Friday, June 2, 2017

Healing Harps

Healing Harp Road Trip

Music is said to “soothe the savage beast.”  A research study conducted by the University of Arizona, published in 2013 found patients in ICU to report up to a 27% decrease in pain after experiencing spontaneous live harp music.   Other clinical studies show harp music to have measurable therapeutic benefits for reducing stress and anxiety, inducing restful sleep, and helping listeners release physical and emotional suffering.  With this in mind, a few of us took a road trip last night to Willingboro, NJ to experience the healing vibrations of the harp.

Our night began with a story.  Saul would have demons upon him.  When this would occur, he would call for David, the harp player because the music would chase the demons away.  The second story came from the Book of Revelations; 5:8, when the four living creatures and the 24 elders each had a harp….

When Pastor Michael was finished with the readings, he offered a warm welcome to Madeleine Doherty, a woman visiting from Dublin.  She is the first person there to introduce Harps for Healing as a ministry.  She trained in the United States as Ireland has not yet established programs such as the ones here.  Madeleine completed her training which included 105 hours of playing the harp for hospitalized patients and is now certified as a healing harpist.

Next came the music.  Many of the tunes sent shivers through my body.  Madeleine has a beautiful voice as well as magical hands when playing the harp and listening to her was pure joy.  Between ballads she would tell a short story of her trek, such as when she went to play in a village bub where the attendees were a bunch of burly men.  She began to play, with not much response until she sang an old Irish song.  The attendees joined in, pints were clanking, and the audience kept Madeleine there until the wee hours of the night.  Amazing what music can do for you.

The last three songs Madeleine played for us were simply amazing.  “Hymn of Creation” which she wrote, was first.  This song sent waves of happiness through the audience.  Next she played “Peace” which was written with a friend.  As the music continued I saw in my mind a perfect ballerina dancing to the music.  The color vibration was pink and gold.  The last piece was a bit more somber, no words, shades of blues and greens washing over us as she played.

We switched from concert mode to healing mode, and Madeleine walked up and down the middle aisle of St. Luke Lutheran Church, strumming chords that pulled dirt from the chakras, chords that soothed and aligned the multi levels of our human experience, and chords that brought healing to our souls.

We ended with Pastor Michael reciting the Breastplate of St. Patrick, and all attendees offered a blessing for Madeleine Doherty and all her endeavors.  When she returns next year, I will be in the audience. 



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