Why Music and Making Music is so Important for Your Well-Being

We get nearer to God through music than through any other thing except prayer. There is an ancient principle concerning resonance that every living organism responds either positively or negatively to sound waves and each organism recognizes its own innate resonance that centers its being in harmony.

Chinese healing practitioners have recognized this principle for thousands of years. They believe that disease is a result of imbalance. The key to healing is in bringing the body mind and spirit into harmony. They call this qi or yuan. Our body recognizes its uniting resonance even when the mind and spirit are too dis-eased to respond. This principle is not exclusive to Chinese philosophy and religion.

Even in ancient Hebrew philosophy and religion this healing principle of resonance and musical sound are believed to be key to wholeness (Shalom). The collection of Psalms is the hymns to God and for the people. In many of the Psalms there is a frequent term: “Selah” which we generally translate as instruction to sing the refrain which is a centering repetition of the theme of the psalm, but many Hebrew scholars believe it is more than simply a refrain. It is the resonance of the soul. Salvation or Shalom is in being in harmony with God, with one another and with all creation.

The ancient Hebrew prophets frequently espoused that when we are out of proper relationship with the Creator, whose proper name means source of being; then all of creation rebels against us. In Hebrew theology human beings have a very high relationship with the Creator as being created in His image and given a role as co-creators and stewards of all He has made. Therefore when we fall out of proper relationship with God (literally losing our dignity) a chain of consequences takes place: we fall out of proper relationship with one another (robbing one another of their God-given dignity) and exploiting the earth’s resources which results in nature’s imbalance and the Creation rebelling against its stewards. The obvious result is disparity, deficit and want.

We are told that King Saul was greatly disturbed in mind and spirit and probably sick in body. He called on young David to play his psaltery to soothe his soul. The ancient psaltery is probably the predecessor of the hammered dulcimer. You can read more about this in A History of the Hammered Dulcimer.

There is a continuity of this principle of healing and centering through musical resonance found throughout the philosophy of all the major world religions and singing and playing instruments is central in worship. There clearly is adoption and adaptation between the main world religions and cultures of our diverse world.

However, what is even more profound is the continuity of these principles, philosophy, practice and centering for wholeness and healing in ancient Shamanism. These animistic religions are of ancient origin and mostly found in remote tribes and clans who are widely separated from one another in time and space, yet they even recognize the healing principle of musical resonance. Their shamans and/or medicine people have practiced chanting; playing of drums or other instruments in the healing practice and is also central in worship of the “Great Spirit” or “Creator.” Also of interest is that their healers have espoused that the body sensitive to nature and its spirits recognizes what plants and herbs are good and bad for the body. Many have looked at the shape of leaves, herbs and roots and determined what organs they correspond to in the healing practice. Many of these remote and ancient practitioners have also observed how various living organisms respond to one another and even to sound or other stimuli.

There are modern anthropologists who have recorded in depth these various shamanistic cultures in remote tribes across the earth. Some have noted a common image described by shamans in their visions of the entrance to the “World of Light.” This image is of two multi-colored, fluorescent coiled snakes around a staff on either side of the gate guarding the entrance to the “World of Light.” Some of these Anthropologists have likened this common image as a symbol of DNA. The modern symbol for the science of healing is the staff with the coiled snake.

Also, I might point out that when the Hebrews were wandering in the wilderness and were plagued by venomous snakes; Yahweh instructed Moses to make a staff with a coiled snake. He was to lift this symbol up before the people and they were to fix their eyes upon it and they would be saved. Furthermore, Jesus references this image with his being lifted upon the cross in his crucifixion that those that look upon him might be saved.

For those of you who are still reading and may be put off by anything that is related to religion and may be wondering about modern scientific use of resonance in healing or the body’s response to other stimuli; there is research and practice in modern healing. Finally, ancient oriental medicine is being recognized in Western Medicine. There is a whole field in modern scientific practice of resonance therapy for diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases. I personally knew two scientists who were pioneers in developing and experimenting with a resonance machine.

A person is connected to this machine that puts off different frequencies and the patient is observed as their body responds or reacts to the various frequencies. I know that for instance one of the scientists used this technique in treating his own chronic Coloma. Now bio-resonance therapy is also used in correlation with acupuncture to treat various forms of chronic pain and even of cancer.

Much of modern medicine particularly in the early 20th century synthesized medicines that have been derived from ancient shaman medicine. One such medicine you may recognize is aspirin.

There is also a whole field of study in bio-kinesis that was supposed to have been first recognized by the Greek philosopher, Aristotle. A modern study in kinesis is recognizing that the body knows what is good for it even when the mind or spirit cannot.

This science is outside of my purview, but I mention it for those who wish to explore it more. All this having been said, I hope by now you recognize how central music is to your well-being. Finding what kind of music and instruments to make music is paramount to discovering what resonates with you. Maybe classical, folk, instrumental or pop music is soul soothing for you. It can be difficult and even confusing figuring out what type of music or what kind of instrument for making music is right for you. Perhaps that is another subject to explore in a future blog.