16 Mar 2008 @ 09:38, by Erle Frayne Argonza
In this piece I will reflect on the divine or mystical element in music. For a brief introduction, I am a musical artist and I come from a family of musically-oriented folks most specially in my paternal line. I’m also a Filipino, an ethnicity whose musicality is extraordinary here in Asia.
My history of involvement with music began with my early childhood exposure to classical, jazz, and folk music that are the favorite of my grandfather, the late Estanislao Argonza y Esguerra, musical genius of Cagayan (Northern Philippines). At age 11 (summer of Grade 5), I learned to play the guitar on self-study mode, and joined our school rondalla as soon as the school year began (I was Grade 6), as the official guitarist. In high school I joined the school choire, as guitarist. A school mini-band I helped to form, which sang during school programs, with acoustic guitar as accompaniment. In the university, I was the musician of the UP Repertory Company, did musical scoring and also performed during protest rallies. I later joined the UP faculty choir…Fast track to the period 1989-1997 when I composed songs and sang solo concerts. I did alternative Pinoy concerts in 1993-97, some of which were organized by my own students at the University of the Philippines Manila.
My familiarity with music surely comes a long way. There is an additional element in my musical experience that I’d wish to highlight here: as soon as I advanced in my practice of yoga meditation, I had increasingly attuned myself to the ‘music of the spheres’, a feat that facilitated my composing tasks in the 1990s. Whereas before it used to be that I cannot start the day without ‘external’ music (those heard over the stereo), today I can go on for days in row without need for listening to musical externality, even as I’m now more inclined to listen to ‘inner’ music from the Higher Planes.
It is no exaggeration when I narrate here that, during some moments of meditation, I do hear, within the region of my physical and astral ears, choir songs of beings who are located in the Higher Spheres. Like the angelic music sung by the Vienna Choir, these notes come in a sort of etheric reverbs, beautiful beyond description. But most often, I simply hear the hums of the planets whose frequencies I hear registering in my ears at very high pitches, on a more or less routine basis nowadays. Before, I had to meditate in order to listen to the notes of the planets. Today I need not do such a thing, as I have become attuned to the Alpha brain wave state as my normal daily condition (most folks operate at Beta brain wave).
[Writ 26 December 2007, Quezon City, MetroManila]
In this piece I will reflect on the divine or mystical element in music. For a brief introduction, I am a musical artist and I come from a family of musically-oriented folks most specially in my paternal line. I’m also a Filipino, an ethnicity whose musicality is extraordinary here in Asia.
My history of involvement with music began with my early childhood exposure to classical, jazz, and folk music that are the favorite of my grandfather, the late Estanislao Argonza y Esguerra, musical genius of Cagayan (Northern Philippines). At age 11 (summer of Grade 5), I learned to play the guitar on self-study mode, and joined our school rondalla as soon as the school year began (I was Grade 6), as the official guitarist. In high school I joined the school choire, as guitarist. A school mini-band I helped to form, which sang during school programs, with acoustic guitar as accompaniment. In the university, I was the musician of the UP Repertory Company, did musical scoring and also performed during protest rallies. I later joined the UP faculty choir…Fast track to the period 1989-1997 when I composed songs and sang solo concerts. I did alternative Pinoy concerts in 1993-97, some of which were organized by my own students at the University of the Philippines Manila.
My familiarity with music surely comes a long way. There is an additional element in my musical experience that I’d wish to highlight here: as soon as I advanced in my practice of yoga meditation, I had increasingly attuned myself to the ‘music of the spheres’, a feat that facilitated my composing tasks in the 1990s. Whereas before it used to be that I cannot start the day without ‘external’ music (those heard over the stereo), today I can go on for days in row without need for listening to musical externality, even as I’m now more inclined to listen to ‘inner’ music from the Higher Planes.
It is no exaggeration when I narrate here that, during some moments of meditation, I do hear, within the region of my physical and astral ears, choir songs of beings who are located in the Higher Spheres. Like the angelic music sung by the Vienna Choir, these notes come in a sort of etheric reverbs, beautiful beyond description. But most often, I simply hear the hums of the planets whose frequencies I hear registering in my ears at very high pitches, on a more or less routine basis nowadays. Before, I had to meditate in order to listen to the notes of the planets. Today I need not do such a thing, as I have become attuned to the Alpha brain wave state as my normal daily condition (most folks operate at Beta brain wave).
It is for this reason, based on direct experience via the tools of yoga, that I as a yogi-mystic am able to authenticate the existence of a ‘music of the spheres’. To my own surprise and wonderment, the ‘music of the spheres’ is accessible to everyone else, though sadly most folks would regard this as inexistent due to their own immersion in the Beta wave modality or the modality of the dense frequency, and are as such incapable of hearing the musical pieces from the higher planes.
The beauty with the music coming from the ‘higher spheres’ or higher dimensions is that they are the never-ending types. We are accustomed to listen to musical pieces that have beginnings (preludes) and ends, which makes me emphasize the ‘otherness’ of the music of the higher dimensions from the folks’ or mainstream population’s vantage point. But in my country, the Philippines, there are musical pieces, composed largely by the Indigenous Peoples, that give the listener a sense of ‘no beginning and no end’ situation.
Let me highlight at this instance the music of the Igorots, the natives of the Cordillera region (mountain range in Northern Luzon). Igorot music is played with gongs that are of different sizes and pitches. When the gongs are struck (with wooden piece or hand) and played in rhythm, they can instantly bring one into deep focus, a focus that can elevate one from Beta to Alpha wave modality. There is no prelude to the music, and a musical piece ends with the same beat as the beginning point. Eternality comes forth before the listener’s ears and eyes during deep focus. I need not stress that the music is so inviting, one wishes to stand up and dance along with the beat as soon as one is immersed in it.
To a Western observer who gets the chance to listen to and participate in this musical performance (participate by dancing or by picking up a gong and playing it along with the group), a 10-minute exposure to Igorot music can bring him/her to an unparalleled state of euphoria. I’ve seen many White people become euphoric and ecstatic with Igorot music, gyrating and jumping and dancing along without restraint. It is simply a superbly different experience! And the bad news for the Western visitors is that they will go back to the lowlands and to their home cities, where they’d hear the same old cranky pop music that they’ve been reared into, and they would become so nostalgic with the Igorot music later.
In this present context though, we are all lucky in that the musical genre had expanded immensely to include variants of post-modern music that have reconstructed those elements of the ancients that perform superb centering and energizing functions. I refer particularly to the genres of New Age, Celtic, World Music, and Nature Music. I highly recommend these musical forms for those who are intensifying their lessons in the Path, with meditation practice at the core of the lessons. Add to post-modern music the classical music of the masters, and one can have a collection of superb music that can elevate one to states of the mystical and divine.
In addition, I wish to stress that the ‘music of the spheres’ is like unto a huge gas station. I am highly convinced that musicians, whether of the dense/popular musical genres or the finer ones (classical to post-modern), are all capable of attuning to this gas station of musicality during moments of composing and arranging. Even the great musician Richard Wagner, who was regarded as fascistic S.O.B. in normal states of consciousness, was clearly able to attune to this station with full immersion, like unto a motorist pumping unlimited gas to his/her car for a long ride.
So, no matter what demonization Wagner gets from detractors, many of whom never ever listened to his music anyway but heard comments as matter of hearsay and gossip, I as a mystic and guru of inner transformation affirm the enormous power of Wagnerian music and the great things it can do for Seekers, Mystics and Masters alike. There are times when I couldn’t start the day without listening to Wagner, and I love it that my compact disc of Wagner favorites starts with the Mastersinger of Nuremberg. The minnesinger piece simply wakes up my blood! And transports me to higher climes in no time at all!
In my own experience of composing, I practically hear every kind of note and melody within my mind or ‘inner ears’ whenever I’m in the act of composing. Well, actually even on ordinary moments certain melodies would simply run through my mind. Most often than not I’m unable to capture the notes via composition, and they are lost music forever. But I don’t mind at all! Because I’m so naturally attuned to the ‘music of the spheres’, I never run out of melodies to hear, the most natural being the ‘melodies of the planets’ and maybe the stars and galaxies.
Music for me is largely a hobby, and these days I don’t even strum the guitar nor sing anymore. And neither do I play music on the stereo as often as I did before. But inside my head there are musical melodies playing 24 hours a day. I’ve crossed over a threshold, and there is no turning back to the days when I crave largely for dense music.
Just about two (2) weeks ago I tried going back to my old favorite—rock music—and played my MP3 pieces on my stereo (computer plus multimedia sound blaster). Mind you, after playing only three (3) pieces, my aura simply couldn’t stand the vibration. I felt I was weakening, that I was being drained of energy. It’s like some unseen guys were pumping out petrol from out of my system! And so I had to quit rock, and replaced it with nature music to instantly retrieve my balance and harmony.
As a mystic, that listening experience was an indication that I’ve clearly crossed over a threshold. I can no longer go back, and I’m saddened a bit that I’d be missing out the rock pieces that I loved to listen to. But no regrets, that I can never again play rock or any pop music at home, the compensation being that my neighbors and the external world is still so enamored to playing the popular and dense tunes I can hear them everywhere.
But that’s part of the lessons in the Path. As one advances, one’s own attachment to the dense musical genres become loosened till one finally drops them off in favor of the highly vibrating tunes. And, even more amazingly, one can drop off even the highly vibrating tunes (on CD , MP3, PM4) to give way to the more natural listening to the ‘music of the spheres’ using one’s wakened higher faculties. At this moment that I’m writing this piece, it is this higher music that provides me the rhythm, playing endlessly within my head.
My apperception of the Divine had increased with each moment of meditation and conduct of my missions. And I’d verily say this: the same experience is accessible to all. This apperception is marked by the increasing attunement to higher music, per my own authentication.
I wouldn’t be surprised if one day, I’d practically be listening to the music played by the disc jockeys of the astral plane, a plane that is so advanced compared to the physical, and I could download astral music to my lower mind if possible. That will be the next phase of my journey, and I’d share my experience to the world the moment I’ll be in it.
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