Before there was light, there was sound. The Mandukya Upanishad opens with a declaration: 'Om — this entire world is Om.' Not a symbol, not a syllable, but the very fabric of existence rendered in vibration.

The Three Sounds Inside Om

Om is written as a single symbol but contains three sounds: A, U, and M. In Sanskrit, 'A' and 'U' combine to form 'O'. Each sound corresponds to a state of consciousness.

• 'A' — the waking state (Jagrat): the world of everyday experience
• 'U' — the dreaming state (Svapna): the world of the unconscious mind
• 'M' — the deep sleep state (Sushupti): the world beyond dreams
• The silence after 'M' — the fourth state (Turiya): pure consciousness itself

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"Om is not something you say. It is something you remember. When you chant Om, you are not creating a sound — you are recognising one that was always there." — Swami Vivekananda

The Symbol's Anatomy

The Om symbol (ॐ) has three curves, a semi-circle, and a dot. The lower curve is the waking state. The upper curve is the unconscious. The trailing curve on the right is the dreaming mind. The semi-circle separates the three lower states from the dot — which represents Turiya, the transcendent fourth state, separate from and yet encompassing all the others.

On Our Caps

The Om on our embroidered caps is sewn in gold thread on a matte black panel. We chose gold because it is the colour of the sun, of illumination, of knowledge. The black ground represents the infinite — the space into which all sound eventually resolves. Wear it. And remember.