The Harp is a Very Personal Homecoming
They say there are many doors in the heart and soul that lead us home with incredible precision to the raw purity of awareness, presence and connection. One such door is the harp, which is among the oldest musical instruments. It has been part of ancient folk customs for thousands of years and is admired for its soothing, angelic sound and mystical associations. It is also considered a powerful healing tool on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual. The vibration of the strings awakens rivers of sound within the vast universe that exists outside and within man.
When we focus our attention on sound and use our listening skills as a kind of meditative anchor, music flows freely through our body and mind. These streams of receptivity enable us to “return home”, a sacred return to a full presence in which we can tune in to the innate wisdom that resides in our hearts and bodies. The sound of the harp can do all this if we just let it. Based on the laws of quantum physics and the understanding of modern science, we can now say that all things are vibrations or energy. Matter, sound, light, thoughts, emotions, our body and all of the experiences we have can be expressed as vibration or movement. Vibrations travel and oscillate through us, just as sound travels through the ocean. When we hear and feel a particular frequency, the wavelength of that frequency pulsates through the air and our body, causing our cells, tissues and organs to vibrate in unison with that note.
With its broad range and harmonic frequencies, the sound of the harp calms us, puts us in harmony and leads us into deep relaxation and even meditation. Essentially, the harp offers us comfort. Clinical studies have quantified the therapeutic effects of live harp sounds in regulating stress hormones, equalising and slowing brain waves, promoting restful sleep, relieving physical and emotional pain, and facilitating relaxation, thus leading to healing. When the regenerative systems in our body are at rest, they are balanced and whole, and self-healing can then occur at all levels of our being.
Summer is a time when we are a bit calmer. We rest, take a vacation and perhaps enjoy the sea somewhere. The sound of the harp has a beneficial effect on our wellbeing, especially if we listen to a live performance. The Philharmonic often offers us this priceless opportunity. It is good to listen to the harp live in a beautiful hall or, in anticipation of a good concert, we can use a computer or CD to listen to artists who know how to bring out the best from the instrument.
On 12 and 13 October this year, we will have an opportunity to listen to Zvonimir Ciglič’s meditative Harp Concerto at one of the concerts of the Slovenian Philharmonic’s SMS subscription series. The soloist will be the excellent harpist Urška Križnik Zupan, who is a member of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra.
