It’s so many years ago that it almost seems to belong to another lifetime — but when I was really young, I got a job in one of those giant multiplex cinemas, a new and quite impressive phenomenon in Germany back in those days. I remember being introduced to the company’s philosophy and my new work environment, and I found myself one evening sitting in the biggest (not to say hugest) movie theatre, being shown their unique laser show, composed and performed to the song “Music was my first love” by John Miles. In Dolby Surround. This experience shook the whole of me, even though I didn’t have words to explain it to anyone.

The lyrics are ridiculously simple:

“Music was my first love
and it will be my last.
Music of the future
and music of the past.

To live without my music
would be impossible to do.
In this world of troubles,
my music pulls me through.”

The composition that transports them is magnificent.

I was curious about how and why the human soul can be touched so deeply through music, so I dove into exploring it a little and I’ll share it with you, fellow seeker.

The effect of music on the human soul is something people have observed and reflected on for millennia.

Music can evoke emotions directly, bypassing the rational mind. A minor chord can make us feel melancholy, a slow rhythm can evoke peace and calm, while orchestral crescendos, soaring vocal solos and cinematic soundscapes touch the layer of the soul where passion and longing reside. Certain songs or melodies can transport us instantly to a memory, a feeling or a moment in time.

On a more poetic or spiritual level, music is vibration. Our bodies are made of vibrating cells, and certain harmonies or rhythms can resonate with us on a physical and energetic level. Some experiences — grief, awe, longing, ecstasy — are hard to put into words. Music gives form to these feelings, allowing us to feel understood or to explore emotions we didn’t even know we had.

Music often tells stories the soul already knows. A melody can talk to you about longing, grief, love or awakening without a single word. The soul recognizes these stories intuitively. That’s why some pieces seem to be “written for you alone,” even though they are universal.

Rhythms and beats connect us to the body and the primal pulse of life. African drums, flamenco rhythms or tribal percussion can gift us the opportunity to move in sync with the heartbeat of the world.

Many cultures have been using music intentionally for healing — through meditation, ceremony and ritual. Music with repetition, sustained tones or ritualistic patterns often awakens the spiritual aspect of the soul.

When a chord swells or a note lingers in the air, it can awaken something timeless in us, as though we’re touching a place beyond our ordinary sense of self. Some call this transcendence — others returning home.

Therefore, music is one of the simplest, fastest and most touching pathways to connect with your soul and nourish that part of you that usually comes up short in ordinary day-to-day life.

Has there ever been a piece of music that shook you to the core of your being?

That moves you to tears, again and again?

Wasn’t there that one song you felt could only have been written for you?

Or that just seems too otherworldly to belong to this realm at all?

Give your soul a humble gift today. Choose a piece of music that moves you to tears, to goosebumps, to the highest expression of joy or to whatever feeling you sense you need right now.

Turn the volume up generously, and let yourself be truly touched for a few minutes.

Music is definitely something that shouldn’t be missing in your “Soul Medicine” collection. Therefore, I encourage you to start gathering “The Playlist of Your Soul” in your journal. Begin with this one song you chose today. You’ve opened a door… Rest assured that more and more pieces of music will follow naturally.
༘ ⋆ ♬ 🎼 💿 ♪⭒.⭑𓂃

And just imagine that, as time goes by, you meet someone new who’s really interested in getting to know the whole of you. Remember how we recorded tapes for our best friends loooong ago? Even if times have changed, you could still hand them “The Playlist of Your Soul,” and they’ll get to learn something about you without having to say a single word. And isn’t that rare and beautiful?