Guest blog from Soul Sessions Swami, The Gong Guru Matt Omo
Vibration or sound is creation.
“In the beginning was the word, ” said St John.
And now, quantum physics tells us that all matter is ultimately vibration. In essence we are sound.
I believe, well beyond any shadow of a doubt, that in each and every one of us is the vibration of creation is wanting to emerge. There is a soft voice, uttering the inspired song of our soul. It is so close and comforting that we often neglect it like the hum of an old fridge.
The expression of this inspired voice is the most valuable thing we will ever possess. If we allow it to express AND create space for the soul song of others to be heard, we will open a collaboration of humanity like the world has never seen. Yet… our soul songs often get buried under years of conditioning, judgments, fears and insecurities.
They become trapped, never to be sung and subsequently lost with an authentic life that was never truly lived. Why? Because knowing your soul song and then expressing it requires a sensitivity to Self that many people fail to develop due to 21st century busyness, personal fear, or blah-blah fill in the blank of disconnectedness.
As Myra Brooks Welch eloquently writes in the poem, The Touch of the Masters Hand…
The Touch of the Masters Hand.
‘Twas battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
.
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.
“What am I bid, good people,” he cried,
“Who starts the bidding for me?”
“One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?”
“Two dollars, who makes it three?”
“Three dollars once, three dollars twice,
going, going for three,”
But, No, From the room far back a gray bearded man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.
The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said “What now am I bid for this old violin?”
As he held it aloft with its’ bow.
“One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?”
“Two thousand, Who makes it three?”
“Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone”, said he.
The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
“We just don’t understand.”
“What changed its’ worth?”
Swift came the reply,
“The Touch of the Masters Hand.”
“And many a man with life out of tune
All battered and bruised with hardship
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin.
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.
But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters’ Hand.’
The depth of wisdom emerging from this poem can be interpreted in many ways. For me, a committed sound healer, its meaning is profound.
If you consider the violin as our body, the bow as our mind, and the masters’ hand our own heart… then the sweet sounds produced become the voice of the inner self (our soul).
Within this framework of understanding, the poem suggests that it is the power of our true and authentic expression that brings real value into the world. Anything short of this leaves both us personally, as well as those around us feeling flat and underwhelmed.
To continue the metaphor, the crowd then becomes representative of judgment – either the judgment of others or a projection of our own inner judgments.
When the Masters Hand (the heart) takes control of the bow (the mind) then the value (judgement) the crowd places on the item shifts upwards and into a much higher vibration.
To me this poem speaks to the idea that we all have a soul song to sing. It is the most valuable thing we possess. By allowing it to resonate from our hearts, through our mind and body with the skill of a master violinist we in turn make our lives valuable and ultimately inspire the lives of those around us that are privileged to witness it.
After years of working with sound and seeing how it relaxes our bodies, opens our minds, elicits emotions and smashes through blockages that may have been , I know it sound used skillfully, and indeed our voice used intentionally, is not only a catalyst for change, but one of the greatest healing gifts we own.
If we can open our true Self-expression we can embrace a power of creation to release our soul song into the world. Put simply if you open your voice, you open your life. So what value do you place on your true voice out in teh world?
Are you going once, going twice for one dollar or two? Are you playing with the touch of a masters’ hand or sitting silently with a clenched jaw? I’m curious.
The Gong Guru Matt Omo will be interviewed at Soul Sessions this Sunday (tomorrow June 29) at Healing With Sound. He will also be facilitating a powerful direct sound healing experience for the group. Use the promo code SOULSOUND to get $30 off the full price ticket.
More info and tickets here: http://soulsessions.org/free/upcoming.php#post189