Acceptance
long spiritual and philosophical history. India has spawned many religions and sects: most consider "Om" the generative creative sound that encompasses all. It is Om-nipresent. "Sound or vibration works through the various levels of density from Brahma to audible sound and becomes the basis of matter" (Judith, 1987, p. 270). The Chandogya Upanishad, cited below, chronicles this manifestation process.
The essence of things here is the earth. The essence of the earth is water. The essence of water is plants. The essence of plants is a person (purusa). The essence of a person is speech. The essence of speech is the Rg (hymn). The essence of the Rg is the Saman (chant). The essence of the Saman is the Udgitha (loud singing).....
The Rg is speech. The Saman is breath. The Udgitha is the syllable "Om." (Chandogya Upanishad)
Eastern traditions also espouse a relationship between creation and vibration. The story of Purusa in the Rg Veda correlates to the creation of heaven and earth. The Vedas say the God Purusa divided into a thousand parts, and embraced all (Radhakrishnan & Moore, 1957). By logical extension, in a universe formed from sound, Purusa divided must exist as millions of frequencies in eternal resonance.
Other Traditions
Sound permeates the creation stories or cosmologies of many other traditions, more than can be espoused in this writing. Thus, I will only briefly mention a few more. This is a pragmatic choice rather than intended deference to those included. The Native American Tsalagi (Cherokee) legend says, "The primary tone, the foundation of all worlds, is sung by the quartz crystal." (Ywahoo, 1987, p. 33) Chinese Taoist stories speak of Kung, the Great Tone of Nature (Keyes, p.14). Pythagoras taught that sound was a creative force and the Mystery Schools following his teachings held music as a therapeutic tool (Keyes, p. 15; Gardner, p.132).