This set consists of eleven tuning forks and follows the Cosmic Octave system of the Swiss mathematician-musician Hans Cousto. Cousto translated the orbital periods of the planets into audible pitches by doubling the frequency until it entered the range of human hearing. In this set each fork represents one celestial body.
How the eleven forks are tuned
The frequencies are fixed according to Cousto's original calculations, with a tolerance of ±0.25%:
- Sun: 126.22 Hz (solar plexus chakra, Leo)
- Moon: 210.42 Hz (sacral chakra, Cancer)
- Mercury: 141.27 Hz (throat chakra, Gemini)
- Venus: 221.23 Hz (third-eye chakra, Libra)
- Earth: 194.18 Hz (root chakra)
- Mars: 144.72 Hz (Aries)
- Jupiter: 183.58 Hz (Sagittarius)
- Saturn: 147.85 Hz (Capricorn)
- Uranus: 207.36 Hz (Aquarius)
- Neptune: 211.44 Hz (Pisces)
- Pluto: 140.25 Hz (Scorpio)
Who it is for
We recommend it to sound practitioners, meditators drawn to astrology and anyone who would like to explore Cousto's system. You can work with a single planetary fork during one session, or step through the whole set in order, much as astrology pays attention to each celestial body in turn.
What the unweighted version offers
The fork stems are even, with no extra weight. As a result they produce a clearer, higher and slightly shorter tone than their weighted counterparts. This sound is ideal for playing close to the ear and listening to the sound environment — what sound practitioners call a sound-bath style of use.
How to sound them
Hold the fork by the lower part of its stem and gently strike one edge of the head with a rubber-headed mallet. Bring it about 10-15 cm from your ear and listen as the tone slowly fades. Do not let the head touch anything while it rings, as this will mute the sound.
Material, size and packaging
The forks are made of anodised aluminium, which gives them an extra protective oxide layer and their warm gold colour. Individual forks range from 23 to 28 cm in length, with the full set measuring 59×32 cm. They arrive in a blue velvet storage pouch that fits easily into a larger bag.
Origin and weight
The set is made in India and weighs about 1050 g in total. It is a sound-work tool; the experience is personal and pleasant, but please do not choose it in place of medical care.