Let Your Soul’s Music Play
“When you are hollow, your Soul’s music comes through you.”
Opportunities may arise in the most unlikely of circumstances. - Cosimo De’ Medici
Men are God’s creation. Whatever we achieve is God’s glory. - Cosimo De’ Medici
With all of the time spent on social media these days, I have seen a number of my friends on Facebook post this quote: “If you don’t come out of this quarantine with a new skill, a new side hustle, a new knowledge, you never lacked time, you lacked discipline.” Ironically, even before I read it, I was already there and can honestly say, I’ve been putting my time to good use, emptying my mind by setting my objections aside in order to become hollow so that I could learn a new skill … producing and editing content for my website and YouTube channel. My time is now spent cultivating my inner artist and nurturing my creativity.
After are recent phone call with an old friend, I had described the present moment as an opportunity to celebrate a personal Renaissance (if you will). When I was in high school, I loved my Art History class and spent hours reading about the Greats. I was inspired by the story of Michelangelo and the patronage of the Medici family.
Now if you are wondering about the history of the Renaissance read on as quoted by the Encyclopedia Britannica … “Renaissance, (French: “Rebirth”) period in European civilization immediately following the Middle Ages and conventionally held to have been characterized by a surge of interest in Classical scholarship and values. The Renaissance also witnessed the discovery and exploration of new continents, the substitution of the Copernican for the Ptolemaic system of astronomy, the decline of the feudal system and the growth of commerce, and the invention or application of such potentially powerful innovations as paper, printing, the mariner’s compass, and gunpowder. To the scholars and thinkers of the day, however, it was primarily a time of the revival of Classical learning and wisdom after a long period of cultural decline and stagnation.”
The Medici Family sponsored the artist we simply know as Michelangelo. But what most people don’t know is that when Michelangelo went to carve the David, he took his hammer and chisels and approached the marble, not with the intention of carving this beautiful man. Michelangelo allowed the marble to whisper to him and his tool are what breathed life into the David. That story continues to inspire me. There is magic in the mystery of creativity, whether you paint, cook, inspire people through your words … every time you give life to something, you tap into the greater good that lies within.
So I ponder, if a Renaissance was possible in the 14th century, and we know history has the ability to repeat itself, why can’t we see the potential that not only lies ahead of us but within us? However, in order to see the potential, cultivate new skills, new interests, new habits, we must practice being “hollow” so that the creative lifeforce can flow through us and manifest right before our eyes!
The question then becomes “how do I become hollow" when there is so much going on in the world that stirs my mind and throws up objection after objection? Becoming hollow can be obtained through meditation (yes, there is that word again), through focus on not really emptying the mind of the endless chatter, but letting the thoughts literally pass in one ear and out the other. I don't "think" we can ever really stop "thinking", it's our constant roommate talking to us however when we focus on being empty and hollow we discover a deep well of silence, and we put the roommate on mute.
It is in that stillness, that silent awakening, just before the first breath of the morning, that we experience being hollow or empty. It's a period of transition from sleep, to twilight, to awareness. Laying there suspended, before we identify something as needing to matter (the kids need to be fed, coffee needs to be brewed, emails need to be answered). When no “thing” matters, we are empty, light and hollow. It's in that hollowness that our "music" comes through. It's in the moments right before the dawn when we have the opportunity to channel the truth of who we are and what we are born to do.
For me those moments have a tendency to show up in the shower. I don't know exactly what it is about with the running water but over the years I have come to learn that while I go to the shower to become “clean”, if I let go of my "to do list" and just enjoy the warm water and the scent of the rose soap, the sun shining through the window ... it's in the presence that the gift of the music begins to sing through my Soul. Messages drop in from the "ethers" and what was at one time vague, all of a sudden becomes crystal clear.
Find that quiet time. Close your eyes and quiet your mind. Let go of all thoughts, worries and tension. Take a deep breath in and let go with a sigh. Feel your body relax ... and in that relaxation, give your Soul the opportunity to sing, to dance, to cook, to paint, to LIVE and to make beautiful music. “If you don’t come out of this quarantine with a new skill, a new side hustle, a new knowledge, you never lacked time, you lacked discipline.” Find your discipline and create your own personal Renaissance.