The ShinsungHwa of Beethoven (2019): Spiritual Energy of the Musical Master
A Brief Look at Beethoven’s ShinsungHwa
When I look at Beethoven’s ShinsungHwa, the first thing that strikes me is all that gold. Gold carries a different weight than other colors—it’s substantial, unwavering. In this piece, his feet are bathed in it, and feet, well, they represent the path we’re meant to walk, our calling in life. For Beethoven, that path was always music. You can feel how certain he was about it, how solid his sense of purpose ran. There’s something unshakeable about the energy that radiates from those golden feet—the kind of determination that doesn’t waver even when life gets difficult.
Around his body, I see five layers of energy fields, starting with that rich gold and expanding outward. It tells me he was remarkably strong in his everyday world, grounded in a way that served him well through all his struggles.
What’s fascinating is comparing Beethoven’s ShinsungHwa to Mozart’s ShinsungHwa. Both were extraordinary talents—Beethoven was performing publicly by age nine, a gift that seemed to come straight from heaven. But their energies show up so differently. Mozart’s symbols of spiral energy dance and flow with an almost carefree abandon, while Beethoven’s spiral energies line up with mathematical precision, perfectly balanced. It’s as if you can see their personalities right there in the patterns—Mozart’s playful spontaneity next to Beethoven’s methodical intensity.
Above Beethoven’s head, there’s this double spiral reaching upward, a symbol of creative force. Small spirals branch off from it, spreading across what I sense as his spiritual realm. This shows me that Beethoven had an extraordinary capacity for musical inspiration—those moments when melodies seemed to arrive from somewhere beyond ordinary thinking. Some of those smaller spiral branches feel like pure gift, while others carry the mark of tremendous effort. It’s the combination of both, really, that made him who he was.
Quote
“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.”
“To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.”
“I will seize fate by the throat; it shall never bend me completely to its will.”
“Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear.”
“There are and will be a thousand princes; there is only one Beethoven.”
“Only the pure of heart can make a good soup.”
“Applaud, my friends, the comedy is over.” (Reported as Beethoven’s last words)
The Messy-Haired Genius
A man with wild, uncombed hair storms into a fancy Vienna salon, his clothes rumpled and slightly dirty. He sits down at the piano and begins to play music so beautiful it makes adults weep. Then he gets angry at someone in the audience, slams the piano lid shut, and storms out. That was Ludwig van Beethoven on a typical Tuesday.
Everyone knows Beethoven wrote some of the world’s most famous classical music. But the man behind those soaring melodies was far more complicated than any serious statue in the park might suggest. His story isn’t just about creating masterpieces—it’s about someone who struggled, fought, and sometimes made mistakes, just like the rest of us.
A Difficult Beginning
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in December 1770 in Bonn, Germany. His exact birth date remains a mystery, though his family celebrated it on December 16. From the very beginning, life wasn’t easy for young Ludwig. His father, Johann, was a singer with big dreams for his son—and some serious problems with alcohol.
Johann spotted Ludwig’s musical talent early and decided his boy would become the next Mozart. The catch? Johann’s teaching methods were harsh, to put it mildly. He’d wake little Ludwig in the middle of the night and force him to practice piano until dawn. The lessons were so brutal that young Ludwig would cry.
Despite this rough start, Ludwig’s talent couldn’t be hidden. By eleven, he was already working as an assistant organist; by twelve, he was earning money for his family. His most important teacher in Bonn was Christian Gottlob Neefe, a court organist who helped Ludwig publish his first piece when he was just twelve.
Finding His Voice in Vienna
At seventeen, Ludwig attempted to study with the famous Mozart in Vienna. Unfortunately, he had to rush home when his mother fell gravely ill. She died soon after, leaving Ludwig to care for his two younger brothers.
Five years later, in 1792, Ludwig finally made it to Vienna for good. Mozart had died by then, but Ludwig studied with Joseph Haydn, another musical giant. Vienna was the perfect place for an ambitious young musician, and Ludwig’s piano playing dazzled the wealthy patrons who supported artists.
But Ludwig wasn’t content to simply copy what other composers had done. His third symphony, “Eroica,” was so revolutionary that it changed music forever. Originally dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte, Ludwig flew into a rage when Napoleon declared himself emperor and destroyed the title page. This gives you a pretty good idea of Ludwig’s fiery temperament.
When Sound Disappeared
Just as Ludwig was hitting his stride, disaster struck. In his late twenties, he began losing his hearing. Imagine being a musician and slowly losing the ability to hear your own music. By 1819, Ludwig was completely deaf.
The devastation was overwhelming. In 1802, he wrote a letter to his brothers called the “Heiligenstadt Testament,” pouring out his deepest fears about his condition. Depression consumed him to the point where he contemplated suicide. But instead, he declared, “I will take fate by the throat; it shall not wholly overcome me.”
Remarkably, some of his greatest works emerged after he became deaf. His famous Ninth Symphony was composed when he couldn’t hear a single note. At its 1824 premiere, he had to be turned around to see the audience applauding because he couldn’t hear their thunderous clapping.
The Troublemaker
Here’s something they don’t always tell you about Beethoven: he could be impossible to be around. He was notorious for being loud, rude, and messy. His temper was legendary—he’d pick fights with patrons, fellow musicians, and pretty much anyone who crossed him.
Many of his compositions were so radical that critics didn’t know what to make of them. Some dismissed his work as “overly ambitious” or “unnecessarily complex.” His later pieces, which we now consider masterpieces, initially met with confusion and even hostility from audiences craving familiar sounds.
Even other famous composers had mixed feelings about him. Chopin accused Beethoven of “turning his back on eternal principles,” while Debussy later criticized his piano sonatas as “very badly written.” But Ludwig couldn’t care less about others’ opinions. When someone once asked him to simplify his music, he famously shot back, “I compose for the elite.”
What He Left Behind
Despite all his struggles and difficult personality, Ludwig van Beethoven left us an incredible gift. His nine symphonies, piano sonatas like “Moonlight Sonata,” and pieces like “Für Elise” are still performed and cherished worldwide. He pushed music into uncharted territory, paving the way for the Romantic period that followed.
When Ludwig died in Vienna on March 26, 1827, thousands attended his funeral. Today, there’s a museum in his birthplace of Bonn, and even a crater on Mercury bears his name. His music has traveled to outer space aboard the Voyager spacecraft.
The Human Behind the Music
What makes Beethoven’s story so compelling isn’t just his musical genius—it’s his raw humanity. He faced tremendous challenges: an abusive childhood, progressive deafness, family alcoholism, and personal turmoil. Yet he kept creating beautiful music that speaks directly to people’s hearts.
Ludwig van Beethoven wasn’t perfect. He could be stubborn, angry, and difficult. But maybe that’s exactly what made his music so powerful. He poured all of his struggles, pain, and hope into every note. When you listen to his music, you’re not just hearing pretty sounds—you’re hearing the story of someone who refused to give up, even when life seemed impossible.
The next time you hear Beethoven’s music, remember that it came from someone who knew what it was like to struggle. His wild hair and messy clothes might have made him look like a troublemaker, but his music reminds us that sometimes the most beautiful things come from the most unlikely places.
