by Kate Mucci
How many times has music been associated with special events or passages
in your life? Most likely, you have felt at times very happy when
hearing a specific piece of music, while another can make you feel
depressed, lonely, perhaps even angry. And even if you haven't heard
a particular song for decades, hearing it just once can bring back a flood
of memories that can greatly affect your mood, your state of mind, even
your health.
Isn't it amazing, this power of music? It is an incredible gift that
we humans have been given. It allows us to be creative, to let loose
our emotions, to remember, to inspire, to change. It is an
international language; the one thing that all cultures share. From
the most primitive times when the strings of hunting bows were plucked to
accompany chants, to the present, where computers interpreting the path of
our DNA compose symphonies, music has been an incredible part of the human
experience.
And it may just be one of the most powerful keys to
developing our strengths and gifts as humans.
Very few people would argue with the fact that music is
a powerful anti-stress agent. Of course, it can also be the cause of
stress; we've all been driven to distraction by loud,
inharmonic music emanating from our neighbor's apartment or the low-rider
truck sitting beside us at the stoplight. To harness the power of
music, we must understand what it is. Why does sound and music have such
powerful effects on us, even if we cannot actually hear it?
Remember, our human hearing is very limited in
range. We can hear only specific frequencies, but just because they don't
send messages from our ears to our brain doesn't mean that the vibrations
created by things like microwaves, radio waves and other devices don't
have an impact upon our bodies.
Music is sound, sound is energy. Everything we hear, every vibration
that goes through us, affects us. Depending upon the frequency, volume,
and even the intention with which the creator of the sound makes it, sound
can disrupt or enhance the flow of energy in the physical and the
energetic bodies that comprise our human beings. The secret to using
sound and music to develop and enhance your inner self is to recognize
what it is doing to you, and to use it, just as you would a vitamin,
exercise, or education.
Start by learning to listen. Sounds very rudimentary, but it's
amazing how many people really don't know how to listen. Whether it's each
other, music, or the sounds of nature, many people only hear what they want to
hear, or what they feel is necessary. But everything requires
awareness.
Each day, make an effort to sit quietly for a period of time, and just
listen. Whether you are enjoying the singing of birds by a babbling
brook or tolerating the spin of traffic mid-town in a big city, sit and
listen.
Soon the sounds that you hear will take on a rhythm, and
you will notice what that is doing to your body. It may feel good, it may feel bad.
Once you've decided what the sound is doing to you, decide whether you want to let it
continue.
If you feel that the sounds in your environment are disruptive, then you must learn to either make that environment less noisy, or you must
counteract the effects of that noise. Your physical, mental and
emotional health depend upon it.
You have the most powerful tool to fight the negative effects of sound
right on your person. It is your voice. You have the ability
to hum, and humming is an incredible way to counteract the negative
effects of many kinds of energies. Sit very still now, and breathe
deeply. Be silent - now, hum. Hum up and down the scale; hum a
favorite tune; hum one note. You'll find a frequency in that humming
which you will feel reverberating through your body. You will find a
frequency or range of frequencies or tones that makes you feel
"right". That is the rate at which your body naturally
resonates, and that is where you can achieve feelings of inner peace,
strength, even better health and more creativity.
Now that you've found it, you can use that tone when outside sounds and other stressors are impacting your ability to think, or are making you
feel uncomfortable or ill. You can tone your way to a feeling of inner
peace, and that will help you get in touch with the part of you that is strong,
creative, and in control. Also, once you've learned to recognize and use sound and music to feel less stressed and jittery,
you can go on to use music as a tool for developing your inner self and
making the most of all your assets.
Certain kinds of music induce feelings of tranquility, others spur us to
creative action. Some people do their best work while listening to
Mozart,
others require the passion of Revel, still others appreciate the
tranquility
of new-age music like that by Crosswynd. If you take the time to
experiment,
to examine and mostly, to listen, then you will be able to use music to
capitalize on your own strengths and abilities, and to be the Creator that
you were meant to be.
Copyright 2000. Kate Mucci.
Kate Mucci - healing music practitioner, harpist, and author.
Kate and
her husband, Richard, have written the book, "The Healing Sound
of Music" -
a primer on the use of music for healing and spiritual and emotional
growth.
You may contact Kate by e-mail at cwynd@aol.com
or visit her Crosswynd
Website
