Re: Ziggy Marley And The Melody Makers Spirit Of Music Download
Icaro Aveiga
The evolution of the music is really about the evolution of the individuals who are creating the music.The generation of my father and guys like Burning Spear was very connected to a spiritual idea, Rastafarianism. There was almost a religious element to what they were doing.
Although I was raised Irish Catholic, much of my deeper understanding of spirituality comes from studying more ancient teachings of the Vedas and my yoga practice. That said, the most consistent and dependable way I've found to connect to my inner voice, lift my spirits and bring myself back into balance has been music. Music has turned the most mundane and the most challenging moments of my life into deeply resonating human, and often indescribably divine, experiences.
People often ask me what kind of music is more spiritual: Is it Vedic mantras, Gregorian chant, devotional Bhajans, the great symphonies of Beethoven, traditional Gospel hymns, indigenous drums or even rock and roll? I usually respond by saying any music that helps reconnect us to our essence -- to our inner and divine nature -- is spiritual. For a teenager in Detroit or mother living in a smaller village in the Andes, the sound of that path is likely to look or, should I say, sound quite different. As fellow producer Karsh Kale once said, "For someone the sound of the bansuri is the sound of Krishna, while for somebody else, the sound of sub bass frequencies is a connection to spirituality."
The spiritual nature of music cannot be defined by religion, culture or genre. Music precedes and transcends all of those frameworks. To even compare music and spirituality as if they were independent concepts feels a bit odd to me. Music is, at its essence, the sound of spirit. When created from the heart and with truth and pure intention, music is a spiritual expression of the most universal nature and the highest order.
Let me attempt to show this relationship between music and spirituality on a more fundamental level by first examining the meaning of "spiritual." The New Oxford American Dictionary defines spiritual as "relating to, or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things." As we go back further in time, spirit comes from Latin spiritus -- which is most simply translated as breath, but also identified with courage, vigor and soul. The distinction between soul and spirit was first separated in Christian terminology, with spirit being the "seat of emotions." A more contemporary definition of spirit might also include "the essential nature of something."
Whatever meaning one chooses for spirituality, I believe there are direct correlations to each in the nature of music. Music is essential to human life and an integral part of our development as individuals and as a species. Like breath, music has rhythm, tension and release. One might even claim that the sound of breath, or the waves of the ocean are musical expressions of life. The beginning of the universe, according to modern science, was created by sound -- the Big Bang. The ancient myth of the goddess Voce claims that she created the world by singing it into existence. Few things in life have the ability to directly shape or shift our emotional state than music.
"Music should be healing; music should uplift the soul; music should inspire. There is no better way of getting closer to God, of rising higher towards the spirit, of attaining spiritual perfection than music, if only it is rightly understood." -- Hazrat Inayat Khan
Although nearly all known religions of the world include music in their expressions and rituals, I prefer not to limit our definition of spirituality to religion. I do recommend, however, bringing music into whatever spiritual practice or religious rituals you do follow. For years I would separate my morning meditation practice from practicing my instrument, often running out of time for one or the other. One day I brought my guitar and my original melodies to my morning meditation ritual and discovered both practices, and my own sense of connection, were greatly enhanced by the union.
I won't claim that all music is spiritual, or rather, created and intended for the benefit of the human spirit. It would be great if it were. As Ravi Shankar put it when asked if music is essentially spiritual: "The highest form in music is spirituality." When it is, the effect on us -- our thoughts, our emotions, our subconscious, and even our physical well-being -- can be quite profound. I, like Fela Kuti, Shakar and many others, believe it is the responsibility of the creators of music to recognize their influence and express themselves with truth, consciousness, and integrity.
Just as music has helped rescue me from some of the lowest points of my life, it has been the blissful soundtrack for my many of my most loving memories and the rhythm that continues to propel me forward. For me, spirituality and music will never be separated. The more music continues to awaken my higher aspirations and light the path of my inner journey, the higher I am inspired to reach and the deeper I long to delve into those realms of the magical unknown that awaits me. If words are the limited language of my mind, music is the limitless calling of my soul.
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