I am interested in hearing your opinions on Gregorian Chanting and the like. I have always been "mystified" by this stuff whenever I hear it. I seems to touch a deep and ancient place in the soul. I read a little about the history but don't know much. It seems very rooted in tradition and the Roman Catholic church but I don't see anything inherently wrong with it in and of itself (kind of like pulpits, pews, church buildings, and even choirs in general).

Hi todd
your quote: I have always been "mystified" by this stuff whenever I hear it. I seems to touch a deep and ancient place in the soul.

Mystics have always found that music and particularly rhythms are very conducive to meditation of the transcendental kind. This crosses all 'religions' so that Islamic Sufis, Jewish kabbalists, buddhist, hindu, catholic, new agers, all 'tune in' to certain kinds of sounds. My conviction is that they are really all coming from the same 'spirit'.

Gregorian chants, which I think is still the official liturgical format for the RCs, has a haunting, unearthly quality. It is seductive and I would counsel caution.

Some years ago I was listening to a piece of music and really 'got into in'. It was very powerful. I remember thinking I can go with this to places I have never been before. At the same time I had a strong sense of warning which I still believe to have been from the Lord. I will not allow any music to take me anywhere. Passivity is a killer in spiritual things.

See how well Gregorian chants work in the supermarket or out in the hills. If it needs gloom, candles and atmosphere it shows where it belongs.

Phew. that's come out stronger than I expected but I will leave it anyway.

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Ron Bailey