Early Music
Music has been associated with spirituality since the birth of humanity and has played a central role in spiritual practices around the world.
Archaeologists speculate that early people first created music through clapping, singing, and using everyday objects such as wood, bone, and stones to make percussive instruments.
The earliest instruments identified by archaeologists include idiophones made from mammoth bone, from as early as 70,000 BC, and a ‘bullroarer’ – a bone flute that was used to scare off enemies and evil spirits.
Percussive instruments played a crucial role in early music and spiritual practices. Ancient shamanic practices would have used rhythmic drumming as a means of inducing a trance state, a practice that continues today in many religions and spiritual practices worldwide.
Music As A Healing Tool
The sacred role of music in cultures throughout history may be partly due to the effect music has on our brains and our bodies.
The creation and consumption of music has been scientifically proven to affect our brain activity, releasing ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, and increasing blood flow to the limbic system. This has the effect of changing emotions and behaviour, and can even act as a natural painkiller.
Some archaeologists even theorise that the pyramids – in particular, the Bent Pyramid of Sneferu in Dashur – may have been built for sound healing, on account of their structure amplifying acoustics, with each chamber using a different harmonic to target specific areas of the body.
Scientific research has also shown that playing music increases the antibody immunoglobulin A and natural killer cells, supporting the body’s immune defence, while reducing the stress hormone cortisol.
Healing has been strongly associated with spirituality and ritual throughout time, and it is not unreasonable to make the connection that – to ancient peoples – the healing power of music was a gift from their Gods.
Nada Yoga
In Hinduism, Nada Yoga is the ‘Yoga of Sound’. It is intended to induce a higher state of consciousness and a state of wellbeing by balancing the energy within the body, known as ‘Prana’.
It is thought that when prana energy is out of balance, it disrupts the natural state of being, causing pain, disease, and mental distress. Nada yoga music is designed to re-balance this energy, with the result of healing any physical or mental afflictions and helping the sufferer to live in harmony with the universe.
Nada yogis use a variety of sounds, both natural and manmade as part of their Nada Yoga practice, and use a variety of instruments and techniques, such as the Bansuri flute, harp, traditional Indian drums, Sarangi and Tanpura, as well as nature sounds, breathing techniques, mantras, and singing devotional songs (Bhajans).
Shamanic Music
Shamanic practices traditionally use music to induce a trance state, which would assist them to ‘journey’ or ‘astral project’. This would allow their spirit to leave their body, and travel through the astral planes.
Shamanic music typically uses a percussive instrument such as a drum or a rattle to create a repetitive beat, allowing the practitioner to more easily slip into a trance. This beat may be accompanied by singing, chanting, or nature sounds such as animal calls or running water to assist the practitioner in connecting with the universe.
Shamanic music is sacred in religious and spiritual traditions around the world, and is not performed for a human audience, but for Spirit guardians and ancestors. Some traditions combine Shamanic music with dance to further increase the effects of the trance state.
Shamanic music practices vary greatly across the globe and can be found in nearly every culture. Each practice is unique to the culture from which it originates, and many specific Shamanic practices are protected from appropriation by law.
Music In Buddhism
While music is forbidden in many Buddhist monasteries and nunneries, it continues to have a great impact on Buddhist cultures. Buddhist music strives for balance and serenity, and plays a prominent role in the teachings of the Dharma.
For instance, the Amitabha Sutra describes that:
‘Heavenly singing and chanting is heard all day and night as Mandara flowers softly rain down from the heavens. All kinds of birds produce beautiful and harmonious music throughout the day and night. Upon the blowing of a gentle breeze, the movements of jewel trees bring about a kind of wondrous music, as if thousands of gentle tunes are being played together in harmony. Upon hearing these melodious sounds, those present naturally become mindful of the Buddha, mindful of the Dharma, and mindful of the Sangha.’
Buddhist music varies throughout Asia, from Chinese Buddhist music, which features the gong, qing (large bell), gu (large drum), the wooden fish, cymbals, and tambourine, to Tibetan Buddhist music, which uses a variety of drums, windpipes, spiral conches, and trumpets. The instrumentals are often accompanied by chanting or hymns.
Buddhist practices frequently use a range of hymns, including The Incense Offering Prayer, the Incense Prayer for Upholding the Precepts, and the Prayer for Offerings Made to Celestial Beings.
Everyday music for Buddhist populations in China is known as fanbei and is divided into two parts: chanting the scriptures (Zhuandu) and the hymns of praise. The hymns of praise typically feature short lines of just four, five, or seven words, and can be sung solo or in a chorus.
The fanbei were originally written in Sanskrit, but were translated into Chinese for the Chinese population.
Higher Vibes And Healing Powers
The profound relationship between music and spirituality is a timeless and universal phenomenon that has transcended cultures and millennia. From the earliest forms of music created with mammoth bone instruments to the trance-inducing rhythms of shamanic practices, throughout history music has been a conduit for connecting with the divine and achieving higher states of consciousness.
Scientifically, we now understand the profound effects of music on our brains and bodies, from the release of ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitters to its potential as a healing tool.
This means that our use of music as a therapy for physical and mental disorders may be better understood and utilised as our knowledge of its healing abilities continues to develop.
Superlocrian 