“Do you know the meaning of the word AUM?” Jung asked Campbell, but waved his hand as Campbell was about to launch into an explanation of one of his favorite subjects. “My first experience was in Africa. A group of us got lost on a walk. All of a sudden we found ourselves surrounded by tall young warriors with spears, standing on one leg. We couldn’t understand each other. Then we all sat down and looked at each other, and everything was all right. They were saying, ‘Aum, aum, aum…’
“Two years later I was in India with a group of scientists, near Darjeeling, and we went to Tiger Hill. You arrive before dawn, and are transported up the hill in the dark; then the sun comes up and infinitudes of snowcapped Himalayan peaks burst into rainbow colors. All Conversation stopped. And what did I hear from the scientists? ‘Aum, aum, aum…’
Then Jung said, “AUM is the sound the universe makes when it is pleased with itself!”