Really, what extraordinary power music holds over us? All my life, I’ve swayed to the tides of
music. Music can change my brain – can re-organise my emotions – can reconfigure me! This
invisible force is mighty indeed. Making us happy, joyous, sad, pensive, thoughtful – moving us
with ease from one extreme to another … music has its finger firmly planted in our emotions.
It has the power to move our feet, make our eyes cry, make us laugh out loud and make us fall in
love. We take it for granted – music is always there for us – no big thing, it’s always been there
… like air, water, fire … just – it has always been there.
But no, this is nothing to take for granted – because it is spiritual and a highly mysterious science,
Elemental – even divine. It is difficult to explain music. How does it penetrate us, seep through
our skin? Our hearts will actually beat in time to the rhythm, our bodies will move to the pulse;
our souls will be moved/touched by the melody and harmony. We will want to sing with and to it –
fall into it, own it – claim it as our own. Indeed, what power she holds!
At certain moments in our lives, we choose what type of music we need that suits us:
We are grieving and sad, we need music for that; we are gay, joyous and celebrative, we need
music for that; we are meditative and thoughtful, we need music for THAT. Every aspect of our
lives NEEDS music. I do think it is soul medicine: The invisible elixir that lights us up, heals us,
motivates us, encourages us, offers hope, keeps us going against the odds …. At least it has
been that for me. It’s hard to imagine a day without music, isn’t it? I think it would be a terrible
punishment in life to be banished from all music – horrific thought!
We live each day with our emotions and moods – our mental health is so important for
our physical health too. Our brains process all and decide who we are, what we do. Here’s
where music becomes so critical; it’s a mood changer – it has a direct line to our brains, and then
to our hearts. Thus it makes sense to view music as “soul medicine”, for it has the power to
shape our moods, and what shapes our mood, shapes us – shapes who we really are – shapes
whom we become.
Let’s not take it for granted … music is a pill for the spirit. Search out good music, and let
it be “the pilot of your soul”.
Cheers,
– Martin
“I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of
music. It seems to infuse strength into my limbs and ideas into my brain. Life
seems to go on without effort, when I’m filled with music”
– George Eliot
“A person does not hear sound only through the ears; He hears sound through
every pore of his body, it permeates the entire being … In that way the physical
body recuperates and becomes changed with a new magnetism”
– Hazrat Inayat Khan
Photograph: Bobby Summerfield
