I awoke from a dream this morning that stayed with me like a guitar string that keeps ringing after you pluck it.
In this dream, I was at some kind of conference, on what looked like a university campus. There were workshops, presentations, big group discussions — people trying to think through social issues and come up with new perspectives.
But to me, it all felt a little too head-centered. Thoughtful, yes — but not very alive. I found myself wishing for something more heart-centered, something that would engage the imagination and body as much as the intellect.
A Gathering on the Lawn
And then it happened. Out on the lawn, a small cluster of people gathered around instruments. No program, no announcement — just an impromptu circle of humming, chanting, and playing simple drone instruments. Wordless syllables, improvisation, a couple of stringed instruments setting a foundation.
I was drawn in immediately. Before I knew it, I was singing along, and others joined in too.
Tuning Beyond the Strings
These troubadours began setting up a larger, curious stringed instrument. They fastened long elastic cords to each end of the instrument, stretched out the other ends, and tied them to a tree and a building. Their bodies, the instrument, and the surrounding environment were all connected in this process.
I commented: ”It looks like a very intense way to tune an instrument.” One of them smiled and said, “Yeah — and then we’re going to tune that, too.”
That’s when it hit me: the whole setup was at least as much about tuning themselves as it was about tuning the strings.
As the music continued and we listened and sang, the resonance drew us into harmony with one another, and the space around seemed quietly touched too.
Ministers of Attunement
The troubadours didn’t hand out flyers. They didn’t announce a program. They simply showed up and offered their attunement.
Some people stayed at the edges. Some wandered in closer. A few of us sang, swayed, and were deeply moved. And everyone received something.
What the Dream Taught Me
When I awoke, I realized the dream had given me a teaching:
… music can be a way of attuning ourselves — drawing us into resonance with one another and with the larger whole we’re part of.
…and some of the most deeply impactful invitations come wordlessly — through the field of resonance we create when we’re willing to listen, sing, and align together.
How I Carry This Into My Work
This is how I approach my own work as a coach and teacher. When I sit with a student, I’m not just trying to “fix” technique or polish a song. I’m listening for resonance — between their voice, their body, their emotions, and the music itself.
Often, the most important work is tuning ourselves and tuning to the field we share, so that expression can flow more naturally. In that sense, every lesson becomes less about performance and more about attunement: with ourselves, with each other, and with the wider music we’re part of.
I hear the same theme echoed in one of my songs, “Music Reminds Us.” It carries a similar thread: that music isn’t just something we create — it’s something that calls us back, helps us remember who we are, and points us toward the harmony beneath everything. The lyrics are adapted from a poem by Rumi, whose words about the inner music have always been a guiding light for me.
Music Reminds Us
(Lyrics)
Chorus
Music reminds us where we’ve come here from
Music is calling us home to the One
Music reminds us where we’ve come here from
Music is calling us all home to the One
Verse 1
Philosophers say these melodies we sing and hear
Have drifted down from the spinning of the Spheres
But mystics who have gone inside,
Whose inner ears are open wide,
They heard the Inner Music loud and clear
That can set the roughest voice in harmony
(Chorus)
Verse 2
When humans first appeared upon the earth
We all were with them from their very birth
We heard with them in Paradise
The Sound resounding through the skies
Though now we’re mired in water and clay,
And long ago lost touch with that melody,
Still its echo faintly rings in our memory
(Chorus)
Verse 3
So mystic music, tuned to the Sound within
Feeds the soul and gathers the scattered wits
It polishes the mirror of the mind
And brings the focus to a single point
The memory returns, the lamp of Truth now burns,
And kindles the fire of Love in the mystic’s heart
(Chorus)
© 2020 Sean Shea Songs
A quiet invitation to end with…
For me, music isn’t just about sound — it’s a path of attunement, a way of bringing us into alignment with our higher self. That’s the essence of what I call Soul-Centering Music Mentoring. If you feel drawn to explore this approach, I’d be glad to connect – drop me a line, or explore my offerings.
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