Music — Are you tuned in to what your music is doing to you?

Water crystals under the influence of classical music form beautiful, delicate patterns, while those of water influenced by heavy metal music form discolored, misshapen masses.

by Sheevaun Moran — 

I was in a nice boutique the other day and noticed a song playing in the background that basically said, “My girlfriend is a jerk,” repeatedly. The next verse was something to the effect of, “I love my girlfriend and I am going to stay with her forever.” This was not even a country song; it was current pop music.

Are those lyrics sending mixed messages, or what? Stay in a relationship where someone treats you badly; love the person you do not like. That is confusing. With so many of us receiving a steady diet of this ill logic, is it any wonder we are so confused about relationships?

Many of us are becoming conscientious about our lives and our health; more and more of us are beginning to say no to television. But what about our music?

We really should pay attention to what we are listening to, as it can definitely affect our moods, for the better — or the worse. I’m not saying music creates a bad mood, because why would we consciously listen to something that puts us in a bad mood? However, song lyrics definitely play on our subconscious, primarily through their repetition.

Remember a time when you could not get a song out of your mind? Well, those songs become planted in our subconscious and grow, particularly when we are feeling low.

Recently, one of my students asked if the music she listens to was going to affect her. She asked this out of the blue, after an offhanded discussion about the effect things we hear have on our bodies, thoughts, emotions, feelings, etc. I asked her what she listened to and she sheepishly said “country western.” The entire class simultaneously sighed, “Uh oh.”

Country music can be depressing. It often describes lost loves, drinking and other less-than-positive behaviors. Imagine what those kinds of words and thoughts will do, over prolonged periods of time, for someone who already has a tendency to be negative. This music can increase their existing negative perceptions. Any music whose lyrics speak about lost love, hating someone or getting revenge impact us on the subconscious level.

A pregnant mother who wants a calm child spends time listening to calm music and trying to maintain a peaceful space. Why not carry this idea into our adult lives?

Masaru Emoto, author of The Hidden Messages in Water, has visually contrasted how classical and hard rock music affect water. Water crystals under the influence of classical music form beautiful, delicate patterns, while those of water influenced by heavy metal music form discolored, misshapen masses. The book The Secret Life of Plants documents evidence that a group of rats exposed to rock music began killing each other.

I recommend to my meditation class that they turn off the music while they are driving for one week. They generally report they are more relaxed and will continue to leave the music off while they drive.

Think about shifting your energy — listen to classical or more happy, fun, relaxing music and see what happens to your life and your body.

Sheevaun Moran is an energy healing practitioner and teacher in the Phoenix area. www.EnergeticSolutions.net.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 24, Number 4, August/September 2005.