Are you a music lover?
I am. It’s in my blood. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of family road trips with all four of us singing along to Simon & Garfunkel, Peter, Paul & Mary, or whatever my parents put in the tape player.
It wasn’t about singing well; it was about experiencing the music. Those were happy times.
What role has music played in your past? And what role does it play now?
Have you ever noticed a correlation between your mood and the music you’re listening to? Have you noticed which is cause and which is effect? (The answer isn’t always the same, I assure you.)
Have you ever used that relationship to intentionally set your mood?
The way that we humans experience music gives us powerful insight into the most basic law of the Universe – the Law of Vibration – which says that everything in our Universe vibrates. This simple but powerful truth is the basis for every other law of the Universe, including the Law of Attraction, the Law of Cause and Effect, and even the physical Law of Gravity.
Music is vibration; it is sound (auditory vibration) executed in an intentional sequence of vibrational frequencies. Since one of the spin-offs to the Law of Vibration tells us that things which are near each other are affected by each other’s vibration, it should not surprise us to know that our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual beings are affected by the music we hear.
(It’s one of those things that you might know but easily forget. This is your reminder.)
The idea that I want to encourage today is using music to intentionally influence your vibration. With music you have an opportunity to instantaneously change how you feel and take yourself to a better-feeling place.
There’s a reason, for example, why I play music during healing sessions. It isn’t just to drown out ambient sounds; it’s to assist my clients in reaching a vibrational state that resonates with healing and the presence of the Angels. (For reference, what I usually play is the Archangel Themes series by Mark Watson. It’s very high-vibrating music that resonates with the seventh chakra and above.)
More and more music is being designed to intentionally manipulate your brain ( in the highest and best way) with technologies like binaural beats. But don’t overlook the ability for “regular” music to do the same.
For instance, do you have a playlist that you use to motivate yourself when you work out? If so,
then you’re using music to set your vibration. You’re also using it to influence your brain to pump out “feel good” neurotransmitters.
I have a negative example of this influence: During my junior year of college I was often depressed. I drank too much, ate too much, and generally felt like crap. I also listed to a lot of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and other grunge music. (Hey, it was the 90s.)
It took me more that a decade to realize the correlation. Now when I listen to that music I feel a certain sense of nostalgia but I also feel how icky the music is, vibrationally speaking. Perhaps it matched where my vibration was at the time, but it’s certainly not a good match now.
With practice, I’ve developed ways to shield and separate myself from the vibration of music like grunge to that I can listen to it safely, but mostly I just don’t listen to music that doesn’t make me feel good anymore. After all, I always listen for enjoyment, at least in part, and what’s enjoyable about having to shield and separate myself from it?
That said, I’ve noticed in myself – and perhaps you do this too – that I go back to lower-vibrating music from my past (the “feel bad” music, we might call it) when there’s an old issue that I’m trying to work through. I think that in those cases, sad or angry music can be effective in helping us connect with the feelings that we’re trying to express and release. But unlike my junior year of college, it has to be done with awareness, so that you reach the feeling, release it, and get back to your happy place, rather than getting sucked into a void of despair.
My recommendation is to stick mostly to good-feeling, productive music. This week, notice what music you gravitate toward and when you play it.
- Does it enhance your mood or detract from it?
- Do you choose different music for different purposes – e.g., being productive and task-oriented vs. relaxing vs. having fun?
- Do your music choices tend to be conscious or unconscious? In other words, do you intentionally set a mood with music, or let yourself by inspired?
Then experiment with your music choices:
- Make yourself a “feel good” playlist. Carefully test each song to make sure it truly helps you feel good before adding it to the list. (I call mine “Empowerment Mix.”)
- Investigate music technology that influences your brainwaves. Dr. Jeffery Thompson and Omharmonics are two good sources. Note: The Beta brainwave is good for productivity, while Alpha, Theta, and Delta are progressively more relaxed.
- If you notice that a song is making you feel worse, turn it off. If you don’t have control over it, put on your headphones or hum something to yourself that has a positive vibration.
As a parting gift this week, I share with you this really fun, funky music video that I’m certain will uplift your spirits, raise your vibration, and give you a burst of energy for your day: