Music was the language of the cosmos from the
beginning of time, when the sound of creation sang out as one magnificent
ohm…m…m…m…m that swelled and reverberated throughout the emptiness of the
universe. This single note of oneness spawned the eight notes of the scale,
with their sharps and flats, shooting off into space to manifest as stars. The
stars arranged these notes into song that brought the angels into being, and
the angels took up the chorus of praise and wonderment as they found themselves
alive in such a magnificent state of being. And so it followed that music was
one of the first gifts from Love’s angels to humanity, as part of their effort
to open the channels of communication between us and all of the Divine Cosmos.
In the first days of human consciousness, when
the world was young and all dwelt in peace; the most beautiful, harmonious
music could be heard in every part of nature. While ambling through the forest,
one would hear the songs of wind and trees. Those who sat beside a stream or on
a riverbank heard the soothing melodies of water rippling over rocks. At night people
heard the music of the spheres ring out from the moon and the stars, reminding them
of their origins in the heartbeat of Universal Love.
After humans created evil with by sparring for
superior rank in the grand scheme of things, the sound of this heavenly music
grew dim to their arrogant ears. People communicated solely with spoken words,
which defined everything so precisely; there was no room in their consciousness
for the non-verbal wisdom they had once received from Universal Mind. Love assigned
certain angels, muses, and gods to seek out those sensitive souls who would
hear divine melodies if they were sung or played directly into their minds.
These individuals would be the musicians who kept the sound of music alive in
each culture.
History books report that
“the Egyptians
were responsible for developing early stringed instruments, such as the lute
and the harp in its primitive form,” and “the Greeks discovered the
importance of numbers in music in which they based much of the theory of
music.” But how would they have made such monumental discoveries if it hadn’t
been for the angels who taught them the methods for creating these instruments,
and how to write music using numbers to count out the rhythm? Yes, human beings
are creative and intelligent, but their ideas and inventions are not accidental
discoveries: each one is a gift from those divinely ordained agents of Love who
enter the mind during sleep, daydreams, and periods of focused contemplation.
Music is a language that, even without lyrics,
expresses the essence and emotions associated with universal themes; and so it
can be understood by people who speak in different tongues. For this reason,
Love hoped that music would penetrate the walls of misunderstanding that had
been built by the fears people had of one another. Love sent Uriel, angel of
creativity and patron angel of music, to present each culture with the style of
music that would speak to the souls of its people. Gradually, flocks of angel
muses spread these various musical genres around the world, cultivating a
broader taste in music so that people of different nationalities would
appreciate each other’s musical gifts.
In ancient times, Pan, god
of nature and music, traveled the world, playing his reed pipes on river banks
in every country. In Greece, his instrument was known as the Syrinx; in China his pipes were made of bamboo and
called the pai xiao, and in the Americas he played pipes made of reeds,
bamboo, river cane, bone, copper, and ceramic. In each part of the world, Pan
used whatever material was most plentiful or easily obtained to form the pipes
that he would play for the local people. The musicians of each culture learned
from Pan how to fashion their own pipes, and he taught them to play haunting
melodies that evoked in the listener such emotions of loss and longing that a
glimmer of their lost connection to divine oneness tortured their memories with
bittersweet beauty.
Uriel introduced the
drum to many cultures very early on, because it was so simple to make with
hollowed sections of tree trunks or gourds, and a piece of animal skin
stretched over the top. The drum allowed
wordless communication between the drummer and his listeners, as well as
between the drummer and nature, and so it was one of the greatest of Love’s
early revelations.
In parts of ancient Africa, specific
patterns of drumbeats conveyed messages between distances. In Africa and
the Americas, as well as other parts of the world, drums were used in religious
ceremonies. In America, the drum helped
participants of a pow-wow to feel connected spiritually and to resonate
inwardly with the heartbeat of the Earth Mother. The shamans who were the
priests of early nature-based religions used the drum to communicate with the
spirits of a place and to request healing for the sick.
Uriel knew that the
musical components of harmony, pitch, melody, rhythm and emotion
involve regions of the human brain that can’t always be reached by other
healing methods. But while the shamanic drumming was healing for some, the same
sound was grating on the ears of the Europeans who eventually came to America.
As with all things in the earthly dimension, music crosses cultural boundaries
only when the listener is open to the gift of a novel experience.
However, any music with a strong beat can promote synchronized brainwaves, and
a slow tempo creates a serene state of mind that opens a door between the
physical and spiritual dimensions. So Uriel introduced different styles
of meditative melodies to draw musicians and listeners of various cultures into
that calm inner space where divine communication takes place.
In
ancient China, Benzaiten,
goddess of music and art, introduced the seven-stringed zither,
which became known as the qin. This instrument was played by the sages,
those men who were honored for the wisdom that came to them in their moments of
quiet contemplation. The Chinese recognized the qin as an instrument whose
melodious notes had the power to lift the human spirit and encourage communion
with the divine elements of life. In fact, the ancient sages, having received
instruction from a goddess, taught their students that the principle of
qin-playing was similar to the art of government, and would aid the search for
harmony: celestial harmony between humans and nature, harmony between people,
and harmony within oneself. They said that one who learns the principle
of playing the qin could also be a good governor.
The ancient sage, Confucius, did not
become governor, but his mastery of the qin opened his inner ears to the wise
council he then passed on to others. As one who was deeply connected to
his divine source, he realized that the goal for the Chinese should be unity
under Heaven, with peace and prosperity for all people. He taught Love’s golden
rule to the people of China in this way: “Do not do to others what you
would not like yourself. Then there will be no resentment against you, either
in the family or in the state.” (Analects 12:2)
Mastery of the qin was one of the four
traditional arts that Imperial China’s monks, scholars and ladies of elite
society strove to attain. As with all things, those in power frequently
found ways to restrict the use of certain musical instruments to the privileged
minority; and so the music that was gifted to the earth for the purpose of
creating harmony among people was denied to the masses, as if peace and harmony
was a gift intended only for the upper class.
As the centuries passed, a vast array of
instruments was introduced throughout the world. Those instruments that
required trained experts and costly materials to build were played only by
those who considered themselves to be more deserving than the “ordinary folk,” but
there were still those simple instruments that the peasants, serfs, or slaves
could build themselves, and . . . there was the instrument of the human voice!
Israfel, angel of song, loves to inspire musicians with ideas for
putting the creative words of Love to music. Song lyrics have
been composed by people on every strata of society; many songs have told the
stories of their lives and romantic loves, but others were inspired by Israfel,
who visits songwriters in their dreams or while they are engaged in the kind of
repetitious work that leaves the mind open to divine inspiration.
Very few ancient songs were written down
for future generations, but the Hebrew scribes, so diligent about documenting
stories and songs on their scrolls, recorded the Songs of Solomon and the
Psalms. Some of these lyrics sprang directly from those emotions that were
spawned by humanity’s separation from eternal Love, and others were more
divinely inspired. Many of the Psalms were composed by King David, so we might
say he was not among the simple people who were barred from the upper class
realm of music. But King David was a poor shepherd boy prior to his ordination,
and even after he became a great king he found himself wrestling with his
carnal desires, whereas other royals wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep after
committing adultery or murder!
In one of David’s Psalms, number
twenty-two, he sang from the depths of his tormented heart: “My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of
my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but
find no rest.” Like humans of every place and every age, David could not
understand why one as all-powerful and compassionate as Love, who he called
Lord, did not save him from the evils and suffering of this life. However, when
David listened to the still, small voice deep within: that part of the self
that is in communion with All-That-Is, his songs were full of joy and praise
for his Creator. David’s Psalm 148 alludes to the choruses of praise that he
had heard sung by angels and the beings of nature, all of whom are integral
parts of the great cosmic love song:
Praise
the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
2Praise
him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
3Praise
him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
4Praise
him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5Let
them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created.
6He
established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be
passed.
7Praise
the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
8fire
and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9Mountains
and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
10Wild
animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
11Kings
of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12Young
men and women alike, old and young together!
13Let
them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted;
his
glory is above earth and heaven.
14He has
raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful,
for the
people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord!
