THE NEY AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING AND INTERIOR GROWTH
The ney is considered by the Sufis as the voice of the soul, the divine creative breath, and I do not believe they are wrong; when this instrument is played, very special states of consciousness are experienced due to the interaction of the breath and the vibration manifested through the flute, from which the most beautiful and evocative sound issues, on occasions more similar to the singing voice than that of a flute. Many are its symbols and attributes, but the clearest one for me is its similarity to the lotus flower, in that both (cane and lotus) are symbols of humility, as they are both born in mud but grow in search of the light, striving to reach the heavens.
The Sufis consider it the symbol of the perfect human being who, empty of ego, offers no resistance to the divine breath, thus becoming a channel for the divine.
With this in mind one can say the work of learning to play the ney does not merely consist in acquiring a simple musical and instrumental technique, but also implies working on the internal aspect of the player, as ultimately the musician is the ney, and thus becomes the true instrument of the Supreme Artist.
In Sufism, it is used as a ritual instrument with which SEMA (whirling dervish) ceremonies are initiated, and in fact is an invocation of the divine presence, a prayer in sound and music, beyond words, using the language of the heart, sending a message to the soul that brings about an interior transformation and a call to unity, to reunion.
This is why the ney is an important instrument in SUFI HEALING MUSIC, an age-old technique developed by the shamans of Central Asia and later used to great success in the hospitals of Al-Andalus and the Ottoman Empire as a way of balancing the body, emotions and spirit.
Many are the secrets held within the ney, and in this workshop I will help you to discover them.
To this end we will carry out a series of exercises by means of which we connect with our interior being and which help us to unfold our latent abilities through becoming sensitive to energy, through creative visualisation, energetic movement, breathing, voice work and improvisation, Sufi mantras and other experiences which will aid us in opening the heart. All this will make us understand the true meaning of this instrument of interior transformation and alchemy which is the ney, for it is not only a musical instrument, but much more...
In this workshop we will become familiar with the ney and there will also be a session of SUFI HEALING MUSIC (Oriental and Al-Andalus Music Therapy) for the participants with live music, in which one can experience the healing capacity of this instrument, which for me has been the doorway of entry to this ancient Sufi technique used in times of old in the hospitals of Al-Andalus and the Middle East.
Definitively, this workshop is intended as an initiation, on many levels, for those who wish to enter the world of the ney and Oriental Music Therapy and who are interested in carrying out work for interior growth and transformation, in addition to those who wish to begin the study of Turkish music and continue with the teachings of Oriental Music Therapy.
For this initiation workshop in the ney as an instrument of healing and internal alchemy, no prior knowledge of music is necessary, only an openness to experiencing and sharing.
SONG OF THE REED
Listen to the song of the reed:
How it laments the pain of separation:
"Ever since I was cut from my reedbed,
my plaintive notes make men and women weep.
I seek out those whose hearts are torn by separation,
for only they understand the pain of this longing.
Long for the day of return whoever is separated from their homeland.
In chorus with those who rejoice or grieve I launch the same lament.
Each one hears it according to his own understanding,
But no one has unravelled the secrets of my inner self.
My secret is found in my lament, but an eye or an ear without light cannot know it...".
From fire and not from the wind comes the sound of the reed.
What is life itself worth without this fire?
It is the fire of love that gives music to the reed,
It is the ferment of love that gives flavour to the wine
The song of the reed soothes the pain of lost love
And its music lifts the veils of the heart.
Is there more bitter poison or sweeter sugar than the melody of the reed?
If you want to hear it,
You will have to abandon everything when you have once known.br/>
MASNAVI by Rumi