Good Vibes

When the Beach Boys released “Good Vibrations” in October 1966 after over 90 hours of recording time, work in multiple studios, the use of innovative sounds, and costing over $50,000 to produce, the result was a super pop hit that still ranks today as one of the greatest of the greats.

Brian Wilson’s mother is credited with teaching her son the notion that some people give off BAD vibes, and from that idea Brian and his co-writer, Mike Love, produced a love song that assumes people can also give off GOOD vibes, i.e. good vibrations.

It is said that the earth vibrates at a rate of 7.83 Hz, and standing human beings at a rate of 7.5 HZ. The “hum” (some call it “heartbeat”) of the earth is close to the musical note B, two octaves below the lowest note on a piano. The Schumann scale (the earth’s electromagnetic scale) is an arpeggio made up of two four note chords (B13 and Cdim7) spanning two octaves B, A, D#, G#, then C, D#, F#, and B. Scientists say that all of matter is vibrating energy, atoms made up of vibrating particles.

All of this quickly goes way beyond my ability to comprehend it, but I find it fascinating, don’t you?

Human anger produces a high level of vibrations it is said, and this can have detrimental effects. Just as an earthquake exhibits an increase in vibrations in the earth, negative emotions can produce “bad” vibrations in humans. But all this has gotten me to thinking about the prevalence of an oft repeated request that people make when they are in a distressing situation: “Send good vibes!”

And it makes me wonder if good vibes can be sent from a distance, or are they limited to words of encouragement to be read, or physical proximity to someone with whom you can either share a hug, or make eye contact? For some, prayer is another name for good vibes? Or is it?

This talk of VIBRATIONS reminds me of the following citations from ancient times:

“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.'” (Hebrews 12:26 NIV referring to Exodus 19:18)

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” (2 Peter 3:10 NIV)

“. . . the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” (Matthew 24:29b NIV)

“When he (God) is angry, the earth trembles . . . .” (Jeremiah 10:10 NIV)

“The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the desert of Kadesh.” (Psalm 29:8 NIV)

“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:2 NIV)

It is not readily noticeable here, but the Hebrew word translated “hovering” is a word that sometimes implies a tremulous hovering or a quivering (like an eagle stirring up its nest as it hovers over its young, as in Deuteronomy 32:11). Present even at creation.

According to scientists the whole universe vibrates. And it is interesting that even those who are not convinced there is a Supreme Being often ascribe divine-like qualities to THE UNIVERSE. It is very much like the western concept of karma: it rewards and punishes based upon an individual’s actions. When one is in concert with the universe, good things happen for them; when they are not in concert with the universe, bad things happen.

It seems to me that what many nonbelievers have chosen to do is embrace an impersonal god (the Universe), rather than a personal God. They serve your purposes in a similar way: they both reward and punish, thereby affirming the existence of good and evil. But the Universe doesn’t require you to believe in anything, or trust in anyone, and it doesn’t require you to explain very much about the reason for pain and suffering, (i.e. its origin), or any of the alleged fantastical claims of Christianity (e.g. the resurrection).

I find it to be a neat, tidy, and convenient way to function in this world, giving credence to the latest scientific discoveries while simultaneously holding to the appearance of a quasi-spiritual, enlightened persona.

Am I giving off a bad vibe here? I do not mean to do so. But I am concerned that we might be ignoring THE SOURCE of all vibrations, THE ONE who set all this vibration in motion, and WHO will one day bring it all to an END.

When I started this blog in April 2013, ten years ago, I wrote about the concept of “Aweism,” i.e. the notion that one can enjoy and be awed by the universe without having to establish how it came into existence (see https://thegodstory.wordpress.com/2013/04/). In my opinion that is an easy out; we don’t seem to embrace that approach with much of anything else we attempt to understand in the universe. No, we tend to pursue, learn, experiment, and test until we arrive at a satisfactory explanation that deals with all the information at hand.

But for some reason . . . when it comes to the forces behind our current understanding of cosmology . . . we do not even consider a Creator; that approach is anathema. And anyone who suggests it is uninformed and hates science. Some physicists even claim they can show how something can come from nothing in the beginning of the universe. Good luck with that! Every logical explanation begins with some substance, no matter how crude.

Maybe the truth is that as believers we have not done a good enough job translating the Christian message in words with which nonbelievers can identify. We have been drawing lines in the proverbial sand (politically, socially, even scientifically) that don’t need to be there. And the religious sand castles we have labored to protect have gotten washed away by the ocean waves of new evidence, and rightly so.

How about an honest dialogue with the world? It can’t hurt. Now it won’t cause everyone to turn into a believer, but for some it will be the door they’ve been hoping would open a bit wider; maybe there’s a way for honest inquirers to be educated and have faith at the same time. You think so?

So what about the vibrations? It seems that our universe HUMS and VIBRATES, and everything in it does, too. It must have been made that way, huh? My quest is to hum a good tune until such a time as the One who first started the tune brings it to its finale.