Om Ah Hum (or Hung) is a mantra from the Tibetan tradition. OM, AH, and HUM are individual seed syllables representing Body, Speech (or Sound) and Spirit (or Mind). Through chanting of this sound we aim to purify and transform our body, speech, and mind by identifying and connecting to the pure aspects of these. Body refers not just to our physical body but the entire material dimension. Sound also encompasses our life energy, while Spirit refers to that which lies behind our reason, the greater reality of us.
Tibetans tend to pronounce the Sanskrit HUM as HUNG, with a more resonant nasal tone.
I was taught the mantra with this interpretation:
The All-encompassing expression (OM)
of the flowering love (AH)
This Divine seed at the heart of me (HUM).
Sound this, standing, in one flowing movement. It should be comfortable so sound in three breaths if you wish. Start with your hands raised above the head, palms together and sound…
OM, the primal vibration, the source of all, and into which all things shall return. Sounding OM we link to all that is and to the source of all.
As we sound, we bring OM downwards through the crown chakra… bringing the hands down to the throat and heart (hands in western prayer position) to coincide with the AH sound at the throat chakra…
AH is ‘the Mother of All’, the ultimate female aspect. It is also the unbirthed, the essence of emptiness. AH is where the spirit comes from. AH is uncreated and is therefore the source of all. AH is the ground of Being.
… as the hands move down towards the navel from the heart, flattening out so only the fingertips touch (moving into the HUM sound)…
HUM is the descent of OM into the individual human heart, the infinite in the finite.
As I do this I feel the sound vibration moving down through my head and body, the energetic current moving with it.
Afterwards, come to stillness, being conscious of your breath.
Hi Conor,
good luck with the meditation – the thing is to keep at it, make the effort every day.
Re the law of attraction and so on – really, I would say that one should work first on clearing subconscious programmes and belief codes which hold us back. The subconscious is 90% of our brain, and you may think (with your conscious 10%) that you want something, but the hidden iceberg of the subconscious can be very powerfully kicking in the opposite direction. Meditation and increasing self-awareness is key to discovering these blocks. I would also recommend Kinesiology for helping uncover and shift the blocks. I would highly recommend the work of Michele Fitzgerald in finding and clearing these blocks and changing your programmes.
I Have tried all the self help stuff, law of attraction. read loads of books, non of this has worked for me. I am in a terrible situation, and i am now doing meditation, using the Om Ah Hum mantra. I Hope it will work for me. I would welcome any advice any one could give me, thank you.
Let me add something about mantras…
A mantra is a religious or mystical syllable or poem, typically from the Sanskrit language. Their use varies according to the school and philosophy associated with the mantra. They are primarily used as spiritual conduits, words or vibrations that instill one-pointed concentration in the devotee. Other purposes have included religious ceremonies to accumulate wealth, avoid danger, or eliminate enemies. Mantras originated in the Vedic religion of India, later becoming an essential part of the Hindu tradition and a customary practice within Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. The use of mantras is now widespread throughout various spiritual movements which are based on, or off-shoots of, the practices in the earlier Eastern religions.
Mantras are interpreted to be effective as sound (vibration), to the effect that great emphasis is put on correct pronunciation (resulting in an early development of a science of phonetics in India). They are intended to deliver the mind from illusion and material inclinations. Chanting is the process of repeating a mantra.
Khanna (2003: p.21) links mantras and yantras to thoughtforms:
Mantras, the Sanskrit syllables inscribed on yantras, are essentially ‘thought forms’ representing divinities or cosmic powers, which exert their influence by means of sound-vibrations.
I used Neil’s Transcendence CD with someone recently and they were so relaxed after the Karuna Reiki treatment that they could not move and fell asleep for a while.When they woke they were completely refreshed.The music seemed to reach deep levels in the body and resonate with the cells.It complemented the treatment wonderfully.Thank you Neil!