Reality as music

or, what if the gods are a frequency? 

In vodou, some guedes are legbas, & some legbas are guedes, but not all legbas (or guedes) are guedes (or legbas). Dig? This can seem counterintuitive if we perceive them as discrete entities but it makes a lot more sense if they're particular energetic frequencies between which there is some overlap. Hindus hold that creation manifested as a vibration, the ubiquitous AUM, and even the neoplatonic conception of emanations can be visualized as ripples from some center. Nor is this some mystical fluff that one can repeat to hypnotize oneself after a long day at the office. Quantum mechanics, perhaps the very foundation of hard science, admits that particles can be measured, and thus actually behave in terms of either waves or particles. The question, then, is why does our experience exclude waves, rhythm, frequency in favor of solidity, mass, quantity?

Remedios Varo, The flutist (1955)

The short answer is that we perceive discrete entities out of sheer habit. Still, it is possible to attune (pun intended) to this perspective; indeed, it is one of the main objectives of esotericism. One can make a list of techniques demonstrating this, & to pick examples representative in their diversity we might cite whirling dervishes, invocations of gods, vodou drumming. Fair enough, but why bother? What are the benefits of using these techniques, of  accessing these levels of awareness? We might respond by quoting Nietzsche, who writes that "without music, life would be a mistake". Or we can attempt to sway others by pointing out that there are particular interests who stand to benefit from utilizing piles of resources standing in reserve, and that what is to their good is not necessarily to everyone else's. Ultimately, though, one who has experienced being in the flow arrives at the understanding that this work, or play, is its very own reward.