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"Think when the bells do chime,'Tis angels' music." - George Herbert

The Symbolism of Bells and Chimes is wide-ranging.

Bells and Chimes are used in ceremonies, celebrations, and announcements by numerous cultures throughout the world.

A Bell has a domed top, a flat and circular bottom, and, except for its clapper, is hollow within. Its domed top and flat bottom make it similar in symbolism to the tortoise. However, the bell symbolizes much more. The Bell's dome represents the vault of heaven above. Its flat, circular bottom represents the flat, circular Horizon of the earth. The clapper represents the Tongue, Word, and Voice of Divinity; also known as the Hermetic Logos. The empty space within represents all that is contained between heaven and earth.

When the clapper hits the inner side of the bell, it symbolizes a message being resonated and created within the vault, or dome, of heaven and delivered to the earth below.

Bells have a wide variety of Symbolic and practical uses.

Bells are used in our alarm clocks to waken us from rest and urge us forth into our daily pursuits. Bells are used in classrooms to announce the beginning and end of classes. They are also used to notify us that the time-period for a test, or exam, has expired. Bells are used to announce the passage from one station to another in religious rituals. They are also used in Rites of Passage and Initiation Ceremonies to proclaim that a worthy and well-qualified individual has passed from one station in their life to a loftier one. Ships and boats sound their bells when sailing through thick fog in order to announce their presence and location to the other vessels in their vicinity.

Bells have a wide range of pitches and tones. The pitch and tone of a bell set the mood, and symbolism, which that particular bell is designed to represent. The higher tones lift people's spirits, represent happiness, and symbolize a closeness to spirit. the lower tones can dampen people's spirits, instill an unhappy and somber mood, and are symbols of the gross and mundane.

Low-pitched bells summon the masses to obligated meetings and rituals. They are also used in clock towers to inform us of the hour of the day in our material realm. High-pitched bells, along with chimes, are used in religious processions and ceremonies to invoke Divinity and remind the participants of the high-solemnity of the spiritual service.

High-pitched bells announce holy days. They are also used to celebrate and remember joyous and festive events.

And in their highest tone, and loudest volume, bells are sounded to proclaim the end of a war or conflict, and celebrate liberation and freedom; such as the bells we hear being joyously sounded at the end of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture".

Chimes, on the other hand, are uncontained and free-moving pieces of metal, glass, and wood which resonate against each other by being either shaken by hand or blown by the wind. Chimes resonate at a much higher, and gentler, pitch than do bells and therefore symbolize higher spiritual essences.

Chimes, along with very high-pitched bells, summon and announce the presence of the higher spirits; including Divinity Itself.

Wind chimes invoke happiness, high-spiritedness, peacefulness, the good spirits, and Divinity. They are also placed around people's homes, and sacred places, to banish evil spirits and negative energies. The gentle, high-pitched, tinkling sound of Chimes also announces the presence of the Unicorn.

Chimes are also used at festive wordly occasions. The tinkling (chiming) of glasses at a wedding celebration, by tapping a spoon against a glass, calls everyone's attention to the fact that a toast is about to be made in honor of the new bride and groom.

Joseph Panek