"Music arouses the sluggish soul to watchfulness. It has power to soften even hard hearts, and by rendering hearts moist it ushers in the Holy Spirit. Through the power of hearing, God opens to human beings all the glorious sounds of the hidden mysteries and of the choirs of angels by whom God is praised over and over again."
-Hildegard of Bingen 1098-1179
"I am not satisfied with him who despises music, as all fanatics do; for music is an endowment and a gift of God, not a gift of men . . . I place music next to theology and give it the highest praise."
-Martin Luther 1483-1586
I am having trouble coming up with the right words at the moment for the things stirring in me, so as I sit here listening to my newest online discovery (yes, I am woefully behind the times!) I offer these songs to you that are meaningful and highly evocative to me for a variety of reasons (and yes, a little heavy on the Sarah McLachlan — but what can I say, she has the voice of an angel). Feel free to skip over any that don't speak to you and leave a note in the comments with any recommendations you have, or even a link to your very own Playlist. :-)
I am going to sit and listen for a while, allowing my heart to soften and open myself to the "glorious sounds of the hidden mysteries" that beat through our very blood. We are born into the rhythms of the universe and sometimes we are well-advised to reclaim them again.
-Christine Valters Paintner @ Abbey of the Arts