I am influenced by music. For the past few days I have been listening to classical music and my soul is peaceful. “Reflection” by Vikingur Olafsson has had me contemplating my life and praying to my heavenly father, I don’t know how many times I have listened to that one peace in the past 72 hours. Reflections is a simple non-intrusion arrangement that allows your (my) body to relax and your (my) mind to to free think.
I awakened one night to a piece entitled “20:17”,No, the arrangement does not “guide me into His presence” – it awakens my soul. I must have been worried about something because the piece guided me into my solution, by the time the piece was over I knew everything would be OK. “Reflections”, with artist Olafur Arnalds, Nis Frahm, helps me think. Most nights I go to sleep listening to either the Bible or music, I often awaken to a Bible verse that is enlightening or encouraging, that night it was a musical arrangement.
Music brings to the outside what is in you. I don’t listen to heavy metal or rap, the aggressive nature of the musical arrangements sway my mind to attitudes of aggression and anxiety. Most of today’s music is very provocative it motivates an individual to think and subsequently behave in a particular manner.
How can a person not respond to the noise that influences their soul most of his or her waking hours and possibly their sleep? Television programs are filled with sexual exploits and graphic violence, the lyrics of much of the music leave nothing to the imagination and the various media outlets promote division and hate.
The essence of who we are is found in our souls. Our bodies, the flesh is always in the process of dying. We are created in the image of our Creator, which means we are spirit, our spirit cannot change. Our soul is ever evolving depending on what we are feeding it.
Classical music is not for everyone but much of the music that everyone seems to be listening to should not be for anyone. I have learned to feed my soul that which will bring out the good in me.
Written by Marsha L Floyd (Randolph)