Hazrat Inayat Khan
The Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan wrote “Before its incarnation the soul is sound. It is for this reason that we love sound.” (From his book The Mysticism Of Sound And Music). According to Sufi teachings, our earthly music gives a taste of the grand harmony of the whole universe. Regarded as a pioneer in bringing Sufism to the West, Hazrat Inayat Khan taught that one must put oneself in harmony with oneself, others and the universe. He said “I have found in every word a certain musical value, a melody in every thought, a harmony in every feeling”. Some of us might have less poetic ways of describing these very same phenomena, referring to ‘the melody of every thought’ simply as ‘brain-waves’. But the philosophy and importance of making oneself at ease still holds just as true. Since there is both music within ourselves and without ourselves, intentionally using sound, toning, words and mantras is a natural way to achieve such ease.