This article, Music on my Mind, was written by Gerald W. Deas, M.D. (pictured below) and was originally published in Frost Illustrated on April 6, 2005.

MUSIC ON MY MIND

I love music. Music is universal and is found in every culture of the world. Music conveys social conditions, political thoughts, spiritual reflections and love. In other words, music defines what's in our hearts, minds and souls. I would like to quote the famous guru, Sri Chinmoy, taken from his book entitled Meditation: Man-Perfection in God-Satisfaction:

Each time we hear soulful music, we get inspiration and delight. In the twinkling of any eye music can elevate our consciousness. But, if we also pray and meditate, then we are undoubtedly more illumined and fulfilled than a music-lover who is not consciously leading a spiritual life. Each spiritual musician is consciously leading a spiritual life. Each spiritual musician is consciously spreading God's light on earth. God is the cosmic player, the eternal player and we are His instruments. There is some music that is really destructive to our inner being. The music comes from the gross physical or the lower vital. Undivine music tries to awaken our lower vital consciousness and throw us into a world of excitement. The spiritual person will immediately be affected by this music. For a few fleeting moments or hours, we get a kind of pleasure; but then this pleasure takes us into a lower vital consciousness where temptation looms large. From the temptation world we enter into the frustration-world and from the frustration world we enter into the destruction world.

In the gospel of Luke, 17: 1-3, Jesus states plainly:

Things that make people fall into sin are bound to happen; but how terrible for the one who makes them happen! It would be better for him if a large millstone were tied around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard!

We must make a concerted effort to listen to music which elevates our minds and souls. At one time, that kind of music was plentiful, but it now has been replaced by music that is destructive. Music definitely does affect the mind and we must continue to encourage musicians who will raise our spirits.
In closing, Sri Chinmoy states:

Music and the spiritual life are like twin brothers; we cannot separate them. Music helps the spiritual seeker to go deep within to get the utmost satisfaction from life, from truth and from reality. The spiritual life, in turn, helps music to offer its capacity and its strength, which is the soul's light, to the world at large.