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Musica universalis (lit. universal music, or music of the spheres) is an ancient philosophical
Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, justice, validity, mind, and language....
 concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies — the Sun
Sun

The Sun , a G V star, is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 98.6% of the Solar System's mass....
, Moon
Moon

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the List of natural satellites by diameter satellite in the Solar System. The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is km, about thirty times the diameter of the Earth....
, and planet
Planet

A planet , as 2006 definition of planet by the International Astronomical Union , is a celestial body orbiting a star or Stellar evolution#Stellar remnants that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared the neighbourhood of planetesimals....
s — as a form of musica (the Medieval Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 name for music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
). This 'music' is not literally audible, but a harmonic
Harmonic

In acoustics and telecommunication, a harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the Signalling that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency....
 and/or mathematical
Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, space, change, and related topics of pattern and form. Mathematicians seek out patterns whether found in numbers, space, natural science, computers, imaginary abstractions, or elsewhere....
 and/or religious concept. The Greek
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
 mathematician and astronomer Pythagoras
Pythagoras

Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionians Ancient Greeks mathematician and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. He is often revered as a great mathematician, mysticism and scientist; however some have questioned the scope of his contributions to mathematics and natural philosophy....
 is frequently credited with originating the concept, which stemmed from his semi-mystical
Mysticism

Mysticism is the pursuit of communion with, Unio Mystica with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, Spirituality, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight....
, semi-mathematical
Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, space, change, and related topics of pattern and form. Mathematicians seek out patterns whether found in numbers, space, natural science, computers, imaginary abstractions, or elsewhere....
 philosophy and its associated system of numerology
Numerology

Numerology is any of many systems, traditions or beliefs in a mysticism or esoteric relationship between numbers and physical objects or living things....
 of Pythagoreanism
Pythagoreanism

Pythagoreanism is a term used for the esoteric and metaphysics beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans, who were much influenced by mathematics and probably a very inspirational source for Plato and Platonism....
.






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Musica universalis (lit. universal music, or music of the spheres) is an ancient philosophical
Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, justice, validity, mind, and language....
 concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies — the Sun
Sun

The Sun , a G V star, is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 98.6% of the Solar System's mass....
, Moon
Moon

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the List of natural satellites by diameter satellite in the Solar System. The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is km, about thirty times the diameter of the Earth....
, and planet
Planet

A planet , as 2006 definition of planet by the International Astronomical Union , is a celestial body orbiting a star or Stellar evolution#Stellar remnants that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared the neighbourhood of planetesimals....
s — as a form of musica (the Medieval Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 name for music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
). This 'music' is not literally audible, but a harmonic
Harmonic

In acoustics and telecommunication, a harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the Signalling that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency....
 and/or mathematical
Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, space, change, and related topics of pattern and form. Mathematicians seek out patterns whether found in numbers, space, natural science, computers, imaginary abstractions, or elsewhere....
 and/or religious concept. The Greek
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
 mathematician and astronomer Pythagoras
Pythagoras

Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionians Ancient Greeks mathematician and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. He is often revered as a great mathematician, mysticism and scientist; however some have questioned the scope of his contributions to mathematics and natural philosophy....
 is frequently credited with originating the concept, which stemmed from his semi-mystical
Mysticism

Mysticism is the pursuit of communion with, Unio Mystica with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, Spirituality, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight....
, semi-mathematical
Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, space, change, and related topics of pattern and form. Mathematicians seek out patterns whether found in numbers, space, natural science, computers, imaginary abstractions, or elsewhere....
 philosophy and its associated system of numerology
Numerology

Numerology is any of many systems, traditions or beliefs in a mysticism or esoteric relationship between numbers and physical objects or living things....
 of Pythagoreanism
Pythagoreanism

Pythagoreanism is a term used for the esoteric and metaphysics beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans, who were much influenced by mathematics and probably a very inspirational source for Plato and Platonism....
. According to Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler

Johannes Kepler was a Germans mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, and key figure in the 17th century Scientific revolution. He is best known for his eponymous Kepler's laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican Astrononomy....
, the connection between geometry
Geometry

Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers....
 (and sacred geometry
Sacred geometry

Sacred geometry is geometry used in the design of sacred architecture and sacred art. The basic belief is that geometry and mathematical ratios, harmonics and proportion are also found in music, light, cosmology....
), cosmology
Cosmology

Cosmology is study of the Universe in its totality, and by extension, humanity's place in it. Though the word cosmology is recent , study of the Universe has a long history involving science, philosophy, esotericism, and religion....
, astrology
Astrology

Astrology is a group of systems, traditions, and beliefs which hold that the relative positions of astronomical object and related details can provide useful information about personality, human affairs, and other terrestrial matters....
, harmonic
Harmonic

In acoustics and telecommunication, a harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the Signalling that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency....
s, and music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
 is through musica universalis .

At the time, the Sun, Moon, and planets were thought to revolve around Earth in their proper spheres
Celestial spheres

The celestial spheres, or celestial orbs, were the fundamental celestial entities of the cosmological celestial mechanics first invented by Eudoxus, and developed by Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus and others....
. The most thorough and imaginative description of the concept can be found in Dante
Dante Alighieri

Durante degli Alighieri , commonly known as Dante Alighieri, was a Florence poet of the Middle Ages. His Magnum opus, the Divine Comedy , is often considered the greatest literary work composed in the Italian language and a masterpiece of world literature....
's Divine Comedy. The spheres were thought to be related by the whole-number ratios of pure musical intervals, creating musical harmony. Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler

Johannes Kepler was a Germans mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, and key figure in the 17th century Scientific revolution. He is best known for his eponymous Kepler's laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican Astrononomy....
 used the concept of the music of the spheres in his Harmonice Mundi
Harmonice Mundi

Harmonices Mundi is a book by Johannes Kepler. In the work Kepler discusses harmony and congruence in geometrical forms and physical phenomena....
 in 1619, relating astrology
Astrology

Astrology is a group of systems, traditions, and beliefs which hold that the relative positions of astronomical object and related details can provide useful information about personality, human affairs, and other terrestrial matters....
  (especially the astrological aspect
Astrological aspect

In astrology, an aspect is an angle the planets make to each other in the horoscope, and also to the ascendant, midheaven, descendant and nadir....
s) and harmonics.

The three branches of the Medieval concept of musica
Musica

Musica is a bronze statue unveiled in 2003 that sits in a grassy knoll at the center of a roundabout where Division Street meets 17th Avenue South across from the Owen Bradley Park in the Music Row area of Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee....
 were presented by Boethius in his book De Musica:
  • musica universalis (sometimes referred to as musica mundana)
  • musica humana (the internal music of the human body)
  • musica instrumentalis (sounds made by singers and instrumentalists)


In 2006, an experiment conducted by Greg Fox
Greg Fox

Greg Fox may refer to:*Greg Fox *Greg Fox ...
 divided the orbital periods of the planets in half again and again until they were literally audible. The resultant piece was "". The principle of octaves in music states that, whenever a sound-wave is doubled or halved in frequency, it yields a super-octave or sub-octave pitch that is always perfectly consonant with the original one. This can be applied (through very large octave shifts) to any periodic cycle, such as the orbits of celestial bodies, to render an audible analogue.

Hinduism

Some Surat Shabda Yoga
Surat Shabd Yoga

Surat Shabd Yoga or Surat Shabda Yoga is a form of Spirituality that is followed in the Sant Mat and many other related spiritual traditions....
 Satguru
Satguru

Satguru or Sadguru means true guru. The term satguru distinguishes itself from other forms of gurus, such as musical instructors, scriptural teachers, parents, and so on....
s considered the music of the spheres to be a term synonymous with the Shabda (also known as the Audible Life Stream) in that tradition, because they considered Pythagoras
Pythagoras

Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionians Ancient Greeks mathematician and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. He is often revered as a great mathematician, mysticism and scientist; however some have questioned the scope of his contributions to mathematics and natural philosophy....
 to be a Satguru as well.

Occultism

According to Max Heindel
Max Heindel

Max Heindel - born Carl Louis von Grasshoff in Aarhus, Denmark on July 23, 1865 - was a Christian occultist, astrologer, and mysticism. He died on January 6, 1919 at Oceanside, California, United States....
's Rosicrucian
Rosicrucian

The term Rosicrucian describes a secret society of mystics, allegedly formed in late mediaeval Germany, holding a doctrine "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which, "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm....
 writings, the heavenly "music of the spheres" is heard in the Region of Concrete Thought, the lower region of the World of Thought
Mental plane

The mental plane, or world of thought, in Hermeticism, Theosophy, Rosicrucian, Sri Aurobindo, and New Age thought refers to the macrocosmic or universal Plane or reality that is made up purely of thought or mindstuff....
, which is an ocean of harmony. It is also referred in Esoteric Christianity
Esoteric Christianity

Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of Spirituality currents which regard Christianity as a mystery religion, and profess the existence and possession of certain Esotericism doctrines or practices, hidden from the public but accessible only to a narrow circle of "enlightened", "initiated", or highly educated people....
 that this is the place where it occurs the state of consciousness
Consciousness

Consciousness is a difficult term to define, because the word is used and understood in a wide variety of ways, so that it frequently happens that what one person sees as a definition of consciousness is seen by others as about something else altogether....
 called the "Second heaven."

See also

  • Astrology
    Astrology

    Astrology is a group of systems, traditions, and beliefs which hold that the relative positions of astronomical object and related details can provide useful information about personality, human affairs, and other terrestrial matters....
  • Astrology and astronomy
    Astrology and astronomy

    Astrology and astronomy are historically one and the same discipline , and were only gradually recognized as separate in Western World 17th century philosophy ....
  • Cosmology
    Cosmology

    Cosmology is study of the Universe in its totality, and by extension, humanity's place in it. Though the word cosmology is recent , study of the Universe has a long history involving science, philosophy, esotericism, and religion....
  • Esoteric cosmology
    Esoteric cosmology

    Esoteric cosmology is cosmology that is an intrinsic part of an Esoteric knowledge or Occultism system of thought. It almost always deals with at least some of the following themes: emanation, Involution , spiritual evolution, Epigenesis , Plane or higher worlds , hierarchies of List of deities, cosmic cycles , Yoga or spiritual disciplines...
  • Mental body
    Mental body

    The mental body is one of the Subtle body in esoteric philosophies, in some religious teachings and in New Age thought. It is understood as a sort of body made up of thoughts, just as the emotional body consists of emotions and the Human anatomy is made up of matter....
  • Mental plane
    Mental plane

    The mental plane, or world of thought, in Hermeticism, Theosophy, Rosicrucian, Sri Aurobindo, and New Age thought refers to the macrocosmic or universal Plane or reality that is made up purely of thought or mindstuff....
  • Monochord
    Monochord

    A monochord is an ancient Musical instrument and scientific laboratory instrument. The word "monochord" comes from the Greek language and means literally "one string." In the monochord, a single Strings is stretched over a sound box....
  • Orbital resonance
    Orbital resonance

    In celestial mechanics, an orbital resonance occurs when two orbiting bodies exert a regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other, usually due to their orbital periods being related by a ratio of two small integers....
  • Plane (cosmology)
  • Titius-Bode law
    Titius-Bode law

    The Titius?Bode law is a hypothesis that the bodies in some orbital systems, including the Sun's, orbit at semi-major axis in an exponential function of planetary sequence....
  • Ray of Creation
    Ray of Creation

    The Ray of Creation is an esoteric cosmology which was taught by Gurdjieff . It is a diagram which better represents the place which Earth occupies in the Universe....
  • Sacred geometry
    Sacred geometry

    Sacred geometry is geometry used in the design of sacred architecture and sacred art. The basic belief is that geometry and mathematical ratios, harmonics and proportion are also found in music, light, cosmology....


External links

  • - an astronomical approach to the Music of the Spheres, Greg Fox 2006.