Frequencies of a Cicada

Music To My Ears

I was going to do an article on the sounds of cicadas, but changed my mind.

Every morning, when I take Jolene out to brush her, I have an opportunity to sit on my porch and listen to the morning nature calls.  Usually bird-song is the most prevalent morning sound that comes into my awareness because of the nice number of birds in my neighborhood, and sometimes my neighbors are taking control of the airwaves with their leaf blowers and lawn mowers because, well, my neighbors are trying to irritate me.

It's August now, and the cicadas are buzzing in volumes that overtakes anything else that might try announce themselves before noon.  And I find it relaxing.

I figured there was a reason that cicadas exist, come out every summer, and relax the human population within earshot, so I investigated the frequency at which they vibrate - 123 hertz. 

Apparently cicada song is most important to other cicadas; the males are calling to the females.

But I did find out that 123Hz affects us too.  I found a chart that says it affects Pyoderma and Influenza.  This information wasn't helpful to me.  I looked up Pyoderma: skin disease.  Maybe singing cicadas cure acne.

When you play B2 with a bassoon the frequency is 123Hz.

When your subwoofer vibrates with 123 Hz it irritates you.

Certain tree frogs sing higher at around 123 Hz to compensate for traffic noise.  After all, they want those female frogs to hear them.

I also found out that if you held a singing cicada next to your ear, you could damage your hearing.  So, don't do that.

So far none of this was what I was looking for, so I changed my search to information about the cicada  and it's symbolism.  This was a bit more interesting.

Because of it's ability to reemerge from the ground and shed it's shell to fly, it's a symbol for resurrection and reincarnation in Japan and China.   The Greek lover of the goddess of Dawn, Tithonus, was granted immortality but not eternal youth, so he got older and weaker with time until all that was left of him was his voice.  He is now a cicada.  In the case of the 7 year cicada, it's numerology symbolism signifies a great imagination and ability to manifest with conscious thought.

Cicadas come out during the hottest days of the summer.  Since this corresponds with the sun being at the center of our lives, they are part of the sun-sign and bring to light our ability to connect and harmonize with our family and neighbors.  Since some of them take their time coming up from the earth,  (some lay dormant for 17 years!) they can bring to mind timing, patience, longevity, and the rhythm of nature.

There are about 2500 species of cicadas around the world.  Cicadas have five eyes and can see very well, but their cellular memories are so old, whatever they see looks like a tree to them.  So don't take it personally when they try to land on you.  Like aphids, they live on tree sap and water, so they do no harm to us or our gardens unless the females lay too many eggs and damage young plants.  It seems their main role on this planet is to breed, multiply, and be food to any who dares to eat them.  While underground they aerate the soil and promote tree growth.  They offer themselves to us as a gift and we reward them by running away screaming - we seem to judge ugly, noisy things as harmful.  Shame on us.

There is a genus of cicadas that include 7 species called Magicicada, a name I love.  They include the 13 year and 17 year brood.  They come out in such great numbers, in the millions sometimes,  to survive the feeding frenzy that ensues.  Their predator's tummies fill up way before their numbers dwindle, giving them a chance to mate and go back to ground and wait for the next cycle of rebirth.

For years researchers have sought to explain how the Magicicada life cycles developed and what the significance of the prime numbers (13 year and 17 year) might mean. 

The long underground life span seems to have started 20,000 years ago, during the last glacial period.  The Magicicada may have developed an ability to wait until the warm weather signaled safety for an emergence, leading to a change in their genetic makeup.  A theory about the prime numbers has something to do with Nature's way to keep cross breeding with other cicadas to a minimum.  There is a great article here, on ScientificAmerican.com that could tell you more.

I tried and tried and found no esoteric information on how cicadas affect us and why they keep coming back every year.  All I could do is theorize that there's a message that we're not getting, so they'll keep singing to us until we get it.  They've been trying for thousands of years and are very patient with us, and I hope they never give up.  

So forget about the article.  I think I'll just go outside and listen to my magic cicadas.  Someday I'll figure it out.