It was in Greece, however, where the use of sound and music as conscious vehicles for inner change began to flourish. The Deity, Apollo, was the God of the Sun, of Medicine, and Music, inspiring the integration of music and medicine. Temples , dedicated to his son, Aeseulapius, were healing centers where the arts had center stage. Music was incorporated to “induce in the patient an ecstatic experience in order to awaken the curative power of the soul and thereby restore the harmonious relation between it and the body.” (Bruno Meinecke, Music and Medicine”, p.50).
Beyond the gods, philosophers and musicians like Homer, Plato, Aristotle, and Pythagoras solidified the growing experience of the power of music as a healer. Homer used music to “avoid negative passions such as anger, sorrow, fear, worry and fatigue, and to promote healthful recreation for elevating soul and body”. Aristotle felt that music was to serve as catharsis for the emotions and for the building of strong character
It was Pythagoras who became the champion for the power of music. He is considered to be the founder of music theory and the science of acoustics. His methods led to the discovery of numerable elements that are foundational to sound healing. More on him in just a bit...
When the Roman Empire collapsed the end of the Ancient World was heralded, giving rise to an ever expanding separation of science and religion. Allopathic medicine, based on diagnosis of disease and treatment via drugs, further separated the soul and spirit from the healing process and music, as well.
Music, soon a vehicle of the church, would no longer be used as a means to truly expand one’s spiritual connection, for in the Medieval period, priests and the church hierarchy became the intermediaries between God and Man. As a secular art, music was controlled by the church. Additionally, music for the people became divided between that for the common man and that for the aristocracy. For hundreds of years through the Baroque and Renaissance periods the craft of music became as predictable as the disciplines mathematics and architecture...for the most part.
Esoteric music practices were relegated to folklore and superstition. And, for Western music in general, the deeper power of consciously created music was lost to most except in the Mystery Schools and in far away lands like China, Tibet, and India...and in the isolated and pure indigenous cultures.
Western music, in so many ways, became a shadow of the true vibration inherent in its tones and structure. The formality of writing down the music stole the life of the creation, much like when indigenous people will resist having their picture taking out of concern of the loss of their essence. So many well-
Of note, the music that was birthed by the common folk, through the varied and emotional moments of living kept open an important element, the heart. It is that heart, or spirit of the music that carries the energetic identity of the people who have lived it. And because the experiences so varied from place to place, from environ to environ, the creations, to this day, carry the stuff of life, that, like a fingerprint, is easily identifiable. And when one plays it it is as if one can call forth the spirit and experience of those who actually walked its path.
This music was a critical tool that built a necessary bridge between this time when music, as a conscious, healing modality, darkened and the time in the 20th century when it reappeared on the cosmic wave of the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.
However, despite this wayward journey, there certainly are a significant number of exceptions that are representative of beautiful and powerful and inspiring music that came out of this winding journey of Western music. The grand news is that we, as humans, have begun a reunification of styles to create new forms of music, fully empowered with reawakening esoteric truths. It is just on the cusp of being actually being acknowledged for what it is, free from fear driven prejudices that want to dismiss it to cult drivel status.
Let us take a break from the information and simply listen to something of a synthesis of styles that will take you on a journey free of time and space.
What follows in Part 4 is a completion of the history as we look at some specific cultural contributions and examples...to reawaken your cellular memories of incarnations past and more deeply understand that the path we have taken as humans has been nothing less than perfect...for it has brought us right to this wellspring of possibilities about to embrace a brand new frequency...a sincere gift of love from a multiverse that is intervening for our own good...Amen!
Click to access Sound Healing History, part 4
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LEARNING BLOCKS Sound and Vibration l Voice l Chakras l Energy l Singing l Sound Healing Tools l Color l Senses
Music Therapy l Resources l Sound Healing Sessions l Applications
Sound Healing History l Contemporary Sound Healers l Physics of Sound l Esoterics of Sound l Cymatics l Sacred Geometry l Vibration l
Frequency and Pitch l Intervals l Scales and Keys l Hearing and Listening