What is an Octave?

If you are familiar with a piano, the notes that are eight-steps apart are named the same thing. All the “C” notes on the piano are octaves of each other. In physics, an octave is an exact doubling or halving of the frequency. Middle C has exactly twice as many “cycles per second” as the C note below it. All the C’s on the piano sound more alike to each other than any other two notes. The same goes with any note. There can be octaves of any note. Since everything, as some level is vibration, one can assume that everything has a musical counterpart. In Harmonic Medicine, health and disease has characteristic vibrational frequencies. Bringing in harmonies that enhance or detract from the “chord” being played by one’s life can effect change.

What Do Octaves Have to do with Healing?

It is becoming common knowledge that emotions affect the physical body and vice versa. The Octave Resonance Healing Approach™ deepens our awareness of how our physical bodies are connected to broader perspectives. When we do something, say on the physical level, we “listen” for how it is affecting our Life Force, our emotions, and our capacity to be self-aware. This also trickles down. When we experience a strong emotion, we can see it affecting our energy level, our physical symptoms and our ideas about what is happening to us.

Why Four Octaves?

These four octaves are common experience to any wakeful human being. They are inspired by Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy. Steiner looks at the human being as having a physical body, an etheric body, an astral body and a higher ego body. (His old-fashioned use of the word “ego” is more modernly referred to as one’s higher self).

Octave of the Physical:

In our physical body, we resemble the mineral kingdom. There is no reproduction. This is like a corpse. These are the raw physical materials that make up our body.

Octave of Life Force:

In our physical/etheric bodies, we resemble the plant kingdom. This is like a sleeping body. The etheric forces are the shaping, budding, growing, generative forces that we call being alive.

Octave of Emotions and Images:

Our physical/etheric/astral bodies, our experience is similar to animals. We have emotions and we have a capacity to form pictures in our consciousness.

Octave of Higher Vibrations:

In our physical/etheric/astral/higher ego bodies, we are a fully conscious human being. We are able to think of ourselves as “I Am”. We have the capacity to reflect on our own thinking. We are individuals.

These four octaves describe a vibrational spectrum we are familiar with. It implies that are lower and even higher vibrations that are beyond most people’s ability to perceive.

You may check out my Introductory Octave Resonance Healing class.