Conference hydra::dejavu

I can maype point you in the right direction.  The term 'Harmonic
Convergence' comes from the idea that the earth resonates in
harmonics.  There are a couple of books that talk about this a bit
more.  One of them I read, _The Mayan Factor_.  The other is 
_Earth Ascending_.  Both written by Jos� Arg�elles.  Maybe they can
ansewr your question.

Terry

    There was a scientist/philosopher (Kepler?  I don't' know...) who
    spent a great deal of the latter part of his life looking for the
    music of the spheres (or somesuch).  He found short melodies and
    keys for all the heavenly bodies.  Can anyone fill in my blanks?
    
    -Jody
    

    Re .2 (Jody):
    
    Well, since you ask --- ;-)
    
    Kepler was the transitionary astronomer between the older school
    of "astronomers" and the modern group.  Copernicus had correctly
    put the Sun in the center of the Solar system; however, he was still
    stuck on the idea of epicycles and deferents.
    
    What are these?
    
    When astronomy was in its infancy, it was argued that since the
    heavens were considered "perfect," as opposed to the corruptible
    Earth, then any heavenly body had to move along a "perfect" path.
    The "perfect" path was considered to be a circle.  However, a lengthy
    observation of the heavens showed that the planets did _not_ move
    along a circular path.  So the astronomers of that time said that
    the thing we'd call the basic orbit _was_ circular, and that a point
    moved uniformly along _that_.  This path was called the "deferent."
    Orbiting around that point was the planet, traveling along a path
    called the "epicycle."  (When that didn't resolve all the problems,
    the astronomers of the era added smaller epicycles to the primary
    one to cover the differences.  It was a crude form of brute-force
    Fourier representation [before Fourier], but it "explained" the
    path of each planet.)  Copernicus stuck to the deferent-epicycle
    model, but by placing the sun in the center, the model became much
    simpler.
    
    The deferents were occasionally thought of as pure crystalline spheres
    that rubbed against each other (this before epicycles were brought
    in).  Each would have an individual tone, just as a wineglass can
    emit a tone if struck gently or rubbed along the rim with a wet
    finger.  The tones, collectively, were called "the music of the
    spheres," and since we'd presumably heard them from birth, we'd
    pay no attention to them.
    
    Kepler, who was a mystic as well as an astronomer, took the very
    precise readings of Tycho Brahe and from them determined that the
    planets did not move in circular paths; instead, he determined their
    orbits to be elliptical.  From this he developed laws of motion
    of planetary bodies (e.g., "The radius vector [the line from the
    primary body to the orbiting one] sweeps out equal areas over equal
    time periods.").
    
    He tried to determine the relative distances between various planetary
    bodies; he used Platonic solids (i.e., the tetrahedron, cube,
    octohedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron) to "fit" between the
    various planets.  nHe also tried to assign unique notes to the various
    planets, using the diatonic scale.  The Earth, for example, had
    the notes "mi, fa, mi, fa, ..." repeated endlessly (for "MIsery,
    FAmine, MIsery, ...").
    
    Hope this helps.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.

    The earliest reference to the "Music of the Spheres" concerns ancient
    Greece; supposedly it was an attempt to unify Pythagorean knowledge of
    the relations between string tension, string length, and tone, vessel
    size and tone, and planetary motion. 
                                            
    Apocryphal tidbit: Pythagoras, alone of all men, actually heard
    the music of the spheres.
        

RE: .3 (Steve)
    
    > the notes "mi, fa, me, fa, ..." repeatedly endlessly (for "MIsery,
    > FAmine, MIsery, ...").
    
    Why would a German astronomer, base his assignment of notes to planets
    on the resemblence of some (church) Latin sylables to the first
    semi-sylables of some English words?  Sounds unlikely to me.
    
    I'm pretty sure, by the way, that the idea of assigning notes to
    the planets goes back to the Pythagoreans (who believed that music
    and mathematics are one, and that mathematics and nature are one,
    and that therefore music and nature are one).  Of course Kepler
    and others didn't have to agree with their particular choices.
    
    						Topher

    re .5 (Topher):
    
    >Why would a German astronomer, base his assignment of notes to planets
    >on the resemblence of some (church) Latin sylables to the first
    >semi-sylables of some English words?  Sounds unlikely to me.
     
    Because, as I recall, he used the Latin or Italian equivalents,
    which, if memory serves, start with the same two letters ("MIseria,
    FAmina, ..." or something like that).
    
    >I'm pretty sure, by the way, that the idea of assigning notes to
    >the planets goes back to the Pythagoreans ...
     
    At least, but I was filling in the "blanks" on a question about
    Kepler.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.

       re .2: the philospher may have been Isaac Newton. He held strange
       beliefs all his life by modern standards. He spent much of his
       later life pursuing alchemistic chimeras, and delayed publication
       of the Principia Mathematica so that he could use the methods as
       a secret key to astrology. I seem to recollect that he believed
       in the "music of the spheres"...

       /. Ian .\

    
    	I've heard that the "key of earth" was discovered to be Db by
    none other than Paul Winter, of the Paul Winter Consort.
    
    	He accomplished this by playing to animals, especially whales,
    with his soprano sax! Apparently, all animals respond the most to
    melodys in the key of Db. When a wolf does a glissando in his howl,
    his tone will pass through the notes of some Db scale. Whales have
    been known to be able to communicate over vast distances, using
    low frequency tones - apparently again in Db. Now, why would nature
    or evolution settle on this particular harmonic sequence? Possibly,
    those tones are the ones which happen to take the least effort to
    be "broadcast" the farthest. In other words, the atmosphere and
    ocean are most conductive for these tones.
    
    	Maybe I should tune my 12 string to Db instead of E!
    
    	Joe Jas
    

    Note 811.4
    
    1. Could it be even older than that? According to my knowledge
       Phytagoras had his *famous* knowledge from the ancient
       Egyptians (i.e. the pyramids had already been built according
       to *his* calculations, reference is the book 'The Secret
       of the Great Pyramid', don't remember the author). Now this
       happened before Phytagoras' days, but unfortunately the know-
       ledge of who used those geometrical calculations in building 
       the pyramid is lost. Or does anybody have more information on
       this one in connection with "Music of the Spheres" and other
       ancient knowledge?
    
    2. You say, 'Pythagoras, alone of all men'. What about animals?
       I have heard quite a few interesting things about whales and
       their songs. Apparently one of the whales' song being very 
       ancient and the melody covering basic keys of the universe.
       I have at one time seen the music to it and tried to play it
       on a flute, and it is indeed a very unusual awe-inspiring melody  
       out of this world. It does sound like "Music of the Spheres".
       Now some people claim that whales (somehow?) came from other 
       planets, in which case it could explain their *universal* song.
       And listening to the melody, it does sound like a very sad tune,
       composed by somebody/something who has seen it all and has 
       achieved wisdom. Who has more input on this?
                        
    Esther.

    
    The Earth has several resonant frequencies;  Electrically, the
    Earth resonates at around 7.5 hertz, and at integer multiples
    of 7.5  ( n*7.5 ).   This is perhaps a major reason why Tesla
    insisted on the use of electrical power at 60 cycles ( = 8 * 7.5 ).   
    This number can be approximately obtained by dividing the speed of 
    light by the circumference of the Earth.   (as if a em wave travels
    around the Earth, at the surface.  This is only an approximation)
    
    	The Earth also has a sonic resonant frequency, at around
    63 cycles per day, a very low frequency.   (hmmm...   I'm having
    trouble confirming this number.   I vaguely remember it from
    one of Lyall Watson's books.   My calculator tells me it takes
    a sound wave a little more than a day to get around the world.)
    
    	These resonant frequencies are a function of the size of
    the planet, so of course, all the solid bodies in the solar
    system have such resonant frequencies.
    
    		Alan.

    
    RE.9 on Whales
    
    Hm...sounds like a StarTrek movie to me.  (;^)
    
    Actually, the writers for that show are into metaphysics, so who 
    knows?  Anything's possible.
    
    Cindy                              
    
    PS. I went on a whalewatch over the weekend from Boston and it 
        was spectacular.  Must have seen 20+ whales.  Truly amazing.

RE: .4 (Esther)
    
    The Egyptians unquestionably built up a practical system of geometric
    surveying on which the Greeks (well before Pythagorous) develolped
    there mathematical system of geometry.  Their building skills were
    also quite good (to say the least).  And they had a simple but highly
    practical knowledge of astronomy -- some of which may have been
    encorporated into the great pyramid.  Claims as to various highly
    sophisticated mathematical and astronomical relations built into
    the Great Pyramid have no supporting evidence at all, they exist
    only by fudging the figures and making much of a few relations more
    easily explained by coincidence.  If you wish to believe in them
    as a matter of faith, fine, but there is no real reason other than
    faith to believe in it.
    
    The *basis* of Pythagorean philosophy and knowledge unquestionably
    came from Egypt, but to turn that into a claim that his knowledge
    itself came from Egypt is equivalent to claiming that we obtained
    our knowledge of relativity, quantum mechanics, and how to build
    practical rocket ships from the ancient greeks.
    
    				Topher

    Re .all
    
    Thanks everybody, some fascinating stuff here...keep it coming.
    
    
    You'll be interested to know I've been jamming in Db recently and a
    pimento chilli I've been "cultivating" has actually turned red. Of
    course, some of you skeptics may dismiss this as mere coincidence but
    the evidence is clear... 
    
                                     (8^)
    
    ...haven't had the neighbours dog round to complain either ( only the
    neighbours )...
    
    Thanks again, Dave. 

    Re: .10 (Alan)
    
    > The Earth has several resonant frequencies;  Electrically, the
    Earth resonates at around 7.5 hertz, and at integer multiples
    of 7.5  ( n*7.5 ). <
    
    I find it a tad hard to believe that a body the size of the earth
    would have a frequency around 7.5 Hz....if at all (the earth is a
    dynamic body).
    
    
    > This is perhaps a major reason why Tesla insisted on the use of
    electrical power at 60 cycles ( = 8 * 7.5 ). < 
    
    Uh... do you think it might have something to do with the fact that
    there are 60 seconds in one minute and 60 minutes in one hour? (1
    Hz = 1 cps)
    
    John M.                                 

    Re: .14 (John M.)
    
>    I find it a tad hard to believe that a body the size of the earth
>    would have a frequency around 7.5 Hz....if at all (the earth is a
>    dynamic body).
    
	If you would like a more extended discussion of this, you might
    try reading Itzak (sp?) Bentov's "Stalking The Wild Pendulum", an 
    interesting book which explores such natural resonances.   I have
    heard of several values for the Earth's resonant frequency, but
    all have been between 7 and 8 hz.   It appears to be a function
    of the physical size of the planet.   (Try calculating the number
    of times an EM wave could travel around the perimeter of the Earth,
    at c, in one second.   In this case the atmosphere is a waveguide, 
    bounded on either side by the ground and the Van Allen belt.)
    
>>     This is perhaps a major reason why Tesla insisted on the use of
>>    electrical power at 60 cycles ( = 8 * 7.5 ). 
    
>    Uh... do you think it might have something to do with the fact that
>    there are 60 seconds in one minute and 60 minutes in one hour? (1
>    Hz = 1 cps)
    
	Well, perhaps, but I don't think so.   Tesla seemed to have 
    a mystical sort of fascination with numbers that were multiples 
    of three.   For instance, he insisted that his hotel room numbers 
    all be divisible by three.   It seemed that he developed this 
    (obviously irrational) fixation when he was studying resonance.   
    Many rotating mechanical parts are more stable when they partake 
    of 'three'.   For instance, three bladed windmills are much more 
    stable than two or four bladed windmills.   In the same way, three 
    phase generators have less vibration problems than one or two phase 
    generators.    On the other hand, it is known that Tesla envisioned
    an electrical distribution system that would have distributed power
    without the use of wires.   He studied the resonant characteristics
    of the planet, when his lab was in Colorado Springs, and we know
    that his planned wireless distribution system was to use the entire
    planet's resonance to make power available anywhere.   He opposed
    the use of 50 hz power, this is known.   It's just a guess why
    he chose 60 hz.   Perhaps for the mystical 'threeness' of it, or
    perhaps because he had these future inventions planned, to make use of
    that particular frequency.   Admittedly, it's a speculation, but
    given what is known about his wireless distribution plans, it's
    not that far fetched.

    					Alan.

    re .14 (Alan)
    
    My understanding is that the waveguide is usually taken as surface
    to ionosphere.  The Van Allen Belt is further up, I think.  One
    of the Tesla Con papers presented results of such a study, illustrating
    the pitfalls:
    	1) get fancy new equipment, an FFT based analyzer.
    	2) set up loop antenna, in shield room, to get magnetic
    	effects only, excluding electric field.
    	3) collect lots of neat data:
    		various resonant peaks in the range 1-100 Hz.
    	4) start turning off building services, other power users,
    	air conditioning, etc.  (helps to work weekends 8)>>...).
    	5) WATCH ALL THE PEAKS DISAPPEAR.
    		Seems they had been looking at fields resulting frm
    various mechanical resonances in the building, most of them in the
    air conditioning system.
    
    They moved the equipment to a rural location, outdoors and are starting
    over.  Watch for more data...
    
    Thanks
    dave pierson

    
    As far as three phase/two phase goes, the Tesla System, as patented,
    and sold by Westinghouse, was a two phase system.  I don't recall
    who got the 3 phase system started.  Steinemtz was a contemporary,
    so perhaps....  IMHO, Tesla has been the "victim" of much mythmaking,
    including some of his own.
    
    As to the frequency, Tesla insisted on 60Hz to get the Westinghouse
    engineers, _down_ from 133Hz.  The "first" big Tesla AC system,
    at Niagara Falls, used 25 Hz.  _without_ turning this into
    ELECTRO_HOBBY, I will just say that there are good technical reasons
    for choosing a system frequency, and a 60 Hz is one of a range of
    possibilities, depending on _what_ the system is to be used for.
    
    thanks
    dave pierson