess the ability to sonically and vibrationally transform, like never before, our living environments and therefore, our body, mind and spirit. Let us not forget the miraculous effects of the sounds of nature all around us. It is essential to balance the "digital" experience of music with the natural sounds of the earth and sky. Beyond this is the idea of occasionally sitting in "silence," which actually brings our awareness to the vibrational sounds WITHIN our body, such as heartbeat, breath, circulation, digestion, etc. Listening to ourselves in moments of quiet meditation is a very powerful, intuitive way to find our own vibratory rate and resonant nature.