What do music and energy have in common? For me, music is one of the quickest ways to shift my vibration. I don’t know about you but I like to start my day out with something upbeat, happy, and positive to put me in a great mood! If I were to start my morning out with a slow and sappy song it could possibly affect my day as a whole. Whether it be on an individual level or as a collective, music has the ability to affect our mood and the energy around us.
Growing up, music was a part of me and not just a part of my life.
As a teenager sometimes my only escape was putting on a good song to drown out the world around me. I would go to my room, slam the door, and put on some angry-screamo music. Not only was that a great outlet for my frustrations but in those moments I felt a connection to someone outside of myself…the artist.
Back then, I felt music deep within my core…on a soul level. I would feel the drums deep inside my chest, I felt the guitar running through my veins, and the lyrics went straight to my heart. At times, songs felt like they were made just for me. I couldn’t yell and scream like I wanted too (because how inappropriate) but I could listen to someone else do it!
I’m not sure I will ever be able to fully articulate it but I didn’t just listen to music. I saw it, I tasted it, I heard it, and I felt it.
Music is meant to connect us.
When I think of music and energy I not only think of how it can shift our vibrations but also how it has the ability to unite us. Multiple times a week you could find 15-year-old me at a show completely in my element. I felt connected to those around me without ever having to say a word to them.
I would dance the night away, hook arms, and spin in circles with people I never met. Back then, in those moments the only thing that mattered was feeling the music. We were unified simply by listening to and feeling the drums, bass, guitar, and vocals all seemingly put together just for us.
I admit, that back then the music I listened too wasn’t very positive. Now, I realize it was also a reflection of my vibration. Older now and a lot less angry, when I try to listen to the same music I once loved it’s hard for me. I still feel it, I still get excited, but it quickly takes me back to who I used to be and what I used to feel. I can literally feel a tug o’ war within my being as the vibration of the music tries to bring down the vibration I live in now.
Music easily affects our mood, our energy, and even our culture.
Song lyrics can be so telling and so informational. We can listen to a few songs from any given time period and tell so much about the attitude and consciousness of the era. Historians often use music as a tool in their research for this very purpose!
The 60’s were a time of self-reflection, drugs, and rebelling against “the man.” This is easily reflected in songs like Blowin’ In The Wind by Bob Dylan.
In the 70’s the economy fell and people needed an escape. Dancing has always been a great way to lift the spirit’s and so disco was born! Hello, Bee Gee’s!
The 80’s were a time for youth rebellion, the introduction of non-traditional instruments, and big hair. The kids of the generation were speaking out against their parents, rocking, rolling, and partying all night. My mom raised me on Motley Crew and my aunt introduced me to LL Cool J. Needless to say I was a very well-rounded child.
Each generation and each genre have their own anthems. These songs take us to a certain point in time and let us reflect upon life as we knew it back then. The anthems of our generations speak a language to us that only we can fully understand.
These anthems are usually produced by the “kings and queens” of that time frame. Big stars easily set the tone for the energy and attitude of their audience. Elvis with his hips, the Beatles with their introduction of psychedelic music into the mainstream, and Brittany with her midriff. Across the decades is it easy to see what was going on and when times were changing. Artists used their songs as tools and spoke in metaphors to get their points across.
Some might argue that today’s mainstream music is much like latin…a dying language.
Lyrical language used to be spoken in symbolism and now it seems to be so direct. What is played for us on the radio often sounds generic, recycled, and dare I say it? Even lazy. To clarify, I am not calling the artists lazy; I know they work very hard. Lazy is used in reference to the 4 recycled songs I have heard in the past year. These songs use old beats and instrumentals in collaboration with their own new and very direct lyrics.
Are we so busy and rushed that we no longer have the time to create something genuine and from the heart? Music isn’t felt on a soul level by everyone and that is ok. The fact is, however, that music is hard to run away from. If we’re going to hear the same mainstream songs over and over…shouldn’t they carry some kind of meaningful message?
It just doesn’t seem that mainstream artists have the emotional connection to their own music like they used too. Is that because of our own automation and disconnection from each other?
Music can be so powerful and has the ability to send messages to the masses while simultaneously creating unity.
Our generation is innovative and searches for the quickest most efficient ways to get our tasks done. Sometimes that means quantity over quality and energetically speaking it is being reflected in much of the music we hear today.
Simply put, we are more shut off from each other than ever before and this is being reflected in popular songs. We have an abundance of songs about sex addiction with no emotional attachment, cell phones, and social media. It’s rare to hear a mainstream pop-culture song without the mention of social disconnection in some way.
During such a chaotic time in our living history shouldn’t our music reflect more of what is actually going on in the world like past generations have? Couldn’t music be a way for us to stand united again?
I invite you to take a look at the music being played for you today and the music that has been played throughout the generations. Do you see the connection within each generation, including our own? Music is very much a part of daily life both emotionally and energetically speaking. Why not use it to our advantage again like so many of the greats?
I leave you with this, a song that has been an “anthem” for me the past few years. Frank Turner’s song Photosynthesis. This song is about being your own person, doing what makes you happy, and not conforming to everyone else’s ideas of who and what you have to be. I invite you to check it out!