There are lots of corny sayings about death and dying: “Death and income tax; nobody likes them but we all have to pay in the end.” “Nobody gets out of here alive” (attributed to Jim Morrison); “Dying doesn’t bother me; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” (Woody Allen)– “I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.” (Mark Twain)
But maybe there is just a little bit of nervousness in these jokes… We don’t know what dying will be like. Maybe it will turn out scary at the last minute?
With that uncertainty in mind, I want to share some beautiful music written specially for the transition (from life to death) by my friend Gary Malkin. Gary is a composer extraordinaire but a keen philosopher too. I interviewed him for my 2012 series “Frontiers of The Possible”, about spirituality and Being.
You can listen to us talk below, if you wish.
But I especially want to call your attention to an album composed by Gary called Graceful Passages (the passages in question being passing from this life). Hence the subtitle: A Companion For Living and Dying.
It’s not just for those who are terminally ill, though for them it has a special intensity. I think it’s also very powerful for nurses, carers and family of those who are dying or just died. In their concern for those who have, of necessity, left us, people often forget the poor survivors. Yet for them it can be worse. THEY ARE STILL HERE, HURTING! Healing often takes a long time…
Gary is a seven time Emmy® award-winning composer, producer, speaker and performer. He was asked to present on the healing power of music on the stage of the Great Hall of China during the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Gary is known for participating in countless globally acclaimed projects that support environmental sustainability, spiritual tolerance, children’s health and welfare, cancer research, and cross-cultural healing.
Graceful Passages is globally acclaimed as the most effective work of its kind—a uniquely powerful resource for people facing all phases of serious illness or the end of life. It helps people face and assimilate grief and traverse major transitions of all kinds.
The tracks’ heartfelt words, from some of the world’s greatest visionary leaders, are set to original soul-stirring music, creating an atmosphere of relaxation, insight, and healing.
As Third Agers, we are a little closer to that fateful door than the rest of the population. Let’s not kid ourselves.
But let’s not be scared either. By the second half-century (50 onwards) most of us have generally developed a sense of faith and belief, which will sustain us on the final few miles of the road.
I hope so, anyway.
Whether or not, Gary’s amazing gift is for all people, all time. Graceful Passages addresses themes of letting go, closure, expressing love, forgiveness, appreciation of life, and continuity of spirit from different perspectives and faith traditions. Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish clergy are represented as well as Native American, Confucian, and Buddhist voices creating a truly multifaith resource.
The very rev Alan Jones is there; Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi; Ram Dass (Richard Alpert); Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and other very familiar names. Alan Jones directly addresses the subject of ‘practicing dying every day’ as a contemplation, in order to experience being more fully alive.
I especially love the singing monk with the words of the late Thích Nhất Hạnh! [In this Vietnamese name, the surname is Thích. In accordance with Vietnamese custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Nhất Hạnh].
Gary explained to ExploreFaith.org: We initially recorded Michael Stillwater, Arun Gandhi and a Cherokee Indian woman named Jyoti. We asked them if they were going to die tomorrow, or if a loved one was going to die, what would they want to tell their loved one? We asked them to speak directly to one person who was in need of the kind of comfort you might want to offer a child before they go to bed after a good cry, or after you’ve made love and you want to be intimate with someone. That kind of intimacy is what we were asking each person to speak from. We then edited these hour interviews into about five to eight minutes and scored them.
A compelling musical score, created by a pioneering healing music artist and award-winning composer, lovely still-life photographs, and the elegant design create a gentle invitation for the reader and listener to reflect upon what matters most in life.
GET A COPY: You can buy this album on Amazon and elsewhere, as for example here.
I make no commissions, sharing these thoughts about a small musical masterpiece (I couldn’t be so grubby).
Now, please listen to me interview Gary.
A mellow topic, you will agree. But then “Nobody gets out of here alive!”
Sincerely,
Prof. Keith Scott-Mumby
The Official Alternative Doctor
