THE CONCEPT OF SELF-REFERRAL MEASURE

The measurement systems employed in modern empirical science may be understood as forms of object-referral measure: a physical object, such as a ruler or clock, is used to measure other physical objects.

This type of system, however, cannot be used to measure the layers of consciousness, which correspond to virtual vacuum states, simply because these layers are nonphysical or metaphysical—and for all empirical purposes resemble empty space. To measure the metaphysical vacuum states, we must use metaphysical, rather than physical, rulers and clocks. Yet what does this mean? In order for the enlightened soul to measure the layers of consciousness, it must use the vibratory modes of its own consciousness as self-referral standards of measure.

These vibratory modes correspond to the waves of transcendental light and sound, each of which has a characteristic wavelength and frequency. In this case, the wavelength can serve as a metaphysical ruler and the frequency can serve as a metaphysical clock by which the lengths and frequencies of other waves can be evaluated or measured. In a self-referral measurement system, the empirical value of the wavelength or frequency is unimportant; what matters is the ratio between the standard of self-referral measure and what is being measured.

The Pythagoreans outlined the principles that underlie this type of measurement system in their theory of harmonics. To demonstrate the validity of their theory, they used vibrating strings and showed that if the tone produced by a vibrating string of length L is taken as the fundamental tone of a harmonic system, then (all other things being equal) the tone produced by a string of length 2L will correspond to the lower octave of the fundamental, while the tone produced by a string of length ½ L will correspond to the higher octave of the fundamental.

The ancient theory essentially related harmonic tones and measures of space corresponding to string lengths so that both the tones and the measures of space could be represented simultaneously by the same set of pure number ratios. The system was such that the actual empirical measure of the standard length L is unimportant; regardless of the value and whether it is expressed in centimeters or meters or some other unit, the theory holds true. Any string of arbitrary length L can be chosen as the fundamental standard of measure on the basis of which the harmonic system is defined.

This is a self-referral system of measurement: One aspect of a system is chosen as a standard of measure by which the entire system is measured in accordance with principles of ratio and proportion. In this type of measurement, no standardized physical rulers or clocks are required. The whole process of measurement can be performed intuitively, on the level of consciousness, by comparing one harmonic sound to another.

In the Vedic tradition the harmonic modes of transcendental sound that are inherent within the metaphysical Logos were viewed as forms of transcendental speech (para vak). In this regard, the seers held that there is a fundamental duality between space and speech; they were viewed as complementary aspects and were identified with each other: “That which is space is indeed speech.”¹³

In the system of Vedic philosophy called Samkhya (enumeration) the relation between space and speech was clearly specified and the transcendental measure (tan-matra) of space was identified as none other than speech. In this regard, speech was defined as shruti, “that which is heard”—it represents a form of sound.

The Pythagoreans quantified this relation by equating string lengths (measures of space) and harmonic tones (measures of sound) in such a way that both measures can be represented by the same pure number ratio. Yet the principle that underlies the Pythagorean system was very ancient; it was professed by the Vedic seers long before the Greek civilization arrived on the scene.

It turns out that the ancient notion that the measures of sound and the measures of space are related intimately has been preserved in the modern English language. For example, the English term meter, which is derived from the Sanskrit word matra, “measure,” indicates not only a linear measure of space, but also a measure of speech (as in a sonic meter). Similarly, the word foot indicates both a linear measure of space and a measure of speech (as in a sonic foot). Even the word volume is used to indicate both a measure of three-dimensional space and the decibel magnitude of sound.

The Hermetic texts tell us that the enlightened soul “measures” the heavens as it ascends through them. This means that the measured forms of divine speech or transcendental sound are “heard” by the soul in the upper half of the spectrum. Although the wavelengths of transcendental sound cannot be measured by any physical ruler, they can be used to measure themselves in accordance with principles of ratio and proportion. In doing this, the ancient seers discerned intuitively a system of measured arrangement inherent within the metaphysical Logos that represents not only a system of harmonic sound, but also a system of harmonic space.