The Music Is Always In Our Bones

The reason that singing restores harmony to tense nerves is that its vibrations stir them to action, thus making it possible for the ever-waiting healing Spirit to get in. – Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity

Throughout history humans have been immersed in music. In all societies and cultures, ancient or contemporary, every ecological biome from the deserts to rainforests, coastal to arctic, rural and urban. Singing, chanting and dancing have been a part of our solitary and collective lives, even before we had language. Music permeates all religious and spiritual traditions, as well as most homes whether through radio, MP3 player, internet, CDs, televisions, stereo systems and more. 

Even our public spaces generally have music running in the background, like in restaurants, medical offices, shopping centers, hotels – even the gas station pumps entertain you. Thanks to apps like Shazam we can discover the song we are listening to wherever and whenever something musical catches our attention.

As the neurologist Oliver Sacks said, “For virtually all of us music has great power… Our propensity to music shows itself in infancy, is manifest and central in every culture, and probably goes back to the very beginnings of our species. Such ‘musicophilia’ is a given in human nature.”

Songs and music don’t leave fossils, which means we don’t necessarily have scientific evidence of the vocal activities of our ancestors, but we can look back at our musical traditions. Bone pipes and flutes from 50,000 years ago suggest music played an incredibly important role in our lives as we moved around the globe, living in new environments or in threatening circumstances. Music helped us build strong community bonds in an uncertain and volatile world. In my experience it would appear not much has changed. 

One of the treasures in my life is the ability to lose myself in a song. I close my eyes and allow the words and music to play through me. I stop listening with my ears and listen with my heart and whole body. As the music washes over me, my mind relaxes, my breathing slows, my body rocks and moves in rhythm with the sounds, and I quietly drift into unexpected places of creation. This is the sacred discipline of deep listening, of being spiritually attentive.

When I move beyond what happens in my individual experience with music, I engage in the healing power of community which expands exponentially as I lose myself in harmonies with others. We breathe together, make sound together, and move in synchrony. We enter into a rhythmical relationship with each other that is resonant, rich and inviting. 

Think about the times you have participated in group musical experiences, whether you are joining in or observing. You can feel “harmony is being restored” as Charles Fillmore said, and nervous systems resonating with each other. You can hear the songs echoing inside your bones, vibrating not just as individuals, but as a collective, and that vibrational energy moves us into action. 

It is that action we take, that demonstration, aligned with our divine nature, which becomes a uni-verse, not just individual verses. It is a collection of notes fulfilling a continuous song that began long before we existed. It is one we still sing, and will continue to sing, as we bring new life into being. If we listen closely, we can hear this song echoing in our bodies, deep into our bones. 

Every time we allow ourselves to get lost in the music, we set off this chain of events which “makes it possible for the ever-waiting, healing presence of Spirit to get in.” Or as I would say or makes it possible for us to awaken our awareness to the healing energy already alive, imbued with life, and thus creating a culture of caretaking, a world full of safety, dignity, belonging and love.