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Music and the Soul: A Listener's Guide to Achieving Transcendent Musical Experiences
Have you ever had a Transcendent Musical Experience?Transcendent Musical Experiences (TMEs) are mystical peak experiences whose symptoms can include chills along the spine, joyful tears, and feelings of being deeply moved. They can result in sudden realizations; or in spontaneous, ecstatic insights into one s own life, the universe, and God. They can also produce marvelous inner visions of colors and geometric forms unlike anything seen under normal conditions in physical reality."TMEs appear to be messages from our souls that guide us toward developing a greater awareness of our potentials as human beings in the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual realms," Kurt Leland says.In Music and the Soul, Leland a composer, consciousness researcher, and accomplished psychic shows how you can use music to produce well-being, create uplifting moods, and enhance mystical states of consciousness. His soul-based, step-by-step music appreciation program will teach you how to listen to jazz, rock, and classical music in a focused, meditative way, so that you can achieve Transcendent Musical Experiences of your own.Whether you are an avid listener, performer, or composer, if your goal is to transform your life, then the Transcendent Musical Experiences produced by what Leland calls the "music of the soul" will show you the way.
410 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2004
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April 1, 2026
IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR ACHIEVING ‘TRANSCENDENT’ EXPERIENCES IN MUSIC
Kurt Leland is a national lecturer for the Theosophical Society, as well as a classical musician and composer.
He wrote in the Preface to this 2005 book, “In [this book] I introduce the idea of ‘transcendent musical experiences’ (TMEs), a term I’ve invented to describe the extraordinary emotional, spiritual, or mystical reactions we can sometimes have when composing, performing, or listening to music. TMEs run the gamut from chills along the spine to apparent physical paralysis. They can include sudden realizations about how the music is constructed or what the composer was thinking or experiencing at the time it was written. They can also produce spontaneous and ecstatic insights into life, the universe, or God. Some TMEs induce inner visions of odd colors and geometric forms impossible to duplicate in physical reality, or scenes with the hyperreality of lucid dreams.” (Pg. xi)
He continues, “TMEs appear to be messages from or souls that guide us toward developing a greater awareness of our potentials as human beings in the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual realms. Some TMEs have the power to transform or change the direction of our lives. What brings about TMEs? Are there particular composers, genres, pieces of music, or recordings that are more likely to produce them? What can listeners, composers, and performers do to increase the likelihood of generating TMEs in themselves or an audience?” (Pg. xi)
He goes on, “[This book] attempts to answer these questions. Not only is it a listener’s guide to achieving transcendent musical experiences, but also a handbook on how the soul guides us, through music, to increase our satisfaction and happiness in life, and become more deeply and truly ourselves. My goal has been to develop a vocabulary for discussing music in terms that ANYONE can understand, based on intuitions that we all have about music that moves us, but perhaps have never had the words for---until now.” (Pg. xi)
He clarifies, “My focus is on classical music, because [that is] what I know best. But interviews with friends whose TMEs have been induced by listening to jazz and rock, demonstrate that the phenomenon is not limited to classical music. The techniques and practices for achieving TMEs that I reveal here will work just as well with other genres of music. TMEs seem to be more common than other types of mystical experiences, such as out-of-body experiences or near-death experiences. Nearly everyone I’ve spoken to has had at least one TME.” (Pg. xi)
He adds, “The book closes with an invitation to create a soundtrack for changing your life, using what you’ve learned about the yoga of listening to target any or all of the centers on the continuum of human potential. In healing, developing, and integrating these centers through listening to music, you may achieve not only transcendent musical experiences, but also the more lasting experience of transcendence that they’re meant to lead you toward: the ecstatic sense of union with the soul and God that is the goal of all yoga.” (Pg. xvi)
He explains in the first chapter, “The first category of TMEs, those induced by composing, often involves remarkable feats of writing music of the highest quality in short periods of time. Composers sometimes attribute their extraordinary inspiration during such TMEs to a source outside or beyond themselves, including the divine. Some even feel that they’re taking dictation from this source, as if the music were being channeled through them… Handel is said to have reported that, while working [on ‘The Messiah’], he ‘did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself.” (Pg. 8-9)
He continues, “The second category of TMEs, those induced in performers while performing, may occur in practice or rehearsal sessions, or a concert or recital. The result is often a ‘performance high,’ in which the music seems to play itself. I can remember instances… in college when I was so absorbed in the music that I seemed to be standing outside myself watching myself play.” (Pg. 9)
He goes on, “The third category of TMEs, those induced in listeners while listening to music, occurs in connection with a live or recorded performance, either passively (as in most concert or home-listening environments) or actively (as when one moves along to the music in an exercise class or a dance hall).” (Pg. 11)
He explains, “In the literature on this subject, the chakras are often referred to as psychic centers, and given names that refer to their functions. I expand on this tradition by referring to the chakras as centers, numbered one through eight, while providing each with a name that describes its function… The first center, also called the root chakra, is associated with the soma, or body consciousness… Rhythm arouses our attention and holds it. Thus, when music acts on us through the first center, it does so through arousal. For this reason, I call the first chakra the ‘center of arousal.’” (Pg. 72-73)
“The second center, also called the genital chakra, is associated with… the part of us that takes action in the world… Many of our actions are motivated by desire. For this reason, I call the second chakra the ‘center of desire.’” (Pg. 73)
“The third center, also called the naval chakra, is associated with … the part of us that blocks action… The aspect of music that best represents this process is intensity, a combination of dissonance and volume. For this reason, I call the third chakra the ‘center of intensity.’” (Pg. 73)
“The fourth center, also called the heart chakra, is associated with the … beloved… The aspect of music that best represents this process is melody… For this reason, I call the fourth chakra the ‘center of expression.’” (Pg. 73)
“The fifth center, also called the throat chakra, is associated with the counterpart, or friend… Happy or upbeat music cheers us up by exuding a sense of satisfaction… For this reason, I call the fifth chakra the ‘center of well-being.’” (Pg. 73-74)
“The sixth center, also called the brow chakra, is associated with the part of us that sets the limits for our growth… The aspect of music that best represents this process is form… In traditional yoga, the sixth chakra is called the ‘center of command.’” (Pg. 74)
“The seventh chakra, also called the crown chakra… has to do with memory… Macrorhythm is a way of organizing music into long swells of accumulating and dissipating energy… I call the seventh chakra the ‘center of expanded consciousness.” (Pg. 74)
“The eighth chakra, which I call the transpersonal chakra, is associated with … the soul… Music organized in this way can open us up to a sense of oneness with God or the universe. I call the eighth chakra ‘the center of cosmic consciousness.’” (Pg. 75)
He explains, “a third type of composer … [is] the musical visionary. Such composers extend the expressive and intellectual possibilities of music beyond the development of purely musical ideas into other areas of life, including musical depictions of the real world or fantasy lands, as well as stories, ideas, or characters…” (Pg. 172)
He suggests, “In popular music, the visionary phase often attempts to illustrate images and story lines from the Middle Ages, as in King Crimson’s 1969 album, ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’… and the progressive rock band Genesis’s release ‘Wind and Withering,’ or mysticism, as in the 1975 album ‘Imitation’ by Todd Rundgren… based on the early 20th century esotericist Alice Bailey, and Yes’s 1974 release ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans,’ based on Paramahansa Yogananda’s ‘Autobiography of a Yogi.’” (Pg. 172)
He reports that a member of his class on channeling “also recommends Yes’s 1974 album ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans,’ because it was inspired by Paramahansa Yogananda’s ‘Autobiography of a Yogi.’ When I listened to this 80-minute, four-movement suite, I was struck by its energetic similarity to Todd Rundgren’s ‘Imitation,’ which was inspired by esotericist Alice Bailey’s ‘Treatise on the Cosmic Fire.’” (Pg. 252-253)
Readers interested in Eastern religions (and music) may be interested in this book.
Kurt Leland is a national lecturer for the Theosophical Society, as well as a classical musician and composer.
He wrote in the Preface to this 2005 book, “In [this book] I introduce the idea of ‘transcendent musical experiences’ (TMEs), a term I’ve invented to describe the extraordinary emotional, spiritual, or mystical reactions we can sometimes have when composing, performing, or listening to music. TMEs run the gamut from chills along the spine to apparent physical paralysis. They can include sudden realizations about how the music is constructed or what the composer was thinking or experiencing at the time it was written. They can also produce spontaneous and ecstatic insights into life, the universe, or God. Some TMEs induce inner visions of odd colors and geometric forms impossible to duplicate in physical reality, or scenes with the hyperreality of lucid dreams.” (Pg. xi)
He continues, “TMEs appear to be messages from or souls that guide us toward developing a greater awareness of our potentials as human beings in the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual realms. Some TMEs have the power to transform or change the direction of our lives. What brings about TMEs? Are there particular composers, genres, pieces of music, or recordings that are more likely to produce them? What can listeners, composers, and performers do to increase the likelihood of generating TMEs in themselves or an audience?” (Pg. xi)
He goes on, “[This book] attempts to answer these questions. Not only is it a listener’s guide to achieving transcendent musical experiences, but also a handbook on how the soul guides us, through music, to increase our satisfaction and happiness in life, and become more deeply and truly ourselves. My goal has been to develop a vocabulary for discussing music in terms that ANYONE can understand, based on intuitions that we all have about music that moves us, but perhaps have never had the words for---until now.” (Pg. xi)
He clarifies, “My focus is on classical music, because [that is] what I know best. But interviews with friends whose TMEs have been induced by listening to jazz and rock, demonstrate that the phenomenon is not limited to classical music. The techniques and practices for achieving TMEs that I reveal here will work just as well with other genres of music. TMEs seem to be more common than other types of mystical experiences, such as out-of-body experiences or near-death experiences. Nearly everyone I’ve spoken to has had at least one TME.” (Pg. xi)
He adds, “The book closes with an invitation to create a soundtrack for changing your life, using what you’ve learned about the yoga of listening to target any or all of the centers on the continuum of human potential. In healing, developing, and integrating these centers through listening to music, you may achieve not only transcendent musical experiences, but also the more lasting experience of transcendence that they’re meant to lead you toward: the ecstatic sense of union with the soul and God that is the goal of all yoga.” (Pg. xvi)
He explains in the first chapter, “The first category of TMEs, those induced by composing, often involves remarkable feats of writing music of the highest quality in short periods of time. Composers sometimes attribute their extraordinary inspiration during such TMEs to a source outside or beyond themselves, including the divine. Some even feel that they’re taking dictation from this source, as if the music were being channeled through them… Handel is said to have reported that, while working [on ‘The Messiah’], he ‘did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself.” (Pg. 8-9)
He continues, “The second category of TMEs, those induced in performers while performing, may occur in practice or rehearsal sessions, or a concert or recital. The result is often a ‘performance high,’ in which the music seems to play itself. I can remember instances… in college when I was so absorbed in the music that I seemed to be standing outside myself watching myself play.” (Pg. 9)
He goes on, “The third category of TMEs, those induced in listeners while listening to music, occurs in connection with a live or recorded performance, either passively (as in most concert or home-listening environments) or actively (as when one moves along to the music in an exercise class or a dance hall).” (Pg. 11)
He explains, “In the literature on this subject, the chakras are often referred to as psychic centers, and given names that refer to their functions. I expand on this tradition by referring to the chakras as centers, numbered one through eight, while providing each with a name that describes its function… The first center, also called the root chakra, is associated with the soma, or body consciousness… Rhythm arouses our attention and holds it. Thus, when music acts on us through the first center, it does so through arousal. For this reason, I call the first chakra the ‘center of arousal.’” (Pg. 72-73)
“The second center, also called the genital chakra, is associated with… the part of us that takes action in the world… Many of our actions are motivated by desire. For this reason, I call the second chakra the ‘center of desire.’” (Pg. 73)
“The third center, also called the naval chakra, is associated with … the part of us that blocks action… The aspect of music that best represents this process is intensity, a combination of dissonance and volume. For this reason, I call the third chakra the ‘center of intensity.’” (Pg. 73)
“The fourth center, also called the heart chakra, is associated with the … beloved… The aspect of music that best represents this process is melody… For this reason, I call the fourth chakra the ‘center of expression.’” (Pg. 73)
“The fifth center, also called the throat chakra, is associated with the counterpart, or friend… Happy or upbeat music cheers us up by exuding a sense of satisfaction… For this reason, I call the fifth chakra the ‘center of well-being.’” (Pg. 73-74)
“The sixth center, also called the brow chakra, is associated with the part of us that sets the limits for our growth… The aspect of music that best represents this process is form… In traditional yoga, the sixth chakra is called the ‘center of command.’” (Pg. 74)
“The seventh chakra, also called the crown chakra… has to do with memory… Macrorhythm is a way of organizing music into long swells of accumulating and dissipating energy… I call the seventh chakra the ‘center of expanded consciousness.” (Pg. 74)
“The eighth chakra, which I call the transpersonal chakra, is associated with … the soul… Music organized in this way can open us up to a sense of oneness with God or the universe. I call the eighth chakra ‘the center of cosmic consciousness.’” (Pg. 75)
He explains, “a third type of composer … [is] the musical visionary. Such composers extend the expressive and intellectual possibilities of music beyond the development of purely musical ideas into other areas of life, including musical depictions of the real world or fantasy lands, as well as stories, ideas, or characters…” (Pg. 172)
He suggests, “In popular music, the visionary phase often attempts to illustrate images and story lines from the Middle Ages, as in King Crimson’s 1969 album, ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’… and the progressive rock band Genesis’s release ‘Wind and Withering,’ or mysticism, as in the 1975 album ‘Imitation’ by Todd Rundgren… based on the early 20th century esotericist Alice Bailey, and Yes’s 1974 release ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans,’ based on Paramahansa Yogananda’s ‘Autobiography of a Yogi.’” (Pg. 172)
He reports that a member of his class on channeling “also recommends Yes’s 1974 album ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans,’ because it was inspired by Paramahansa Yogananda’s ‘Autobiography of a Yogi.’ When I listened to this 80-minute, four-movement suite, I was struck by its energetic similarity to Todd Rundgren’s ‘Imitation,’ which was inspired by esotericist Alice Bailey’s ‘Treatise on the Cosmic Fire.’” (Pg. 252-253)
Readers interested in Eastern religions (and music) may be interested in this book.
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