[QUOTE=CityMonk;45595][I]FROM the book of Ernest wood (1954)
" OM is an introductory mantra. the other three are called seed mantras (aim, klim, strim). Mantra OM is used in the beginning and the end of all prayers. [B]It is considered to have harmonizing effect.[/B]… It is composed of letters A, O , U, M, with A and O blended together.
[/I][/QUOTE]
Works for me. 
[QUOTE=CityMonk;45595][I]FROM the book of Ernest wood (1954)
" OM is an introductory mantra. the other three are called seed mantras (aim, klim, strim). Mantra OM is used in the beginning and the end of all prayers. It is considered to have harmonizing effect… It is composed of letters A, O , U, M, with A and O blended together.
The meaning may be derived the following way. As A is sounded from the throat, it is the beginning of all sounds, and M is formed by closing the lips and is the end.
In the Upanishad Shandilya , the yoga is told to meditate on the OM. at the same time thinking of three goddes. Gayatri represent letter A, Savitri letter U, and Saraswati letter M. Those goddes are three wives of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, hence represent three shaktis, powers of the Trinity."[/I][/QUOTE]
I love Om!
(but Hinduism, not so much) 
[QUOTE=thomas;40725]I'm trying to understand the purpose and meaning of
I understand that it's to be pronounced as if it were spelled "AUM," is that right?
[/QUOTE]
A=Shri Mahakali
U=Shri Mahasaraswati
M=Shri Mahalakshmi
As you can see, Thomas, there are many interpretations of what Om is and what it means. I’m really surprised that in a yoga forum, no one has mentioned Patanjali yet. In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Om (which is referred to as the [I]pranava[/I]) is the symbol of Isvara, usually translated as “The Lord”. This begs the question, who is Isvara?
Patanjali describes several qualities of Isvara, beginning in 1.24
[ul]
[li]He is a purusa, that is a self, soul, or person if you will.[/li][li]He is not just a person though, he is a special person, with qualities that normal people don’t have.[/li][li]He is untouched by klesas, that is, the causes of suffering.[/li][li]He is untouched by action and its fruition, and its deposit (in depth memory)i.e. karma and the seed of rebirth.[/li][li]In him, the seed of omnicience is unsurpassed.[/li][li]He is said to be the teacher of the ancient yogins, by means of temporal continuity.[/li][/ul]
In Samkhya philosophy, Isvara is the first soul who comes into existence at the beginning of a cycle of creation. Samkhya and Yoga are closely related.
I see this description of Isvara as very different from the usual pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses. Note that ‘Om’ is always the first word in both Hindu and Buddhist mantras.
On that adorable splendour Of the divine Creator we Meditate; may He our thoughts inspire – Who beyond all darkness is, Om.
Tripura Tapini Upanishad 1.2
Thanks, I found it. I scanned through the thread, and will come back to it when I have more time. I’d like to read it all. Lots of interesting posts there.
I never really thought about if it even had a meaning. I just thought it was a device used to help focusing for Yoga practice or meditation.
Om. Meh, I have always seen it simply defined as a sound, with all sorts of connotations and meanings applied to it.
Don’t worry Thomas, chanting it won’t cause spirits and crap to inhabit your body, according to your “religion.”
i’ve just heard that its meant to vibrate through your body – i like doing them. feels good.
[QUOTE=YogaHelps;58621]i’ve just heard that its meant to vibrate through your body – i like doing them. feels good.[/QUOTE]
It isn’t.
Its a word in our languages with many different connotations and usages.
OM is not a word. It is a sacred syllable or sound which is said to be the sound of creation. Therefore it is indeed is vibrating throughout you and through everything in existence. It can be heard by yogis.
Whoops, I was thinking in English! I was thinking of
as Om, the word in English!
I just Indian failed!
I am a disgrace to our millennia old traditions! I must atone for my idiocy!!!!!!
The Indian Mantra of OM or AUM is 11000 years old. When you chant this master mantra with its harmonics at 7.83 Hz ( earth’s heart beat --Schumann resonance ) , the Sri Yantra forms like magic on water.
The geometry above is divine. It contains the THEORY OF EVERYTHING. This geometry is seen in our ancient Indian temples.
Super genius Nikola Tesla with a fractal mind would see the Sri Yantra in blinding flashes.
The Sri Yantra is traditionally held by 12 strand nil junk DNA Vedic rishis to have been divinely revealed around 8000 BC. These super-men with fractal minds and king sized pineal glands could see numerical problems as fractal 3D geometry.
f you stare at the centre spot ( bindu singularity ) every morning for 5 minutes , you will balance your left and right brain lobes.
[QUOTE=Surya Deva;58647]OM is not a word. It is a sacred syllable or sound which is said to be the sound of creation. Therefore it is indeed is vibrating throughout you and through everything in existence. It can be heard by yogis.[/QUOTE]
And it does not always sound like the letters either, when the vibration in the spine and the centers all together are the source, then it is all penetrating and heard perfectly no earthly voice nor instrument can adequately recreate the sound. This sound then makes the attempts to describe and duplicate just pathetic.
The ability to perceive it is nothing special it only takes a little training and some small effort. This is very easy to accomplish as it is always present.
So why would anyone wish to perceive this? The answer is it is the gateway to different states of awareness which eventually lead to non duality states where even it ceases to be heard and words may not describe these states.
Hope this helps.
OM might be a prototype of AMEN … :?
One concise definition is found in Patanjali Yoga Sutras- 1.27
Tasya Vacakah Pranavah-
Its manifestation (verbal) is by the word Om.
Pranava is another name for Om. "It " here refers to Isvara- the previous three Sutras talks about Isvara- the Lord, God, Universal Consciousness- as we choose to understand.
As mentioned in earlier posts Om consists of three sounds AUM ( an undue stress on this which often leads to a faulty pronunciation -AAAAAWWMM etc !).
It is also called the Shabda Brahman - “word” Brahman- Divinity is supposed to have manifested first by way of sound - The Big Bang -Was there a Sound ?
Or for that matter the Bible “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
To cut this long story short, Since Atman/Brahman/Universal Consciousness etc is everywhere -all time and space zones -how can it be represented ? Om is said to be the representation of it. Not a name, not a description but a representation of the Almighty and that is why the power of the word is equated to the power of the Almighty.
The trinity (aum)= strength, love + wisdom. Source= Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ by levi Dowling or if you are into palmistry life line, head line + heart line.
Jim