The Law of Rhythm by Hazrat Inayat Khan from his book "The Music of Life" pp 10-14

Reprinted with permission

A keen observation shows that the
whole universe is a single mechanism working by the law of rhythm.
The law of rhythm is a great law which is hidden behind nature.
It is in accordance with this law that every form is made and
that every condition manifests to view. The creation therefore
is not merely a phenomenon of vibrations without any restrictions.
If there were no rhythm, if it were not for the law of rhythm,
we would not have distinct forms and intelligible conditions.
There is no movement which has no sound, and there is no sound
which has no rhythm. In order to show rhythm we need not take
a conductor's baton and beat ; we only need
to wave our hand. Divide one and it is two; double one and it
is two. This shows that in one there is two; it proves that duality
comes from unity. Then, if we look at it from another point of
view, we see that duality is in fact nothing but unity; in other
words that two is one. The most interesting point in this is that
as soon as we see two, each of the two at once takes a different
and particular position in our view. This is clear with man and
woman, but also each of our hands shows a particular power and
a particular function, and each foot has its peculiar place in
life; the right foot is distinctly different from the left foot.
Also, the sight of the two eyes is not the same. One eye is always
better and stronger than the other, or at least different from
the other, and if there were no difference the eyes would not
be a proper instrument for seeing. If there were no difference
between the power and strength of person's left and right sides,
one could not live.

It is this difference that causes duality, and it is this duality
that maintains the existence of things. The finer aspect of this
phenomenon can be seen in musical rhythm. When we say, "one-two,
one -two," then we understand what it is that makes us emphasize
the one, and what it is that makes the two like an echo, a reflection,
something that responds to the one. Suppose that we only say,
" one-one-one-one-one, " all with the same emphasis:
this will not satisfy us. We will not feel any rhythm until the
one is accented and the two, or whatever we say next, follows
it; then it becomes perfect. We see the same happening in the
action of walking, which is accomplished by both legs: if we practice
walking on one leg we will find something missing in the rhythm.

This shows that rhythm is a hidden law of nature.
The rising and the setting of the sun, the waxing and the waning
of the moon, the regular change of the tides in the sea, and the
seasons as they come and go all show rhythm. It is rhythm that
makes the birds fly; it is rhythm that makes the creatures of
the earth walk. If we delve deeper into the science of rhythm
we find that it is rhythm that causes a certain thing to be made
in a certain way. If it is made triangular or square or round
or five-pointed, whatever geometrical form has been given to it,
the reason behind its form is the rhythm of the power that has
made it. It is that rhythm that is the cause of its formation.
Harmonious forms are manifestations of a right rhythm,
and inharmonious forms are manifestations of a disorder in rhythm.
Colors such as blue and green and red and yellow appear distinct
and different for the reason that a particular color vibrates
according to a certain rhythm, and it is this rhythm that gives
to the colors the appearance that makes us distinguish them.
There is the law of rhythm behind good weather and
bad weather; and the influence of good or badweather, acting on
living beings, creates a similar result in their lives. Good weather
gives a desirable rhythm to living beings, and bad weather brings
about an undesirable result in their health. It would therefore
not be an exaggeration to say with the ancient yogis that birth
and death, as well as the limited time that separates birth from
death, are the fulfillment of a certain appointed rhythm. If we
go a little further in exploring this idea, we shall see, as the
ancient yogis saw, that by controlling this rhythm one can prolong
one's life, and also that by neglecting this rhythm one can shorten
it.

Why is it that music that emphasizes rhythm gives
everyone the desire to dance? Even horses begin to move to the
rhythm of the band playing before the cavalry; even the most downhearted
and discouraged soldiers feel encouraged when they hear the emphatic
rhythm of a march played by a military band. An infant is soothed
when its mother is patting it on its back; the mother without
knowing it instinctively gives a rhythm to its body. By waving
our hand we give our departing friend a rhythm against the regret
or despair with which he leaves, in order to keep him rhythmic
on all planes of life.
What repulses or attracts us in a person is very
often his rhythm. One person is rhythmic, and his influence is
soothing; another is out of rhythm, and he upsets everybody.
Why should rhythm have such an influence upon us?
Because we ourselves are rhythm. The beating of our heart, the
pulse throbbing in our wrist or head, our circulation, the working
of the whole mechanism of our body is rhythmic. When this rhythm
is obstructed, then disorder and illness come;all discomfort,
despair, and disappointment follow the breaking of the rhythm.

When we look at this question symbolically we find
that our gain and our loss, our success and our failure, have
much to do with the rhythm with which we pursue our motive in
life. It will always prove to be true that when a person takes
no heed of rhythm, whether he does right or wrong, good or evil,
in either case a wrong rhythm will make him fail. For rhythm is
not only a law to which nature is subjected, but it is something
that maintains things as they are and gives things and beings
the power to continue to live and to progress.
To know rhythm one must develop the sense of rhythm.
How readily one notices it when one has a little pain! This shows
that a person intuitively knows the effect of rhythm. For instance
sometimes congestion causes illness; but what is congestion and
what can it do? It is something that stops the rhythm. The rhythm
with which the blood was circulating is stopped by congestion;
that is why illness comes. By being regular one maintains rhythm
in everything one does, and an irregular person will always find
himself lost, because he cannot accomplish anything for want of
rhythm.

Rhythm is a great mystery, and a sense which one
should develop more than anything else in life. But if one were
to explain what the right rhythm of work and rest is, the whole
western way of life would be in question, for when we look at
it from the point of view of rhythm and balance, there is far
too much activity in the life of the West. It would make any person
abnormal. The bad effects of this are continually felt, but since
people are so absorbed in life, they are not yet able to realize
to what an extent they suffer from these bad effects. However,
before long there will come a time when thoughtful people will
begin to realize that this problem has been neglected too long.
And what has caused it? This life of competition: the whole misery
is caused by competition. People do things not for their own pleasure
or for the pleasure of God, but in order to compete with one another.
The law of rhythm can be considered as governing
four actions: right or wrong rhythm in feeling, right or wrong
rhythm in thinking, right or wrong rhythm in speaking, and right
or wrong rhythm in acting. Not only hate but even love that is
not maintained by rhythm will fail; not only an evil thought but
even a good one will prove to be disastrous without regard for
rhythm. Not only false but even true speech which has no rhythm
will prove to be fatal; not only a wrong action but even a right
one devoid of rhythm will prove to be out of place.
With the wrong person, even if we do right it sometimes
turns into wrong; for instance when we say to someone who is in
a rage and who has just been quarreling, You have done wrong.
By saying this we have not given him a good thought but have only
added fuel so that he may fight with us too. One often sees that
when two people are fighting and a third person approaches them
with the best intentions, they both turn on him, and that will
make three persons fighting at the same time.
Every plane of man's being is dependent upon the
other planes, For instance if the body has lost its rhythm, something
goes wrong with the mind; if the mind has lost its rhythm, the
body goes wrong; if the heart has lost its rhythm, the mind is
puzzled; and if the rhythm of the soul is lost, then all is wrong.
To say that the virtue of a sinner is sin and the sin of the virtuous
is virtue is an extreme statement, but it would not be an exaggeration.
The rhythm of the soul is influenced by the mind
and by action. The soul does not have its own rhythm. As in a
higher sense the soul is pure from all things that can be distinguished
and divided, one may ask, How then can it happen that the
rhythm of the soul is lost? But if we see our friend in
great grief we will also feel grief. It is not because we have
a grief ourselves; we feel it only because our friend's grief
reflects on us. The soul is not subjected to a right rhythm or
a wrong rhythm, but a right rhythm or a wrong rhythm can be reflected
in the soul. For instance when a person says of something that
it is ugly, what is ugly is outside him. Then why does he feel
discomfort or ugliness? Because it reflects upon him. For the
moment that he is looking at the ugly thing, that ugly thing is
in his eyes and in his mind, just as when we are standing in front
of a mirror our image is not engraved upon the mirror but is only
reflected there and will remain there as long as we are standing
before it. Thus the soul may experience misery or wretchedness,
a wrong rhythm or a right rhythm, but when these are removed the
soul is again free from them. In order to maintain a perfect condition
in life one must be the master of rhythm.

The mechanism of every kind of machinery that works
by itself is arranged and kept going by the law of rhythm; and
this is another proof of the fact that the whole mechanism of
the universe is based on the law of rhythm.