2.3 The mysteries of the larynx
One finds in the Sanskrit literature some surprising stories about
the voice. The rishis, or seer-sages of ancient India, were said to
have many extraordinary abilities called siddhis. One of them was
the vac-siddhi (vac = voice), by which whatever the rishi said
would come true. Sometimes just by uttering a word, a rishi could
materialise a whole army and change the course of history. It
followed that the spoken word was regarded as sacred and
unalterable, which was not without its problems at times. For
instance in the Mahābhārata, the longest poem in the recorded
history of humankind, the five Pāṇḍava brothers attend a
tournament where one of them gains the most beautiful princess
as a wife. Returning home, the brothers announce to their
mother, the virtuous Kunti, “We have brought back a treasure.”
Then rather unfortunately the mother exclaims, “Good, let it be
shared between the five of you,” after which the princess has to
become the wife of the five men, taking turns with each, and
supposedly without being partial to any of them.
The creative power of the voice is clearly expressed in Sanskrit,
where vac, voice, is often regarded as a synonym for śakti, which
is the creative energy, the power of manifestation. In various
trends of ancient Greek philosophy one finds a similar concept in
the logos. The primary meaning of logos is ‘word’, but it also
means creative principle. Later, in the gospel of John (originally
written in Greek), it is also the term logos which is used to
characterise the creative principle by which the creation was
manifested: “In the beginning was the logos (Word), and the logos
was with God, and the logos was God.” (John 2:1) Note that the
first book of the Old Testament also presents a picture in which,
at various stages of the genesis of the world, God uses the power
of the Word to create: “And God said, Let there be light: and there
was light.” (Genesis 1:3) “And God said, Let there be a firmament
in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the
waters.” (Genesis 1:6) “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the
living creature...” (Genesis 1:24), and so on.
In my epic novel, Atlantean Secrets, you will find startling
descriptions of the mysterious power of the voice cultivated by
Atlantean initiates, through which they could influence nature,
perform healings, and accomplish a whole range of miraculous
feats. Rudolf Steiner in his teachings has also left many indications