Using Emotional "Harmonics"

It is not so surprising that when we experience an emotion our brains emit electromagnetic waves of a particular shape and frequency. All vibrating things have harmonics: all it means is that at the same time as the original (or fundamental) is emitted, vibration at a higher frequency (usually exactly half and even a quarter) is emitted alongside or inside the wave. Just as strings on a guitar or violin have harmonics, so do the emotional waves that we emit. The first (sound) harmonic is an octave and the term “octave" is used in theosophical writing of all sorts. Basic emotions are things like ecstasy and grief: these can be thought of as opposites, and emotions which are identifiably different yet closely related to ecstasy and grief are, respectively, joy and sadness. Two interesting questions are firstly, which one of the two pairs (ecstasy/joy, and grief/sadness) is the fundamental and which the harmonic and, secondly, are all four true emotions? or might it be better to describe them as moods?

The answer all depends on the taxonomy of emotions, or how the emotions are organized. This might seem a peculiar thing to want to do, but there is reason to believe that the emotions might originate in classes (in the sense them of coming from common stimuli: think of grief and sadness, for example; both could start from the same stimulus). For those with an interest in finding out precisely how, I would suggest that looking at the Two-factor Theory of Emotion be a good starting place. Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, which shows one possible taxonomic arrangement, has serenity and pensiveness, respectively, beyond, even, joy and sadness. (There are other taxonomic arrangements of the emotions which are worth consideration as well.) Are serenity and pensiveness true emotions? The answer could be significant, because we know that communication with our unconscious mind – that powerhouse of the personality – can be achieved through meditation. And both mood and emotion profoundly affect the process.

I have never been able to meditate when I am pensive, sad or grief-stricken. And I would not rationally expect anyone else to do so, to be fair! That class of emotions will not do to assist communication with the unconscious. Neither, if I am truthful, however, have I had much success meditating when I have been filled with joy and – at the far end of the spectrum – ecstasy. I have, on the other hand, been able to meditate and enter trance-like states when imbued with serenity. Serenity, by and large, seems to be a precondition of successful meditation.

Conventional advice when setting the various pieces of mental apparatus in train to achieve optimum results from the Law of Attraction suggests that we use emotions to heighten the effectiveness. When we affirm, we are encouraged to use emotion to colour the statements which describe our condition as we “live” the experience. Usually, we choose emotive adverbs from the most intense end of the scale (blissfully, ecstatically, etc.) It might be, though, that if we use a higher “harmonic” – substituting a less intense emotional note for the fundamental, that better results can be obtained.

Why not try it and see?