Music of the Divine

Nothing stirs the soul, awakens the imagination or feeds the mind like music. It is a dance of the Divine on the ears and hearts of its listeners. It is constant in nature and can be heard always when still. People recreate it to their best abilities, people try to capture and convey and tell their own story as it is played. Music can go against its nature and denote pain or upheaval, express negativity and rebellion, hatred, evil. Everything good can also be used for evil, but in its pure form, in its purest self, music speaks of Divine things, joy, peace, hope, gentleness, it is a love thing. And when I have hiked alone and sat for days under the sky and found rest and solitude in the world God made, the music of nature sounded sweetly in my ears as strongly and as real as the best of Braums or Mozart or as sweetly as Jewel or Fernando Ortega. Yes, it sometimes had the fun of Marley or passion of Santana or expressiveness of Adele but in its subtlest form. In nature you have to be still and quiet to hear it but it is there as strongly as you or I. It breathes out the music of the Divine and breathes in the unclean then out comes the clean music. It cleanses the soul as it plays this timeless rhythmic original piece. Nature orchestrates the Divine music with clarity and distinction so beautifully that tears flow. I long to hear it again. I long to play it. When my fingers lightly touch the keys, I work to repeat the sound I hear in my soul from these visits. I work to portray the fingerprint of the Divine in my expression of music. I long to play with other musicians with such similar longings of the heart and together it is so beautiful. To come close to the emotion of the Divine music which flows and encompasses the very soul of a musician is to share a very special place which no one but a musician can possibly understand or appreciate but enjoys hearing when pure of heart. To open one’s self to the expression of music is to become vulnerable to other’s interpretation of it or knowledge and rejection of you personally because it is such and part of you. But to express yourself to the Divine is to worship Him and the rest takes care of itself. A musician is being who they were meant to be when they tap into the natural music of the Divine and deign to play what their heart finds. It is truly beautiful!

The Pulse of the Sea

The pulse or rhythm of the oceans, the tide in its less romantic term, are dictated by the moon. Something so distant drives the waters to move in or out. The ocean does not decide what it will do that day. The moon decides. The water does not go where it will, it goes where it is told. The water does not work to figure out its day and plan to accomplish its own goals, it waxes and wanes as it is pulled and ordered by the moon. The moon sets its pulse. More importantly, the moon sets the tempo and rhythm for the ocean to be able to dance and where it is free to move. The moon has the power, though far away, seemingly intangible. There is a connection, a long distance relationship between the two. And the moon, with its great power over the vast ocean, is responsible with its power and only plays the role it was commissioned long ago. There is an order to the universe. There is an internal rhythm set for us all because God loves it when we dance. He is the orchestral lead. He orders our steps and the moon’s tempo. And why is this important? Because we move in response to love and that love is served best from God. He has to direct its timing. He has to create the perfect setting for the dance He so wants to watch us dance. He knows best. And His timing is perfect and worth any wait.

Thunderstorm Concert

Rain pounds the earth and cleans the trees, yielding rich water for life. The rain falls steadily on the roof, sounding loudly through the house in a rhythm of its own fancy. Cracks of thunder and bright beams of lightning break up the monotonony of the raindrops like glorious cymbol crashes in a song. It calms and grows like a crescendo and decrescendo of a song. And the amazing and unique song ends as it leaves only the drip drop off the roof afterward to remind you of nature’s song of praise that you just heard.  And the beauty of the thunderstorm special song is that it is pure, true, honest. Most of all, it is humbling. The great tyrant may hold his head high but he will duck and run when the mighty thunderstorm plays its song. Children dance in its play. I sleep best to its rhythm, loving the song, enjoying God’s pure voice of His masterpiece of nature, the cycles He set in motion coming to fruition. It is incredible and exciting and loud and beautiful. No technology in the world measures up to its power and magnitude. Nothing is as entertaining and exhilerating to experience. Power and perfect brilliance and artistry in nature’s thunderstorm concert. No one can copy it with the same flavor. It is perfect. And if you honor this concert with your full attention, it will renew and refresh your spirit.

Love’s Rhythm

Attached to every thought and every emotion, there is a corresponding pulse, a rhythm of the heart which quickens or slows, races or crawls through life on its journey. The rhythm sways with the current of love, sometimes swaying in the wind in a carefree moment or rushing through the sky in pounding sweeps. But rhythm drives us, passion drives us. If done right, the passion merges with the rhythm and love is given flight and accessibility. Love always finds expression in the rhythm. And the rhythm is always seeking the fulfillment of love. It drives, it quenches, it plays its game, it rests only when the untame meets its natural order to complete the dance. The love dance is the key and the mode will always best be expressed in the rhythm. Not in the lyrics, for words are often deceptive. Not in the melody, for you can dance without the melody. Not in the accompaniment for the same reason. But the culmination of the dance love will be born into must have the rhythm, they must meet. They must merge into one expression. They will.