My Flute Journey
In July, 2002, I happened to be in a store that sold Native American flutes. The owner was there by himself playing one and I knew immediately that the Native American flute could be used as a healing instrument. I purchased a mid-range F# for my first flute, and the rest is history.
While practicing one day I had a vision of a peacock sitting on the end of my flute. I began some research on the Internet relevant to flutes and peacocks and I came across a lot about Krishna playing his flute for the peacocks. I finally came across an explanation of Krishna's flute written by Hazrat Inayat Kahn.
"Krishna is pictured in Hindu symbology with a crown of peacock's feathers, playing the flute. Krishna is the ideal of divine love, the God of love. And the divine love expresses itself by entering into man and filling his whole being. Therefore the flute is the human heart, and a heart which is made hollow will become a flute for the God of love to play upon. When the heart is not empty there is no place for love.
Rumi explains that the pains and sorrows the soul experiences through life are like holes made in a reed flute, and it is by making these holes that a player makes the flute out of a reed. This means that the heart of man is first a reed, and the sufferings and pains it goes through make it a flute, which can then be used by God as the instrument for the music that He constantly wishes to produce. But as every reed is not a flute, so every heart is not His instrument. As the reed can be made into a flute, so the human heart can be turned into an instrument of the God of Love. No earthly instrument can produce that music which the heart produces, raising the mortal soul to immortality.
... It is the music of the heart which can be expressed through the head; it is the knowledge of the head and the love of the heart that together fully express the divine message."
In July, 2002, I happened to be in a store that sold Native American flutes. The owner was there by himself playing one and I knew immediately that the Native American flute could be used as a healing instrument. I purchased a mid-range F# for my first flute, and the rest is history.
While practicing one day I had a vision of a peacock sitting on the end of my flute. I began some research on the Internet relevant to flutes and peacocks and I came across a lot about Krishna playing his flute for the peacocks. I finally came across an explanation of Krishna's flute written by Hazrat Inayat Kahn.
"Krishna is pictured in Hindu symbology with a crown of peacock's feathers, playing the flute. Krishna is the ideal of divine love, the God of love. And the divine love expresses itself by entering into man and filling his whole being. Therefore the flute is the human heart, and a heart which is made hollow will become a flute for the God of love to play upon. When the heart is not empty there is no place for love.
Rumi explains that the pains and sorrows the soul experiences through life are like holes made in a reed flute, and it is by making these holes that a player makes the flute out of a reed. This means that the heart of man is first a reed, and the sufferings and pains it goes through make it a flute, which can then be used by God as the instrument for the music that He constantly wishes to produce. But as every reed is not a flute, so every heart is not His instrument. As the reed can be made into a flute, so the human heart can be turned into an instrument of the God of Love. No earthly instrument can produce that music which the heart produces, raising the mortal soul to immortality.
... It is the music of the heart which can be expressed through the head; it is the knowledge of the head and the love of the heart that together fully express the divine message."
Richard is a classically trained musician who began studying violin at the age of 9, and attended Southeast Missouri State College on a music scholarship. He is a sound healer, a member of the Sound Healers Association and the International Native American Flute Association. He is also a graduate of the MindBodySpirit Professional Training Program offered by the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Washington, DC, and co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality and Healing.
His eclectic experience - Classical, New Age, Ambient, Blues, Jazz, Chinese Modal Music, Tibetan & Sanskrit Chanting, and Native American - makes him a truly versatile and interesting musician. His music has tremendous depth of feeling and the capacity to touch the innermost places of your mind, body and spirit to bring profound release, healing and relaxation.
Through CDBABY.com, Richard's CDs have been purchased in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, the Russian Federation (Moscow), Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.
SoundShaman Radio, Richard's private internet radio station, has listeners in over 30 countries. You can listen to SoundShaman Radio at www.Live365.com/stations/soundshaman
His eclectic experience - Classical, New Age, Ambient, Blues, Jazz, Chinese Modal Music, Tibetan & Sanskrit Chanting, and Native American - makes him a truly versatile and interesting musician. His music has tremendous depth of feeling and the capacity to touch the innermost places of your mind, body and spirit to bring profound release, healing and relaxation.
Through CDBABY.com, Richard's CDs have been purchased in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, the Russian Federation (Moscow), Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.
SoundShaman Radio, Richard's private internet radio station, has listeners in over 30 countries. You can listen to SoundShaman Radio at www.Live365.com/stations/soundshaman
______________________________________________________________
