After all, what are these letters you are reading but a series of ones and zeros, patterns of presence (1) and absence (0)? Isn't that what rhythm is? Beat (1) and interval (0). I recently read Contact by Carl Sagan, and found it interesting that the superintelligent alien culture in the book had discovered that the secrets of the universe lay within the infinite numbers of pi, in the patterns of numbers embedded within the equation. The rhythms of the code. Science fiction may not provide the best example, however, so I checked out Mickey Hart's web site to see what he had to say about the idea. Here's an excerpt from his 1999 testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging:
Everything that exists in time has a rhythm and a pattern. Our bodies are
multi-dimensional rhythm machines with everything pulsing in synchrony, from
the digesting activity of our intestines to the firing of neurons in the brain.
Within the body the main beat is laid down by the cardiovascular system, the
heart and the lungs. The heart beats between sixty and eighty times per minute
and the lungs fill and empty at about a quarter of that speed, all of which occurs
at an unconscious level. As we age, however, these rhythms can fall out of
synch. And then, suddenly, there is no more important or crucial issue than
regaining that lost rhythm.
What is true for our own bodies is true almost everywhere we look. We are embedded within a rhythmical universe. Everywhere we see rhythm, patterns moving through time. It is there in the cycles of the seasons, in the migration of the birds and animals, in the fruiting and withering of plants, and in the birth, maturation and death of ourselves. Rhythm is at the very center of our lives. By acknowledging this fact and acting on it, our potential for preventing illness and maintaining mental, physical and spiritual well-being is far greater.
As a species, we love to play with rhythm. We deal with it every second of our lives, right to the end. When the rhythms stop, so do we. And this is where music becomes important. According to the late ethnomusicologist John Blacking, music is a mirror that reflects a culture's deepest social and biological rhythms. It is an externalization of the pulses that remain hidden beneath the busy-ness of daily life. Blacking believed that a large part of music's power and pleasure comes from it's ability to reconnect us with the deeper rhythms that we are not conscious of. And it is the connection with these rhythms that gives music the power to heal.
Not too flaky, considering it's coming from the former drummer of The Grateful Dead. There's a lot more here to think about, too. Cycles, revolutions, habits, all of these functions and behaviors are patterns, rhythms played through the music of life. The drum circle starts at my house at 7:00. No patchouli or birkenstocks allowed. Meanwhile, here's some tasty bits.
