The Language of Peace: Music

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When I listen to music, I am moved inside to the energy and feel of the flow of the piece. The instruments play their parts and the mind that formed the notes expresses through the changes and transitions like thoughts flowing through the mind. Just as in poetry, where words are sparse and images are simple, the words form the carriers of feeling and thought, painting a canvas on our hearts. In the poetry of music, the instruments are used in the same way as simple words, moving from one note of feeling to another until a whole experience is given to us.

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Out of the myriad possibilities of sound and combinations of sounds, the artist/musician picks only a few and places them at intervals and frequency until something beautiful vibrates with life. Only a few notes can be chosen because so many notes spoil the energy and chaos is produced. When I owned a restaurant, I would play classical and smooth jazz for people to enjoy. Sometimes an employee would bring in some jazz to play that was jagged, chaotic and smashing, and within about ten minutes there was some argument or verbal fight in the restaurant among the employees. The employees and the customers were not aware that they had very quickly become irritable and short-tempered, but the frayed nerves and tense faces expressed the result. I would then switch the music to something more harmonious and the tension would lift and people were in much better spirits within twenty minutes. It matters what kind of music one listens to. Some music comes from the desire on the part of the musician to be different, unusual and startling. Since the creator of that music wants to make a mark instead of just creating something intuitive and wonderful, the music has that stamp of ego, insecurity and pride. That kind of music never uplifts, it aggravates and creates lack of peace. One can feel the energy in the body and in the emotions to determine whether the piece of music uplifts and raises consciousness or crashes down, is angry or relentless.

Out of the being of our Creator all vibration is made possible. Each vibration is a note on the musical scale. Millions of these notes are above and below human beings. They are outside our range of audible sound. Some animals can hear above and some below our auditory range. But in God, all sound vibrations already exist. These make up the music of the universe and the movement in the being of God. Great artists and composers tap into this stream of energy and allow it to move through them into a piece of music that uplifts and ennobles human beings. We are awed when we hear the piece because of its depth, its simplicity and harmony. Only a person who is sufficiently open and not self-aggrandizing can have grown quiet enough to hear that music and then play it through their instrument.

In God are all vibrations of color and sound. In the Eastern mystical traditions, the sound of creation and the universe is called the “AUM” or “OM” and contains all the vibrations if one is able to pronounce or chant it correctly. “AUM” or “OM” can also be said to be from the root word “AMEN” which means “Let it be so.” This is the original word that is spoken of in the Bible. All vibrations of the Holy Spirit of God are in that word. Those who enter into deep meditation can hear this soundless sound and feel the presence of vast and divine intelligence in which all energies are present.

If you want peace, listen to God’s vibration in the depths of your heart and soul. Let go of the earth and your thinking and go within. Let harmonious and uplifting music help you still the noisy mind and turbulent emotions, until you can be still in the encompassing being of the God who created you. When more and more people have decided to dedicate themselves to being peaceful on the inside and in their hearts and minds, then the world will start to actually be a place of peace. As long as the emotions and minds of people are disturbed, angry, resentful, fearful and full of pride, there can be no peace in this world. It has to start with you.

When I play music or create a song, my whole being is absorbed in the feel of the music. I am carried on waves of energy into the heart of the small part of harmony, sound and words that have congealed together to create the experience. In my case, I am dedicated to creating an atmosphere of God all around me and bringing God through the music that is given to me. The song must carry a feeling; it must have its own integrity and nature, just like a small child. It has its own personality and temperament, presenting itself to the world as what it is. When I write a song, the music sort of writes itself. I play some chords on the guitar and then I latch onto to something that sounds interesting and beautiful. I play it and play it and it writes itself into my hands and arms and into my heart and cells. I feel it completely. I bond with it until it rolls out and loops around into a harmony that has enough complexity to allow for a chorus or a bridge and then I play it some more, sometimes for an hour at a time until it is part of me. The feel and the heart of the music is part of my body and then I look for words that might describe this piece of music. I write mostly about spiritual things, about God, about Mother Mary, about Jesus and about the process of becoming a lighted, whole spiritual soul. When the words are fitting and complete, I am ready to show the new baby to my spiritual family first, and then to the whole world. I feel the peace of God throughout the whole process.