Answer
The New Age movement in the 1970s popularized the concept of sacred frequencies—the belief that hearing sound at certain hertz can lead to spiritual, emotional, and physical healing. Despite the claims of some New Age teachers, and a few popular testimonials on social media, there is no historic or scientific basis for the therapeutic effectiveness of certain hertz. More importantly, like all teachings associated with the New Age movement, there is no biblical basis for the miraculous nature or healing power of specific frequencies.
The New Age movement is a blend of Eastern and pagan spiritualities, often incorporating beliefs and practices like astrology, reincarnation, meditation, Tarot cards, psychic readings, and crystal healing. Although it borrows from Indian religions like Hinduism and Buddhism and Chinese belief systems like Taoism and traditional Chinese medicine, it remains a Western phenomenon. The New Age movement popularized belief in sacred frequencies based on the tradition of sacred sounds found in various religions and worldviews. However, the idea that sacred sounds correspond to specific hertz is original to the New Age movement.
In the 1990s, New Age teacher Joseph Puleo claimed to have discovered the so-called Solfeggio frequencies—specific hertz he believed had spiritual and physical healing properties. The term Solfeggio, derived from combining the syllables sol and fa, comes from an Italian word that describes the practice of assigning syllables to musical notes, such as in do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti. For example, the frequency of 396 Hz allegedly eradicates guilt and fear, 528 Hz enables personal transformation, and 639 Hz enhances interpersonal relationships. Practitioners believe these frequencies are among those that can match the body’s chakras or energy centers, cleansing them of impurities and promoting wellness.
Puleo claimed that God told him that Numbers 7:12–83 in the Old Testament contained hidden codes that revealed specific hertz with healing power. Ignoring the content of the passage, which is about offerings presented at the tabernacle, Puleo looked for patterns in the numbers mentioned in the passage, including the verse numbers. Puleo concluded that the supernatural frequencies hidden in the passage were 396, 417, 528, 639, 741, and 852. To be clear, Moses, the author of Numbers, didn’t write anything about sacred frequencies in the passage. Furthermore, today’s chapter and verse divisions aren’t inspired, not having appeared in modern Bibles until the Middle Ages. Moreover, measuring frequencies in hertz wasn’t developed until the late 19th century with the work of German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857—1894). Despite these facts, Puleo believed he had made a miraculous discovery.
Another Bible story that some New Age teachers cite in defense of their beliefs is in 1 Samuel 16. There “David took the lyre and played it with his hand,” exorcising a demon from Saul, thereby relieving the king’s suffering (verse 23). Many who believe in the healing power of specific frequencies assume that David knew that certain hertz could spiritually detoxify Saul, which explains why the harmful spirit left him. However, the context of the passage attributes the music’s impact on Saul to God’s anointing of David, the presence of the Holy Spirit in David, and that the Lord was with David (1 Samuel 16:3, 13, 18).
Another false historical claim Puleo made was that Gregorian chants, a form of singing developed in the ninth and tenth centuries and named after Pope Gregory I (AD 540—604), utilized sacred frequencies. New Age teaching argues that Gregorian monks knew of the supernatural power of specific hertz hundreds of years before scientists discovered the measurement, yet the Vatican suppressed knowledge about them. There is no historical basis for these claims other than Puleo’s teaching.
The Bible illustrates that music can have a profound spiritual impact on people’s hearts and minds. For instance, David appointed Levites to sing and play instruments in the temple (1 Chronicles 15:16), the psalmist encouraged people to praise God with instruments (Psalm 33:1–3), and John heard a sound like harpists playing in heaven (Revelation 14:2). While the Bible indicates that music used in praise and worship can be associated with good feelings (e.g., Isaiah 51:3), the belief that certain hertz have mystical powers apart from God, as proposed in the concept of sacred frequencies, has no biblical basis.
