o 19 Variations and Incantations: • Aum • Om mani padme hum In Literature: • "Pilgrim recited again the magic word Om to summon the local spirit." -- Anthony C. Yu, The Journey to the West, Volume 4 (198 ) • "According to popular legend the Oriental ascetic who concentrates his gaze on the centre of his body and his thoughts on the syllable 'Om' arrives at a peculiar mental condition. So the magic word on which she had so long meditated, had its hypnotic effect on Elodie." -- William J. Locke, The Mountebank (1926) Omega (see alpha and omega and om) Facts: The magic word Omega means literally "great Om."10 Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Om Mani Padme Hum (see also om) Mystique: Om mani padme hum "has many layers of mystical meaning. It refers to the primal unity within a larger whole of what we today tend to think of as polarities: light and darkness, creation and destruction, fire and water, and woman and man."11 "The most favoured and potent of all mantra -- om mani padme hum -- in essence represents the breakthrough (om) of seeing the absolute (mani, jewel) in the relative (padme, lotus) beyond time, space and individuality (hum). This mantra of liberation is written on rocks, flags, and prayerwheels and is regarded as the epitome of Buddhist teachings."12 Origins: "The ancient Sanskrit meaning of many mantras has been lost, yet they remain in use just for the magic that is attached to the sound."1 Om mani padme hum is a "universal compassion" mantra from the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Some consider the syllables to echo "the vibration that created the universe."14 10 Barbara G. Walker, Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets (198 ) 11 Riane Eisler, Sacred Pleasure (1995) 12 R.K. Joshi, "The Religious World of Letterforms" (1996) 1 Michel Peissel, Tibet: The Secret Continent (200 ) 14 Diane Stein, Psychic Healing with Spirit Guides and Angels (1996)