Everything About Schumann Resonance

Schumann resonance: Everything you need to know

In the 1980s fewer than 3% of people used a mobile phone; today almost everyone does. We live surrounded by artificial electromagnetic signals: wifi, mobile networks and all the devices in our homes. Beneath them sounds a much older, natural signal that has always been there: the Schumann resonance. In this blog you can read what it is, how it was discovered and why it fascinates so many people.

What is Schumann Resonance?

The Schumann resonance is a natural electromagnetic vibration in the space between the Earth's surface and the ionosphere, a charged layer high up in the atmosphere. It is also called the frequency of the Earth. Its strongest tone is around 7.83 Hz, with overtones around 14, 21, 27 and 34 Hz.

In 1952 the German physicist Winfried Otto Schumann calculated that the space between the Earth and the ionosphere behaves like a sound box with a tone of its own. He arrived at just over 10 Hz. Two years later he and his student Herbert König published the first measurement results. It was not until 1960 that the Americans Balser and Wagner managed to measure the resonance clearly: around 8 Hz, together with the first overtones. Ever since, the vibration has carried Schumann's name.

How does Schumann Resonance work?

Lightning keeps the space between the Earth and the ionosphere vibrating all the time. Somewhere on Earth there is always a thunderstorm: worldwide, lightning flashes about 44 times per second. Every flash gives a small push, and the sound box between the Earth and the ionosphere mainly lets its own tone ring out. That is how the same low vibration sounds day and night, all over the Earth.

Everything that lives, lives within this vibration, and has done so for as long as there has been life. In energetic and spiritual circles the Schumann resonance is therefore also called the heartbeat of Mother Earth.

Some people say they can feel it when the Schumann resonance "spikes". Whether that is true for you, only you can feel; scientific research has not shown it so far. If you ever look at a live chart yourself, it helps to know what you are seeing: mainly the strength of the signal changes, while the Earth's tone stays almost the same.

Why is Schumann Resonance important?

For many people the answer lies in a striking similarity: the frequency of the Earth is close to that of our brain waves. Herbert König was later one of the first to point this out. At 7.83 Hz, the Schumann resonance sits right on the border between theta and alpha waves. Alpha waves, roughly 8 to 12 Hz, belong to being relaxed and awake, for example with your eyes closed or when your mind wanders. Theta waves, roughly 4 to 8 Hz, belong to deep relaxation and the transition into sleep.

Whether that similarity is more than a coincidence has not been shown. But it is a lovely thought that when you relax, your brain moves into the same range of tones as the Earth itself.

Interest from science

The subject also attracted well-known names outside classical physics. The French virologist and Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier, for example, later in his career explored how electromagnetic signals and biological systems interact. His later work on this is not endorsed by mainstream science, but it does show how wide the interest in these frequencies reaches — from geophysics to molecular biology.

Schumann exercises and meditation

Many people use the Schumann resonance as a starting point for meditation or a relaxation exercise: a moment in which you consciously pause at the rhythm of the Earth. What it brings you is up to you; you are responsible for your own energy and your own relaxation. Perhaps you recognise it too: it is exactly when you do nothing for a moment and stare into space that the best ideas come. That is a state often associated with alpha waves.

You can find many exercises on YouTube or through coaches.

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Generating the Schumann resonance

There are devices that generate a gentle 7.83 Hz signal themselves, for anyone who would like to have that frequency around them indoors too, at home or at work. We supply Schumann devices for homes and workplaces, including the Dual Earth Frequency Generator, which you place next to your bed or on your desk.

Would you like to know which device suits you? Call us on +31 527 29 23 31 or use the contact form. We are happy to help.

Sources

Schumann, W. O. (1952). Über die strahlungslosen Eigenschwingungen einer leitenden Kugel, die von einer Luftschicht und einer Ionosphärenhülle umgeben ist. Zeitschrift für Naturforschung A, 7(2), 149–154. doi:10.1515/zna-1952-0202
Schumann, W. O. & König, H. (1954). Über die Beobachtung von „Atmospherics“ bei geringsten Frequenzen. Die Naturwissenschaften, 41(8), 183–184. doi:10.1007/BF00638174
Balser, M. & Wagner, C. A. (1960). Observations of Earth–ionosphere cavity resonances. Nature, 188, 638–641. doi:10.1038/188638a0
Christian, H. J. et al. (2003). Global frequency and distribution of lightning as observed from space by the Optical Transient Detector. Journal of Geophysical Research, 108(D1), 4005. doi:10.1029/2002JD002347