Without music, life would be a mistake
Nietzsche
I think music has a special meaning for us don’t you? We, Homo sapiens, made musical instruments as early as 75,000 years ago. Melody is emotion, communication, tunes unite; some say it even plays a key role in the evolutionary path we have undertaken. Sounds that are pleasant to us is tell us about our soul: our inner well being. We all know the magic: with some kind of music the words and the chords are just so good you forget everything around you: it resonates. Music is energy vibrating, just like we imagine our souls to vibrate.
Some say that dreams are messages from the soul. That dreams signify the highest well-being you can be. I don’t think that is true for all dreams. But I do believe that tunes in dreams speak from the soul. In one dream, I was singing, while in waking life I can not keep a tune. I experienced music was all around in dreams. I was part of it. I was part of the song I was playing, being part of a cosmic experience. I never could find the right words to talk about those kind of experiences so I was so very thrilled to read David Levitin’s insights in his book “This is your brain on music”
With that notion aside: if you are interested in music, in the brain and in dreaming about music: this book will give you more insight.
It tells you about how music is very prominent in our species. Levitin proposes that music was important in our evolution and I tend to agree with him. Music unites tribes. If you think back about the slaves in America that invented the blues to vent out their grief, to unite against their oppressors, it just makes sense.
Music was the tool to unite the group without strong repercussions.
What does music in dreams mean? This book was able to shed light on that for me. Music in dreams can be about feeling united with my tribe: I can remember dreaming about making music together in the woods of Rolduc years before I became involved in dreaming and ecology, years before I knew there was going to be another dream conference at the same Dutch Convent called Rolduc in the south of the Netherlands.
Music in my dreams is also connected with my soul: when I was younger and away from my loved one I used to hear “our song” in my dreams to keep my flame burning.
Music in my dreams has also helped me to emancipate: not only by performing in my dreams but also by being uplifted by many people in a concert hall and being transported: the ultimate meaning of life: the way you transcend through time.
What are your experiences?
This is a topic that is close to my heart and runs the lines of what my work and the work of The Dreaming Well are about!
I am actually writing a full-length book on dreams, story and sound at the moment; in my experience music is akin to spirit, in that it travels the invisible waves of the element Air and yet has the true capacity to move us in amazing ways such as Susanne has alluded to and mentioned here.
Over twenty years of working with my own and others dreams, I do hold that all dreams tell us about how to be and belong as our deepest, truest and most expansive selves and music has been and can be a vehicle, within dreams and also waking life to help myself and others to connect with the less-than-physically-seen realities that are expressive and supportive of what we might call an expansive-yet-deepening awareness of being.
I will check out the book as this topic resonates strongly and also suggest Mitch Gaynor's book, "The Healing Power of Sound".
Thanks for another provocative post Susanne, Travis W
Travis, meeting you in Berkely last summer was like meeting an old friend! I will definitely check out the book you mention. I can not wait to read your book and write a blogpost about it.