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by
Michaela
Glöckler, M. D.
 From
the Foreword
to :
Lullabies
are Love Songs
by
Mary Thienes- Schunemann
Our lives now suffer from
a tremendous lack of rhythm –
a high percentage of people
use drugs in
order to sleep.
The rhythm of day and night,
of sleeping and waking, are
known to play key roles in
establishing the circadian rhythms in human
physiology. These rhythms in our organism occur at regular intervals
within the 24 hour day. Most of our metabolic processes, as well as the
changing concentration of the hormones in our blood,
follow this twenty-four hour rhythm. When these rhythms are in
harmony, we experience balance and peace. When they are not in harmony, we
can feel imbalanced and unwell.
The establishment of the
circadian rhythms is critically important for children. One of the most
important rhythms to establish early in life is that of waking and
sleeping. Many children today experience a great lack of rhythm in their
lives. They often sleep far too little, and their sleep is often not
peaceful. I believe it is important for us to reflect upon the value of
singing before sleeping. Giving children a rhythmic, regular organisation
to their day, then bringing them to the threshold of the night with songs
that carry a lilting rhythm within their melodies, sets the stage for
healthy, peaceful sleep. In addition to the harmonising effect that all
rhythm and singing has on our physiological processes, a softly sung,
love-filled lullaby supports a child emotionally, helping him or her
toward balance and peace.
There is something else
of great importance. Our songs at the end of the day help prepare children
spiritually, so that they can meet – while they sleep - with the world
of the angels and can experience the cosmic harmonies of the stars and
planets. Ancient spiritual traditions and modern spiritual research,
including that by Rudolf Steiner, describe a profound inner relationship,
between the human soul’s encounter with the laws of Earthly music and
the harmonies of the planets and stars in their pathways around the earth.
It is this traditional, centuries-old knowledge that has moved all
cultures to include music as part of their sacred ceremonies and their
daily lives. Many customs have their origins in this awareness, including
such simple practices as singing a grace at the beginning of the day and a
lullaby to prepare for sleep at night.
Music before sleep was
seen as a conscious preparation for bringing the soul into a state of
peace and contemplation. This allowed one to leave the world of the senses
behind, thereby enabling one to meet the divine beings of the spirit
world. Today, as in ancient times, we can sense that when such meetings
occur, we awaken in the morning feeling refreshed and newly encouraged to
meet the reality of physical demands in our daily life.
For Mozart, music was the threshold experience between the visible and the invisible
worlds, between the world of the senses and the world of the divine. He
awoke every morning with new inspirations for his music – he knew it all
came from the spiritual world, from his being with God’s angels during
the night. And when he prepared to sleep, he made himself ready to die and
to “go home.”
There is also a more
scientific component to the laws of music and their relationship to the
stars. Since Kepler’s work ”De
Harmonices Mundi” (The Harmony of the Worlds). much research has
been done on the relationship between musical intervals and tone
frequencies and the interrelationship between rotation time, planetary
orbit and other interactions against the background of the fixed stars
(the Zodiac). It has become increasingly clear that the relationship of
number, proportion and interval that can be applied to planetary
movements, are also reflected in music. Armin Husemann’s book, “Harmony in the Human Body”, further
connects these same fundamental relationships of proportion, number and
interval with human physiology and anatomy. We human beings don’t just
enjoy music, all our physiology, its rhythms and interactions,
follow the laws of music and the laws of the stars and planets!
Sensing this relationship, the poet Novalis arrived at the deep insight
that illness and health can be expressed as problems of music, of
dis-harmony and harmony.
Thus we human beings are
expressions of earthly music and the starry heavens. The immense, yet
intangible energy of the stars and planets actually sounds through us each
time we sing and create music together.
We are, so to speak, sounding, singing stars! This inexorable
connection is part of the great mystery of music and singing, known all
over the earth. Music is the
greatest link between all the cultures of the world and unites human
beings with their divine origins. When we experience beautiful singing and
music it reminds us of our heavenly home!
All rhythm in music–
including the earliest known African dancing and singing - is based on or
copied from human physiology: breath, pulse, and heartbeat with their
various relationships, syncopations and rates. Over the past years,
remarkable research has been done that demonstrates the positive influence
of music, especially the music of Bach and Mozart, upon brain development,
health and intelligence.
The human soul thrives in
the presence of good music. Live, acoustic music has the strongest ability
to stimulate, activate and nourish human beings, in body, soul and spirit.
Harmony and integration within the human soul arises through inner
activity and attention in listening, the sort a child gives to beloved
adults as they sing and speak. This kind of attention and inner activity
can only happen in relationship to ‘live’ music.
Singing is the best form
of illness prevention, the easiest bridge-builder between human beings and
the most wonderful gift adults can give to their children. Singing can
help generations navigate the time and space that separates them, thus
weaving a bridge of love, health and joy around the world. 
Michaela
Glöckler, M. D.
Pediatrician, Dornach, Switzerland
From
the Foreword
to :Lullabies
are Love Songs
by
Mary Thienes- Schunemann
Reprinted
by Expressed Permission of : Mary
Thienes-
Schunemann
 Mary Thienes- Schunemann
has a bachelor's degree in Psychology, a musical instructor for LifeWays
childcare trainings, is a Waldorf Teacher, music educator, singer,
composer, inspired mother and homemaker! She teaches singing workshops
around the country, and gives private music lessons in her home in
southeastern Wisconsin. She is the president of the Rafael Foundation for
New Impulses in Music, and is the director of the women's vocal ensemble
Avalon a cappella. She works out of the principles of the School of
Uncovering the Voice, and has studied singing extensively in Europe and
America since 1989.
Click
on the links to read our articles by
and
about Mary Thienes-Schunemann
Nurturing
the Soul : Sing a Song with Baby
Singing
Children, Happier Children
Sleep,
Children Sleep . . .
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