We all know it. Music can touch and heal the soul. As I experienced during this Peter Gabriel concert, where I was an audience member. What would it be like if you surrounded yourself more often with the kind of music that gives you just that? Without losing touch with reality and your fellow human beings. And what actually happens when you do it?
Everything is energy. We humans too, temporarily encased in a body largely made of water. I once witnessed a lecture by Masaru Emoto, who demonstrated that water molecules become distorted when words like fear, hate, control, power, and war are communicated. And that with words like love, trust, compassion, and peace, the water molecules displayed a magically beautiful geometric pattern.
Certain sound and light frequencies can uplift, cleanse, or comfort our soul. The light of profound lyrics combined with appropriate sounds appears to be the antidote to depression for some, as I myself experienced as a teenager. In short, music can offer support in times when you're feeling down. And it can give you joy which makes life more beautiful.
As a teenager, I was put in front of the speakers in my father’s living room to listen to LPs on the record player, including operas like Arrigoton Boito's Faust: Mefistofele. My father's father, Teng Thoolen, was a renowned tenor in Limburg. My uncle, Gerard Thoolen, was main actor in the film "De Ijssalon" (The Ice Cream Parlor), where Mahler's 4thth Symphony deeply touched me.
Positively affected by my family's soul music and simultaneously a lover of rock music, these two worlds converged for me in what was then called Symphonic Rock in the 1970s. About 40 years later, I was on stage myself, performing the music of bands like YES and the early Genesis with Peter Gabriel. My other passion, besides my work: making music. I’ve had the privilege of experiencing the muse of music a few times, when the music plays you and brings you to supreme ecstasy.
I almost always came back home from rehearsals and performances happy and energized. It's absolutely clear: Music nourishes the soul.
But sometimes you can also permanently lose yourself in it, especially if it becomes an escape from the current reality. There's nothing wrong with that as compensation, but I sometimes see people slip further into their victimhood because of this, constantly feeding that. I experienced this myself as a teenager, when I was depressed for a while, looking back on it now.
Deeply, I could barely connect with my peers at the time, while I was immersed in philosophy, astrology, parapsychology, and tarot in high school. I wanted to understand humanity and felt there was more between heaven and earth. Listening to music and learning to play bass guitar by repeatedly rewinding cassette tapes were among my greatest allies back then. This allowed me to get through the "dark night of the soul." It brought deep support and true healing.
Music can offer you an escape from the current reality, but you can also get so lost in it that losing touch with your fellow human beings, for example, by frequently wearing headphones in social settings. In that case, music actually disconnects you from your fellow human beings. As a contrast look at how André Rieu, moves the hearts and souls of people worldwide with his country-transcendent music, bringing people closer together. It speakes a universal language. It instantly makes the world more beautiful in those moments and often resonates long after those who experienced it. Therefore, let music connect your soul and spirit without losing the connection with the people around you.
“Let music connect your soul and spirit without disconnecting from your fellow human beings”.
Let music be a positive and constructive ally on your soul's journey through life. Here are a few tips to remind you if you're not already using them:
And your world will instantly become a little more beautiful. Enjoy listening! Martin
© 2026: Martin Thoolen
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