A number of years ago my perception of what a mantra was would have conjured an image of a bunch of hippies sitting in a room in the lotus position chanting "Om". In many ways it still does.
My perception would have been coloured by having read (or thought that I had read) about the Beatles having a yogi and receiving mantras from him (and thinking that they were being mugged for their money).
Certainly I would have associated the concept of the mantra as emanating from India.
Wikipedia gives a simple explanation of what a mantra is.
"A sound, syllable, word or group of words that are considered capable of creating transformation"
The use of mantras started in the Vedic tradition of India and became an integral part of Hinduism they are also a practice of Buddishm, Sikhism and Jainism. The use of mantras has spread into the Western philosophies that have grown from the eastern traditions and have become apparent in diluted form as affirmations in every day practices such as self-development type courses.
My original perception about what a mantra is was not far from the mark. The aum (om) is indeed considered to be a mantra. There are many varied explanations of what the aum is and they often included phrases such as the "sound of the universe" or the "sound that emanates from the godhead".
In my simple world I personify the aum in the image of two swans back to back. One swan represents the perfect serenity and grace that swans project and the other the aggressive, vicious and focused energy that they show when attacking. It is easy to draw parallels between Freudian concepts of masculine and feminine, Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang and Christian philosophy of good and evil.
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