Friday, December 03, 2010

jeepney music and old Sages


we were riding a jeepney on our way to her dormitory. my daughter and me. we were both lost in our own thoughts. suddenly i saw this faint smile on her lips.


"what's funny?" i asked,"you seem so amused."


"aw, it's nothing," she answered, "it's just this music being played on this jeepney. haven't you noticed?"


i paused for awhile to listen. she's right it's not the usual loud music that most of the jeepneys are playing. it's not the usual rap or heavy metal sound where your heartbeat is inconvenienced by the heavy bass line. most of these jeepneys' sound systems are set up to over emphasize the bass component of the sound so that its thump thumping actually thuds against one's chest. personally, i find it unsettling. my chest feels very heavy hearing this over emphatic boom of the bass. it's not music to me. it's unnerving noise. it's like you're inside a war zone in these loud jeepneys. oh, how these drivers love to pump up the volume. perhaps they do this because a lot of the commuters are turned on or attracted by this. maybe this is part of business.


but to this driver it is different. his is easy listening. soft melodious music. a little bit of jazz and blues. the volume is just right. just teasing the ear to strain a bit, not to hear, but to Listen. to Listen. the eardrum does not burst with the bass line. it's just there. you just feel the thump, the thud of its rhythm. the heart sits unruffled and the melody lulls you to think or to ponder or to doze off or to meditate even. to be quiet by yourself.


the old Sages and Masters hint of this. the Infinite, they say, expresses Itself through Light and Sound. each of us has this. Divine Light and Divine Sound, they are just one, they say. when we are able to recognize the divinity within us, our True Self, this will manifest. the Sages refer to this as the Music of the Spheres. the Eternal Sound that permeates all creation. this is not heard by the external ear but is listened to by the inner man. by the inner ear. this is silent sound.


this is the hidden music that the sufi dancers listen to inwardly as they swirl and twirl round and round and round in ecstatic celebration of Life's divinity. this is the music that poets listen to when they choose a word that becomes a component of their poem. this is the music that artists, painters, photographers listen to every time they choose the conglomeration and juxtaposition of colors in a particular moment in their mind' eye.


the old Sages affirm when you hear this you are truly Home. and when you are truly Home then you will be truly Happy.


i smiled back at my daughter but she did not see it. her eyes were closed. i believe that in this instance her mind's eye is choosing a conglomeration and juxtaposition of colors in preparation when she wields her camera to capture one of life's moments. she might be truly Home this instant.


i closed my eyes too. i have to let the inner ears choose the words to fill my next blog or my next poem. i'd like to listen to that silent music, that soothes and caresses, that affirms Life, Light, Love.



i'd like to be truly Home even for a bit of a second ...



i know, all of us would like to be truly Home, to be truly Happy.




**** image by neysa saguid copyright 2010.











4 comments:

Anonymous said...

it is not easy to retain people through writing, but your texts are very good, and I enjoy reading !
it's very pleasant ! :))

Bye**

sito saguid said...

friend mahon, you're one of these people who have been gifted to see with the inner eye and listen with the inner ear. your photographs always reflect that silent sound and that silent beauty of the Infinite. may you continue to be a witness of this ..

christopherdossantos3@gmail.com said...

Namaste my brother. I very much enjoyed your post. Art and music are most beautiful expressions of the heart. The decay of music into the boom boom of insanity merely reflects the state of confusion in the mind of the global child. Music, like T.V., is strongly controlled by the ruling elite.

They have, for the most part, used music as a way to keep the youth unbalanced. What does a constant rush of boom boom mean to you? Does it not feel like combat, marching to war. The heart quickened, the step quickened, expectation of doom heightened.

When we fear, the heart quickens, beating louder and faster, it shouts warning. The power elite understand the cadences of fear well. They saturate our world with fear biased expressions cascading down on the serenity of mankind. Is this by accident? I think not.

The quick paced beat of the bass is deliberately faster than the beat of the heart, this creates a subtle misstep with unity.

Perceptive people, like you and your daughter, can identify the realignment of energy when the music you hear speaks truth and unity to your hearts. Sadly, most of the peoples of the world now dwell in cities. It has become the norm to accept noise pollution. We are loosing the appreciation of the finest part of life, merely due to the fact we fail to insist on it's presence.

When I was younger I crossed the Sahara desert alone on a bicycle. The sound of silence was spectacular. Days on end with nary a soul, a peep or whisper. Just golden silence, so clear you could almost hear the beating of your heart.

Next to silence, I guess my favorite sounds are from nature and Gaia. The wind, sea, leaves rustling, birds chirping.

I feel one of the lost arts is the ability to use silence in conversation. People tend to rush through life. As a result their language becomes adulterated in much the same manner. We are taught by media and society that time is valuable. This reflects itself in our desire to cram as many sound and action bytes into each moment as is possible.

Try slowing down your conversation. Take short pauses to emphasize your speech. See how people react to such changes.

The vehicle of meditative silence is the easiest and surest way to discovering the GodSelf within.

How do we recapture this lost wisdom? There are many ways, a walk in the forest is one of my favorite. However in this busy life it is often difficult to coordinate a daily walk. So if I may be so bold as to issue a challenge to you and your daughter.

1./ Place two cushions on the floor in a quiet room. It is very important there is no invasion of sound.
2./ Turn the lights off in the room and blindfold yourself and your daughter.
3./ Without even a whisper, remain absolutely quiet for 15 minutes.
4./ During this time of silence touch each other. Feel the features of the face, the muscles of the body. Feel the pulse of blood rushing through each others veins. Feel each others beating hearts. Hold each others hands, feel the strength and love you have for each other.
4./ Repeat this exercise for six days. On the seventh day make the session one hour instead of fifteen minutes.

In Lak' esh, my brother, silence is love...

sito saguid said...

as always thank you brother for sharing, i believe that it is not only us, daughter and me, who will benefit from this exercise you're teaching us. in all humility, i found some other souls are already reading these blogs and if they try this they will also benefit...