The occult principle of vibration originates in egyptian Hermetic philosophy, and underpins most magical systems. The idea stems from the cosmological model whereby the manifest world was created by a divine utterance of sound; it is this sound that both brings forth and sustains creation. The Hermetic Gnostics viewed this vibratory motion as polar; the higher the vibration, the closer to the divine, and vice-versa. However, the world of man and the world of the divine were inextricably intertwined via these vibrations, so influencing the vibration of one influences the other. This is expressed in the "Hermetic Axiom," "As above, so below," first expressed in the Emerald Tablet, which may date as early as the first millenium BCE.

Early Greek, Egyptian, and Gnostic magical practices were based on the notion that this creative principle could be tapped through he power of voice; an idea echoed in many other magical cultures, including Norse rune-singing; Hebrew Kabbalah is modeled on a similar principle.

See also: Vibration, from the Kybalion; The Emerald Tablet: An introduction to Hermetic Philosophy

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