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Time's Return by Andrew Wood After attending the 2nd Music and The Psyche conference in 1995 I resolved to make a move away from my profession of structural engineering and into sound healing. Intentions are easy, following them takes something akin to great courage, something I found I was surprisingly lacking! The inspiration of MP2 faded and I struggled with the day-to-day stuff. Earning a living remained at the top of the pile, as I suppose it should as I had a young family going through school and then to university. The music and healing never left the back of my mind and at times strong messages came through. The strongest was a vivid dream of a swimming cat being attacked by a snake. I told my partner and then later in the day found a book with a snake on the cover. It was only after the first goose-pimples had faded that I noticed the cat under a blue cloth in front of the rearing cobra— my dream in a picture. The book told of a monk who left his calling to follow a vision and become a healer. Still I ignored the messages. When the invitation to this year’s M&P conference hit the mat (thank you Maxwell for remaining so diligent with the database) I was being sued in the structural engineering consultancy and converting a building to use as an ecological consultancy office—both ventures were dragging their heels and causing considerable stress. Once again the conference was an inspiration, as much from my conversations with the delegates as from the programme of talks and demonstrations. This time I found the courage (or perhaps the desperation) to change and I now have a shop selling pianos and Fair Trade instruments; my first sound-healing workshop this month; and I am looking at the BAST sound therapy course. Of course setting all this up has been a doddle in comparison to the frustrations of trying to maintain my “Station in Life”, as Ruskin put it. The conference and the M&P movement did have its effect. It took 8 years plus needing to reach rock bottom in the day job. I believe that simply attending an event where people gather with intent to heal and to share experience is enough to trigger a life change. The intellectualising of the subject may be fascinating, but it is the love that does the job. After writing this I got an email from an old pal, while I have been agonising he has been quietly getting on with it. I recommend his website www.musicalaccess.com Finally a verse from Rumi, the great Sufi poet: We,
who are parts of Adam, heard with him Sufis associate the spiritual influence of music with the pre-existence of the soul, while listening they hear again the voice of God to which all human souls respond in eternity. (Qur’an VII, 171)
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