Cymatics Research - Geometry

Patterns generated by the CymaScope instrument often receive praise for their beauty, but beyond their obvious symmetrical perfection what do they mean? Do they convey information? Contemplating these and related questions is the purpose of this section in which we begin to investigate cymascopic images for what they can teach us.

The building blocks of matter, whether gas, liquid, solid or plasma, consist of vibrating atoms and / or molecules. Mother Nature does not assemble her building blocks randomly or chaotically; harmony exists at all levels, even extending to the orbital motions within the atoms and molecules. To help understand this principle, imagine freeze-framing the motion within a single atom. Where orbital paths cross, vertices become evident and when these points are connected by straight lines, Euclidean geometry becomes apparent: virtual geometric structures interacting with space. The twin graphic on the left hand side of this page demonstrate this principle1 , showing the arcing dynamics, generated by spin and rotation. Therefore, in a very real sense, matter is geometry in motion.

Just as the microscope and telescope brought unseen vistas into view, the CymaScope reveals the once hidden realm of sound, providing a window into the heart of sonic vibrations. It does so by transcribing the periodicities in a given sound to periodic wavelets on the surface and sub-surface of water. The structures created by sound’s imprint on water are quasi-3D in nature and may be considered analogs of the vibrational data within the sound. In a sense the images represent a slice through the spherical propagation of that particular sound. Since the CymaScope uses water of a few millimetres depth, straight line measurements within the imagery approximate the gentle arcs in the dynamics, revealing ratios that can be used to create 3D geometric models.

It is important to note that, in general, single frequency sounds create simple imagery and complex harmonic sounds, such as music, create complex imagery. There are some exceptions to this general rule, the Mereon Prime Frequency pattern being an important example in which a single sinusoidal frequency exhibits complex imagery, for reasons still being explored. More about Mereon can be read in the Mereon section of this web site.

In the geometry gallery a series of CymaScope images are presented in which sound has given rise to a sequence of periodic structures. Examine the images closely and their quasi-3D nature will be evident. The images in the far left column of the gallery are un-retouched CymaGlyphs — the name given to a sound image — while in the columns to the right we’ve delineated a particular mathematical ratio within each image. As this section develops you will see a coherent relationship between the sound of a star, a single cell, a human heart beat and the harmonious sounds from a musical instrument. Many contain identical ratios and demonstrate that the laws of Nature are just as much at work in the heart of a star as within a single cell, a human heart or within heart-felt music. Dr. Stuart Hameroff, physician and professor of consciousness at the University of Arizona, USA, elegantly states something we find relevant. ”Knowing there’s this interconnectedness of the universe, that we are all interconnected and that we are connected to the universe at its fundamental level, I think is as good an explanation for spirituality as there is.”