By Dawn Norton

The scientific definition of vibration, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, is:

Vibration, periodic back-and-forth motion of the particles of an elastic body or medium, commonly resulting when almost any physical system is displaced from its equilibrium condition and allowed to respond to the forces that tend to restore equilibrium.

In simpler terms, vibration is motion. It’s the back-and-forth, the rise and fall, the movement away from equilibrium and the pull to return. And vibrations? They’re everywhere. From ocean waves and ripples in a pond to sound, color, light, and every solid object around us that can be moved or displaced—we are constantly surrounded and influenced by both visible and invisible vibrations.

Go down to the tiniest levels—cellular, molecular, even atomic—and you’ll find the same thing: everything is made up of vibrating energy. The speed of those vibrations determines whether something appears to us as solid, liquid, or gas. We can’t see those subtle movements with the naked eye, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t happening. So really, when we’re talking about vibration, we’re talking about energy.

We’ve all felt vibration when music is turned up loud enough. We can see it in a rainbow—the vibration of color made visible. But what about things like emotions, thoughts, or words? Do those have vibrations too?

Dr. Masaru Emoto believed they do. In his famous experiments, he exposed water to different words before freezing it. Words like love and gratitude created stunning, snowflake-like crystals. Words like “I hate you” formed distorted, chaotic patterns. Even music made a difference—beautiful, peaceful music created beautifully formed crystals, while harsh, angry sounds resulted in jagged, fragmented ones.

Taking it even further, neuroscientist Dr. Candace Pert discovered that emotions aren’t just “in your head.” They’re electrochemical signals—literal energy—received by receptors in every cell. These signals influence the chemistry and electricity of the body on a cellular level. And they don’t stay trapped inside you. According to Dr. Pert, we vibrate like tuning forks, sending energy outward, whether we realize it or not. Her book Molecules of Emotion explains all of this in great detail.

So what does that mean for us? It means our thoughts and emotions matter. They shape our internal world—every cell is listening—and they also affect the people around us. We’ve all been in the presence of someone whose negative energy brings down the whole room, and we’ve also likely experienced the opposite—someone walking in with joy and lightness who lifts everyone’s spirits, without saying a word.

Years ago, I did a little experiment. I made a commitment to go 21 days without complaining, blaming, or whining. If I slipped up, I’d start over. Let’s just say... I started over a lot. It took me almost 60 days to finally hit the full 21. I was so proud of myself—until I bragged to my husband, who reminded me I had complained that morning about the static in my hair. LOL. I refused to start over again. Sixty days was enough.

But the real takeaway wasn’t the streak—it was how I felt. During that time, I also made it a point to focus on gratitude: thinking it, speaking it, writing it down. And I felt great. Why? Gratitude is a high-frequency emotion. It literally raises your vibration.

So, how’s your vibration? How’s your energy?

Maybe it’s being shaped by what you’re thinking, feeling, and saying. When you start applying the Law of Vibration intentionally, you might be surprised at the difference it makes—not just inside you, but all around you.