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                                     Vibration

                                              By

                                 Alan Schneider

             What is "vibration", particularly in the spiritual context? How can this phenomenon be described and otherwise characterized? Let us proceed with the inquiry into this most fascinating and esoteric subject!

           First, a general discussion of the matter is in order. Science tells us that the entire cosmos, from the universe itself down to the smallest detectable subatomic particles, demonstrates oscillation - a regularly repeated fluctuation between two polar extremes. On one hand, this may be the cosmic interval associated with the "Big Bang" that birthed the known universe (and is still expanding). On the other, even quarks and leptons are both rotating and vibrating in place, although both behaviors are occurring at such a high rate of repetition, and on such a small order of magnitude, that they are detectable only with the most sophisticated equipment. Nonetheless, they vibrate. Everything pulsates!

           Since consciousness is also a real process occurring in the universe - we can observe our mental activity through many techniques - it should come as no surprise that it also has an associated "vibration".  This oscillation, however, is extremely subtle, and is sensed (rather than detected) on an internal emotional level - and a subjective one, at that. A given group of observers will, in all likelihood, sense a widely varying pattern of emotional responses to a stimulus (or stimuli) - including no response at all, through extreme responses.  Vibration has been linked to other descriptions, such as "gut feelings", intuitive impressions (higher order gut feelings?), and extra sensory perception - all distinctly subjective, internal perceptions. Is there any way to distil some objective standard of evaluation for such a confusing and ephemeral array of phenomena?

           Possibly. The key to dealing with the "vibe" - as mental vibration is sometimes called - resides in noticing and accepting first its subjective, personal nature, then its integration into the personal mind on perhaps several levels, including both conscious and subconscious ones. Vibrational responses also occur on a wide range of emotional impact from mild (e.g. simple dislikes) to intense (e.g. powerful fear and revulsion), and may not initially appear to be linked to any readily apparent causative  agent, internally or externally.  They may also be positive (e.g. attraction) or very positive (e.g. delight) in addition to the negative examples already noted. It all comes down to being and becoming aware of feelings and the type of feelings a stimulus seems to evoke in the mind - vibration is above all a generalized feeling with regard to some feature or process in or of the environment.

           Some caveats certainly effect the accuracy of a vibrational impression. For starters, it is absolutely true that the more "stuff" (customarily negative "stuff" - repressed trauma, denial, phobias, obsessions, reactive thought patterns, etc.) one has buried in the personal unconscious region (see the Holistic Mind diagram in the Gallery link) the less reliable will the vibrational assessment be. Not only do the repressed contents of this region interfere with the assessment - they also self-amplify their contents into massive distortions that block coping on the Material Plane, particularly depending on how unaware the individual is of their presence in the mind. I have repeatedly stressed the importance of undertaking and successfully completing a course of mental health therapy - one conducted by a credentialed psychologist - in these essays and will do so again now. Even if the reader does not feel the need for such an intervention it is still worthwhile and will yield a wealth of invaluable personal insight. Do this.

           And another course of study that will aid in the veracity of vibrational assessments is Jungian archetypal symbolism, because these symbols are literally the language of the mind (both conscious and unconscious) - one cannot communicate with the "natives" (archetypal impulses) if the lingo is not known! Although it is accurate to say that much of the repressed content in the personal unconscious is Freudian and pertains to sexual issues, this material tends to lie "on top" of the Jungian collective (interpersonal) region, this latter being of far greater influence in the realm of vibrational accuracy.  This writer's advice: do the Freudian personal work first to then gain access to the Jungian collective region, and become at least familiar with the basic archetypes expressed in the Tarot Major Arcana.

           Having thus gained a measure of familiarity with the personal landscape of ones mind - and this may take years or decades of the aforementioned therapy and study - one is now in a position to determine the validity of vibrational impressions. Another important point here is that this author has learned to mistrust his "vibe" assessments in direct proportion to how intense they are! If there is little or no external symbolism suggesting cause for concern, but the concern is still present, unconscious personal traumatic influence is still to be suspected, and one must make a choice regarding how to proceed. The wise choice in such conditions is to proceed with reasoned caution until more is revealed about the situation. At least under this condition one will be prepared to react quickly and decisively if an emergency does materialize from the chaos as the vibration forewarned. Chaos is the primal ground of creation from which everything initially emerges and into which everything eventually dissipates - even the best psychic apperception, including vibrational assessment accuracy, can only win us temporary respite from this Truth, and it is well to temper our hopes and expectations accordingly. Vibrational assessments and related emotional impressions are important psychic developmental "milestones" and should never be ignored - and they also should never be allowed to prevent us from moving forward with the Great Work of higher consciousness development out of fear, apprehension' or any other negative impulse.  Thus, a compromise path of moderate, deliberated progress and ongoing investigation would seem to be the best course to take as one navigates the deep waters of the Psyche!