Adrian Freedman’s journey of transformation through music
I’ve been thinking about sound a lot lately – how it has always been with me, in one form or another, guiding me through life, shaping my experiences, and revealing deeper layers of truth. Music, I’ve come to recognise, is far more than just an art form. It’s a thread that connects us to something greater, to the mystery of existence itself. It’s an invitation to enter a space where we can heal, reflect, and discover more about who we truly are.
My journey with music has led me to some unexpected places, both geographically and spiritually. I’d like to share some of those moments with you, in the hopes that they might inspire or resonate with your own journey.
The Call of the Shakuhachi
It all started when I was in my mid-twenties. I was drawn to the shakuhachi – the Japanese bamboo flute. There was something about its sound, so simple yet so profound, that spoke to me deeply. It didn’t feel like a foreign instrument; it felt like an old friend, waiting to be rediscovered. So, I found myself in Kyoto, studying under the guidance of a shakuhachi master.
What began as a quest for musical mastery quickly turned into something much deeper. The hours spent alone, sitting cross-legged on a cushion, playing long, breath-driven notes, became a meditation in itself. I wasn’t just learning how to play a piece of music; I was learning to be present with the silence between the notes. This is where the true magic of the shakuhachi lies – the silence is just as powerful as the sound. In the quiet spaces, I began to feel a deeper connection with myself and the world around me.
The Zen of Sound
In Zen, there is a concept called Ma, which refers to the space between things. The absence of sound is as important as the sound itself. When I played the shakuhachi, I wasn’t just producing notes; I was also embracing the silence that made those notes meaningful. Every note, every breath, was an invitation to sit with what was unspoken – the stillness of the present moment.
My interest in Zen took a sharp turn when I discovered Osho’s writings. In particular, his book And The Flowers Showered deeply resonated with me. Osho’s interpretation of Zen illuminated the teachings in a way that felt both fresh and penetrating. It revealed the heart of Zen not as an escape from the world, but as a way of being fully present in it. He emphasised embracing both the beauty and the suffering of life, seeing the fleeting and the eternal as interconnected. This shift in perspective profoundly impacted my understanding of Zen and enriched my practice with a new sense of clarity. I began to see that music, like Zen, isn’t something we impose on life; it’s something we allow to flow through us, guiding us back to the essence of who we are.
From Zen to the Amazon: A New Sound
My journey took an unexpected turn when I met some Brazilian singers from a spiritual community in the Amazon rainforest. They shared with me simple, sacred songs connected to plant spirit medicine traditions. These songs were raw and unpolished, yet they carried an immense power. I was struck by how these Amazonian traditions, rooted in the heart of nature, felt deeply aligned with the meditative practices I had learned through Zen.
It was as though these two worlds – the stillness of the Japanese mountains and the vibrancy of the Amazon rainforest – spoke the same language, a language of sound and silence that transcended culture and time. I felt a pull to explore this tradition more deeply, and before long, I found myself in the Amazon, living and learning within a vibrant community where music and ceremony were at the heart of everything.
The Healing Power of Music
In the rainforest, music wasn’t just something to listen to; it was the very pulse of the community. In the ceremonies, the songs flowed through us, connecting everyone in a shared resonance. I was moved by how simple and unadorned the music was, yet it had such a powerful effect. It wasn’t about perfection or technical skill – it was about the energy of the moment, the shared presence that united us all.
One night, as I sat listening to the healing songs, I had an epiphany: all music, whether it’s a symphony by Mahler or a song from the Amazon, flows from the same deep source. It’s the sound of life itself, the creative force of the universe. And I began to feel that I wasn’t so much creating music as I was receiving it, as though the melodies were flowing through me, arising from the same place that all music originates.
This was the beginning of something new. The songs that I started receiving weren’t compositions in the traditional sense. They were gifts, flowing through me in the moment. As I picked up the guitar, I began to learn more of the simple melodies of the Amazon, and from this, new songs began to emerge, songs that felt deeply rooted in both the wisdom of the East and the power of the Amazon.
Music as a Path to Healing and Connection
What I’ve come to recognise is that true healing happens when we open our hearts to the sacredness of life. It’s not about seeking perfection but about being present with what is. The simple act of singing, of playing music, becomes a way of sharing energy, a way of tapping into something greater than ourselves.
Silence and Sound: A Final Reflection
As I continue on this journey, I am constantly reminded of the power of silence. It is in the spaces between the notes, the moments of quiet reflection, that the deepest healing occurs. Music, in its purest form, is not about noise or distraction – it’s about listening. Listening to the sound of our own breath, the beat of our hearts, and the quiet hum of the universe around us.
The music I create today feels like a response to the world we’re living in – a quiet invitation to reconnect with our hearts, to listen more deeply, and to embrace the simple, profound wisdom that resides within us all. In this space, there is no separation between the self and the sound. There is only presence, only vibration, only the music of life itself.
I hope that you too can find moments of stillness, moments where the sound and silence merge, and where the music of the universe speaks directly to your heart.
Images by Xavier Lequarré
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