Musica est mentis medicina maestae.
(Anonymous)

Music is the medicine for a sad mind.

(pron = MOO-si-kah ehst MEHN-tis meh-dih-KEE-nah MAI-stai)

Comment: Most of us have seen this and felt this--a piece of music that changes
our mental disposition usually by sweeping us with an emotion that is pleasant
and encouraging. Years ago I first encountered the work of Herbert Benson who
took basic principles of meditation from various tradition and taught people
how to use them in a non-religious way. In short, it focused on bring the
mind's attention to a rhythmic pattern and connecting that with a repeated word
or phrase that represented a kind of neutral quality for the individual. Benson
found that if a person could bring a repeated word and his/her attention to a
rhythmic pattern (like the sound of one's feet while jogging, or the beating of
one's heart, or knitting needles clicking while one knitted, or even to the
inflow and outflow of one's breath) that the body-mind wold drop into deep
relaxation within two minutes.

If practiced daily, Benson said, we would create a pattern of "remembered
wellness" in our bodies. Remembered wellness. It's a deep memory that brings
us to a place of joy, peace and relaxation. It might be the smell of browines
because your mom made them every Friday. It might be the sound a stream
because your grandfather took you fishing each month. It could be anything.

It could be music, which strikes me employs: our attention, particular words, a
rhythmic pattern and it constitutes for us over time, remembered wellness.

One last observation: this particular proverb employs alliteration--look at all
the "m" sounds in it. And, consider the feelinng that "m" brinngs when strung
together like that--almost creates the feeling of soothing medicine.