In most human cultures throughout history music, magic and medicine are deeply entwined, the role of healer, shaman and musician are usually one and the same. For the last 400 years however, The West has developed the almost unique concept of secular music, which exists purely to entertain and distract from the business of life, rather than actively engaging with it. Clearly this is an anomaly. It is becoming clear to a growing number of westerners that music has the power to heal, to transform, and to facilitate communication with the non-human world of animals, plants and spirits.