Music, I believe, is the key to our soul.

Most people don't think about it, but for a moment, consider how much we are all affected, by music.

Everyone has a favorite song(s) or group of musicians. Most people have wished or wanted to be in a band, or have played an instrument at some point in their lives.

But what is it about music, that causes it to be so entwined with us? Most of us do not even realize, just how significant, music is.

A commercial jingle pops into your thoughts, a spoken word or phrase triggers a song to pass your lips, a friend starts to sing and several others chime in.

They are seemingly, just a collection of melodies and harmonies. How can they possibly have so much power over us.

Imagine watching a movie that had no soundtrack. Would the fight scene seem less dramatic? Would the love scene lose emotion?

Do you imitate a boxer every time you hear "Eye of the Tiger?" Or think of Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore during "Unchained Melody?"

Do you ever listen to the radio in your car? How about at work? Do you own an MP3 player? A surround sound system? How many times have you burned just one song on a cassette or more recently, a compact disc so that you could take it with you?

Do you ever get warm chills from a really good song?

I do..........How can a simple song sway your emotions to the point of a physical reaction? What's the connection?

Vibrations!
Just ask any one of the Beach Boys. They'll tell you........

You heard it playing in your head, didn't 'cha? Good, good, good.......Good Vibrations...
Boy, I sure am dating myself in that last bit. Heheh.....

But you know that, most likely, within the first few hours of this life, someone is singing you a lullaby. And, our first sounds are music to our parents ears....

From hymns in church to the funeral home. Campfire favorites to folk songs. Wedding pro and recessionals to "Happy Birthday," Christmas carols to National anthems. Commercials to concerts...

Music is a daily part of our lives. Some is much welcomed, while others are not so much so. But the advertisers know that if their catchy little jingle attaches itself to your memory, then it may just help sell a hamburger or a bar of soap.

Why do these "songs" become such an extraordinary part of our psyche? Can you think of any other medium that has quite the same effect?

Is our mind so vast, that we are able to cross-reference every memory with a musical tag? And if so, why are these "files" so easily accessible, when we can't remember what we ate for lunch, yesterday?

Perhaps our mind, our "operating system" is based on music?

Some say that if you play classical music to an infant, that they grow up to become smarter than ones who don't. Is this because their "hard-drives" develop a larger capacity? Or, because their file system is established in a better or broader way, so archival access is a much simpler task?

Or is it merely, the fact that, all matter is some form of vibration?

Could, GOD, be defined by something as simple, as a song??? The Conductor of our universal symphony? The most beautiful, precise, pristine, perfect musical arrangement, because He is, every instrument....He is, every musician?

Could God be, the most fundamental part, of Everything?

Perhaps the music IS the message.

This higher form you speak of?

It's called jamming.

The secret is that it's actually more important than any of the daily grind rat race BS.

I've mentioned often in posts that I consider myself to be a sceptic.Not a dismisser or someone that doesn't believe in anything,rather someone who listens and approaches with an open mind,that values critical thinking and makes up my own mind based on a mixture of common sense,reason,experience and gut feeling.

The point I'm trying to make is that personally speaking music effects me emotionally,physically and I hate to say it spiritually.It's not a rational or mental thing,it's not something that I can possibly induce conciously rather music either effects me on a certain level or numerous levels or it doesn't.

It fills me with joy,energy,passion,excitement,can make me reflective,inspiree my imagination and creativity,fill me with sorrow not due to any connection to past events or from evoking a memory but simply from the melody or the harmony.

As I said it isn't a mental process yet it can transport me to places I've never been to,that don't even exist,places I've only visited in my dreams.A simple example being Voodoo Chile by Jimi Hendrix,not the famous Slight Return but the original version (w/o wha wha) from Electric Ladyland,it takes me instantly to a dark and dangerous Louisiana swamp thats sweating trepidation,an atmosphere of intent though I've never been there or anywhere like it.It's the soundscape Jimi creates with his sound,the key,tempo,rhythm,phrasing,the dynamics of his playing that does it,that conjures that scene in my minds eye and punctuates it with the emotion and feeds my senses,the lyrics only accentuate the journey,setting and mood.

Also music,even on the first listen can send rushes through my body,chills up my spine,give me that physical feeling in my stomach of anticipation and expectation or simply huge,giant butterflies or even that electric,tingling excitement of my skin,it
's incredibly visceral.

For instance,the energy,exuberance and joy that I feel when I listen to AC/DC because of the energy,the air of enjoyment that imbibes their music will always make me feel good,happy,enthusiastic (in fact as long as it makes me feel that way I know however bad it's got or may become then things will be ok,thats held true for 27 years and will be always).Metallica just fills me with rampant energy as if I'd taken a heap of speed

As a child maybe from age 5 to 8 I dreaded singing carols simply because Away in a Manger would make me so emotional I couldnt help but cry my eyes out.After age 8 it still effected me but I could control it.lol.It wasn't the words,with me the words and lyrics to a song can amuse me,i can admire,relate,marvel at the poetry,the erruditon or the blantant truth imd them but that is more on the mental appreciation side not the emotional side.It 's 99.99% the music that matters to me,the words are secondary.

i.e the most amazing,meaningful lyrics won't turn me on to a song if the music doesn't work for me wheras if the music works then the lyrics could be ignorant,offensive even completely purile and I'd love it.Though good lyrics can enhance the music.Ramble On and Battle for Evermore by Zeppelin take me to Middle Earth,to a landscape of magic,mysticism and even conjure signs and symbols in my minds eye

Sorry for the massive,rambling reply.Particularly as it probably seems like I've totally ignored your OP just to talk about myself but I'm trying to explain exactly how essential and as fundamental music is to me,it's as necessary to me as oxygen or water,without it life wouldn't matter much and that goes for playing music,the guitar every bit as much.

I've been playing 25 years,everything and I mean everything (apart from maybe modifying cars,my other passion) was put aside n played 2nd fiddle to living,breathing and becoming the best guitarist I could for the first 15.It was worth it as I've reached a level I couldnt even comprehend at the start.I wanted to be a rock star,it was all,everything but I learnt the last 10 years that jamming,just making music is all that counts doesnt matter if I'm paid or whether 0,3 or 500 people listen.

I fully understand the altered state of conciousness you talk of when creating and playing music.When I get together with other musicians,when we just jam,let it go where it goes it's like time,space and reality have gone elsewhere.

That to me is spiritual.God and religion are meaningless just words.It's because of music I believe I have a soul,music taps directly into something within me unlike anything else.That's my soul.

As for there being a secret message in music I don't actually believe theres an orchestrated or organised message within modern music as a whole though particular artists do try to communicate their ideas and message,a subtext that may not be obvious unless you look beyond face value.

I read a number of articles on an anti Illuminati website that said 99% of music was out to beguile and subvert,that most artists actively accepted their role as part of satan's masterplan as the price of success.Some though were absolutely commited and dedicated to satan's goal,none more so than my all time favourites Zeppelin.If true,if their musics from hell then that's where I wanna go

Some bands lyrics do what it says on the tin,some try to pretend their ambiguity is real insight if you are intelligent enough to see it,others come from the poetry and the storytellers art,while there will be artists who hide their message for those who are able to decypher it.

I just think compared to the direct and unconcious way music moves the human soul hiding a secret message in their lyrics is clunky,artificial and ineffective although I've no doubt there's many that do.

Put yourself,let your heart and soul inspire and live in your music and your message won't miss but connect unconciously.Hide it,make it secretive means only really the like minded will get it n they probably already know anyway

If there is a secret message in music it'll probably be encrypted inside the file using similar stenography techniques to hide text in images.

Skinny Puppy was brilliant. Ogre cared a lot about the things that bothered him in the world, and his passion about subjects such as animal experimentation, the environment, oil spills, etc. has A LOT to do with myself "waking up" and learning to care about the world around me.

Look into yourself