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Soothing the Spirit with the Sound of Music

Buzzle Staff
Music is one of the most powerful forces for transforming all elements of humanity ― physical, emotional, or spiritual.
Throughout the annals of history, music has been one of the most widely used, most easily accessible, and most imaginatively designed tools for transforming the human condition. A melody can lift a person's spirits out of the depths of depression and provide him with calmness and inner peace.
Numerous research studies have proven that the mere sound of music can have a profound effect on a person's physical health. It has been even proven to have an effect on the growth and development of plants and animals.
The uses of music are infinite. Every culture in the history of mankind has used it for ceremony, religious rituals, and entertainment and celebration. Every religious text, as well as countless secular texts, mentions it in some way.
In the Bible there are many references to it, such as the well-known verse, Psalm 98:4: "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises." Even entertainment venues such as movies, plays, operas, and television shows are enhanced by music that supports the story being told.
It inspires and uplifts the soul, drawing it closer to the divine. Its serenity can be found in nature itself. Different melodies of nature are heard at different times of the year, signaling the change of seasons.
From the singing of birds in the spring to the swelling chirps of cicadas on a summer evening, to the lull of a crisp autumn breeze swirling leaves through the trees and the soft whisper of falling snow, the world continually evolves to the beat of its internal melody.
Scientists have discovered that brain waves can be modified by sounds, and with practice one can achieve a state of relaxed concentration ― sometimes called "lucid awareness" ― when alpha waves are present in the brain.
Music that has about 60 beats per minute ― particularly classical music by Mozart, Bach, and Brahms ― helps the brain to shift to lower gear, from beta waves to alpha waves.
The body automatically adjusts to the rhythm and pulse of the music, and the higher-awareness alpha waves bring with them a sense of calmness and peace.
Researchers studying the connection between psychology and immunology discovered that the nerve fibers contained in every organ of the immune system deliver biological communication between the nerve endings and the immune system.
So a direct physical link exists between a person's thoughts, attitudes, and emotions, and the health of their immune system. Therefore, music gives us the ability to tap into the very core of our innate spirit that resides deep within our bodies, on a cellular level. In essence, we live in the music.
Music also has a profound influence on our spirits by evoking memories, altering emotions and moods, and inspiring creativity and passion. Joel Osteen, in his book Your Best Life Now, says that happiness is a choice, and a person's environment doesn't prevent him from being happy.
By the same token, a person can choose to be happy by focusing on making his environment a pleasant one. As Osteen says in his book, "Our lives need to be inspired, infused, filled afresh with God's goodness every day."
Among the many tools available to the people who seek inspiration, music is the most powerful tool. Whether it is used to calm and soothe or to shout praises and glory to a higher being, it fills us with a power that speaks to the soul in a way that mere words cannot.
The saying, "music is the universal language", is undeniably true. The power of music is nothing short of a spiritual experience.