SING WITH JOY
CELEBRATE WITH TIMBRAL – and harp, lyre and cymbals. For God is still working in the world, teaching love and mercy to all who are open to it. Music is an important gift, a tool that helps to feed our souls. It engages both sides of the brain, as few other things do. Music can be just noise in the background or a beautiful experience to transport us away from the frustrations we all face. Music can express our feelings for us, especially if we are having trouble doing that otherwise. We can use music for healing. From the beginning, this is a very important way that we have used melody and rhythm. When we let our body, mind and heart work instinctively, we choose music that helps our bodies do what is needed at the time. It can calm us when we are upset, and express joy when we want to be thankful. Add dance to that to get our whole being involved in our expressions. Throughout the Bible are countless examples of people using dance and music. In 2 Samuel 6, we hear this – “5 David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.”
Just as we feed our bodies several times a day, we also need to feed our hearts and souls. We call these spiritual practices and they are food for our inner selves. Whatever feeds us in this way is a spiritual practice. The ones I am most fond of are those that do not require us to use anything except what we already are given. Prayer is the one that I use the most. Getting outside to see creation, including other people, is an important one when we are isolated much of the time. The variety is endless. We only need to open ourselves and let the Holy Spirit guide our imagination, in order to find a practice that will fill our heart and soul at any given time.
The timbral is mentioned in the Bible. It is a flat drum used my countless cultures across the world and from ancient times until today. I have one that is 22” across and evokes a deep earthy sound, similar to a heartbeat. Then I discovered a similar instrument that is with me all the time – my body. It is a deeply satisfying experience to drum on our bodies. The chest is particularly resonant to use. Many of us may have used this without thinking about it. It is a wonderful way to calm ourselves. It is also a wonderful way to center and focus. For that reason, it helps to use it at the beginning of meditation. It may especially be effective when we are having trouble beginning our meditation. Start by placing our hand over our heart and let everything else go, except the beat of our heart. Then let one hand move to a part of the body that also needs touch. We will be guided by the spirit within. Continue to move your hand, or change hands, as our body shows us its need. Our drumming rhythm can be soft or dramatic. Tune in to the needs of our body. With practice, we can be led to help our body heal itself, as it has been designed to do. O loving Spirit, we are grateful for the work you do within us. Teach us to patiently learn how to help our body, mind, heart and soul heal and grow into what we are called to be. Through our spiritual practices, may we be instruments of love and mercy within ourselves and to the world around us. Amen. PEACE