Knowledge
Why the Effect Can Be Different Each Time
On all texts in the Knowledge area: I write here from my own work and perspective.
You listen to a piece for the third time, and it does something completely different from the first time. This is no coincidence and no shortcoming. It is part of it.
The sober half of the answer
Part of it is simply how you are that day. Whether you are tired or have had coffee, whether you have trouble on your mind or are free of it, makes a difference. Sometimes you drift off immediately, sometimes you feel fully present the whole time. More on this under Optimal Application.
Added to this is familiarity. The first time you listen, your mind is still occupied with the music itself and sorting sounds. Later, it knows them and lets go. This is why a piece that barely touched you the first time can do something completely different the fourth time.
The other half
But that does not explain it, and I do not want to stop at the convenient half here.
In my spiritual model, each piece develops a morphic field while it is being composed, which I experience at the same time as a consciousness field. I therefore interpret listening not as a one-way street from the piece to you, but as an interaction between this assumed field and you. Such a field of pieces of music has not been scientifically demonstrated.
By interaction, I mean my observation that the experience depends on who is listening at the time: on their state, attention, expectation and what a person needs at the moment. The field is my spiritual explanation for this; how you are that day and familiarity are also important influences.
This is also the reason why I cannot promise you what a particular piece triggers in you. I can say what it is geared towards and with what intention I wrote it, but what you take away from it is decided between you and the field. What I mean by field is explained under The Field of a Sound Journey.
What this means in practice
- Do not expect the same experience the second time you listen as the first.
- If a piece appeals to you, stay with it for a while. Familiarity can change your experience, but a steady increase in effect is not guaranteed.
- If you perceive nothing special, that too is a possible result. No unnoticed effect can be inferred from this.
- Direct your intention while listening towards the field of this piece, if you like. It is not necessary.
Three ways it feels
Sometimes you sink into a dream-like state of falling asleep, sometimes you fall asleep, and sometimes you notice no particular change. All three experiences are possible; without measurement or systematic questioning, no hidden effect can be inferred from this.
You do not have to share my spiritual explanation. What matters is what you actually perceive and whether the music does you good in your situation.