Copyright © 2009 Beatrice Rose
A Rose in the Middle of my Heart:
Prescriptive Musicianship and Heart Centered
Spiritual Practices
Music-Thanatology Training
Lane Community College
Eugene, Oregon
Professional/Academic Research Paper
Beatrice Rose
June 2009
Acknowledgments
In the summer of 2008, I sat with my spiritual advisor and expressed my dilemma of
choosing a topic for my research paper. She offered that perhaps I could write about roses and to
write it “in the middle of my heart.” There was no elaboration of the actual content or direction
of the paper. So I began with simply the title,A Rose in the Middle of my Heart. As fall changed
to winter when darkness envelopes the soul in a deep earthly embrace, opening portals between
the realms of inner consciousness while the promise of renewal is the softest of whispers, I
approached my spiritual advisor again. “What else can I say about roses?” I inquired. She replied,
“Roses bring light into the darkness.” The metaphor of the mystical rose residing in the heart was
further developed and correlated to recent research demonstrating that the heart actually emits
visible light. It is interesting that my spiritual advisor’s name, Lucy, also means “light bearer.”
At the season of the earth’s awakening and the return of the light, my paper is nearly done. My
spiritual advisor and I sit with our tea and I share how hard I have been working on the paper.
She says, “I suppose it’s too late to change it.” “Well, yes,” I reply, “but what did you think it
should be changed to?” “An eggplant.” she says decisively.
“An eggplant in the middle of my heart?”
“Yes,” as a mischievous look of delight at her own cleverness flashes across her face, she adds,
“How about this? A Butterfly in the Middle of your Armpit!”
Perhaps this is to be expected when your spiritual advisor is four years old. Yet I found as
much wisdom in the alternate title as the first. Without the butterfly in the middle of my armpit,
I could become too serious in this work. As we deepen our connection with our heart energy and
nurture the mystical and beautiful rose that resides there, a butterfly in the middle of the armpit
will add the element of joy and levity needed to support a balanced life. I will always be indebted
to my spiritual advisor and granddaughter, Lucy Goracke, for showing me the way to balance the
responsibilities that attend the privilege of serving the dying with the light of childlike wonder
and even humor.
I am deeply grateful for the love and support of my husband, Steve, who built my first
harp for me and later proclaimed it my “destiny” to become a music-thanatologist. I wish to
acknowledge my daughter and son-in-law, Sarah Jane and Dallas Goracke, for their support as
well. I extend heartfelt thanks to my mentor and harp teacher, Gary Plouff, for accepting the
challenge of taking me on as an intern and kindly and patiently providing 324 hours of one-on-
one guidance and instruction on offering music vigils to people nearing the end of life at Sacred
Heart Medical Center in Eugene, Oregon. My thanks also to Jane Franz, with whom I was
privileged to spend some of those intern hours and who, in the midst of a schedule that would
challenge the energizer bunny, always found time to answer a question or demonstrate some
thematic material. Each dedicated member of the faculty of Music-Thanatology Training through
Lane Community College contributed to a rich academic experience within a caring learning
community that will always remain a highlight of my life. These amazing individuals are Suzanne
Cerddeu, Sharilyn Cohn, Anna Fiasca, Jane Franz, Laura Lamm, Andrea Partenheimer, Robert
Hugo Richardson, MD., Sr. Vivian Ripp, Michael Sasnow, and Bob Scheri. I wish to express my
deepest gratitude to my advisor, Jan McArthur, for her wonderful support, encouragement and
editing. My precious classmates in the inaugural class of 2009 have shared the experience with
one another of being a dissolving caterpillar held together by the cocoon of community. These
dear ones are Jenelle Balzer-Ediger, Cyd Dudgeon, James Excell, Elizabeth Markell, Jennifer
Nackowski, Catharine Drum Scherer and Trish Weaver. Special thanks to my charismatic voice
teacher, Cory George, for helping me with my vocal development and coaching me successfully
through 20 pieces of thematic material, and to my first music teacher, Randy Andrews. My most
heartfelt gratitude to Christina Tourin, founder of The International Harp Therapy Program, who
has encouraged and supported my journey as a therapeutic harp practitioner and will always be
an inspiration to me. Thanks to my dear friends who have been so understanding about being
neglected these past two years. I will always remember with loving gratitude the individuals I
have had the honor and privilege of serving at San Diego Hospice, Sacred Heart Medical Center,
Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center and Benton Hospice Service.
B.R.
June 2009
-1-
As a young woman out of college, I lived in a small rural community in the foothills of
the Sierra Nevada. One of my neighbors was a woman in her 80’s named Edith. She lived up a
winding road amongst the tall conifers and was housebound. Friends felt privileged to shop for
her, deliver groceries and spend some time in her gracious presence speaking of philosophical
matters. Edith would boil water for tea in her converted chicken house that was meant to be a
temporary home while she and her newly retired husband, Lorren, worked on building their
house. Lorren died of a heart attack before this could be accomplished, and by the time I knew
her Edith had been alone for over twenty years. She suffered other tremendous sorrows as well.
She told me, “I grew up and married in a time where I felt I just couldn’t live without children.”
Her first baby died of asphyxiation from her umbilical cord, and she had two more babies who
also died at birth. (RH factor was unknown at that time). Edith was uplifting to be around and
kept in touch with her neighbors through her phone. I remember one call in the cold of winter.
“Hello, Beatrice. I just had to tell you, you’ll really get a laugh out of this. There is so much
snow and my pipes are frozen and no one can get up the driveway. Just now I half crawled out
into the snow with my walker to gather the snow into a pot and melt it on the stove so I could
have some water and get my dishes washed!” she chuckled. At this time Edith had been studying
and practicingVedantafor over fifty years.Vedantais an ancient religious philosophy based on
theVedas,the sacred scriptures of India, that utilizes meditation as a means to realizing that God
dwells within our own hearts as the divine Self or Atman.
1
I asked Edith what wisdom she had to
share. Her reply, “You MUST meditate every day!”
It wasn’t until many years later that I came to understand how essential this advice would
be for me as I answered the inner call to become a musicthanatologist. Musicthanatology is the
practice of contemplative musicianship which offers live music, in the form of harp and voice,
serving the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the dying and their families at the bedside.
Music is vibration, which is energy. Hence musicthanatology can be understood as energy
work. Musicthanatologists learn about the anatomy and physiology of the body both physically
and energetically. In musicthanatology training, students are expected to engage in some form
-2-
of contemplative practice. Daily quiet time in the presence of one’s own heart supports the
development of the ability to be aware of subtle energies both within oneself and others. Such
practice facilitates discernment of the qualities and source of these energies, and the appropriate
ways to meet these energies musically. One must perceive truly in order to respond authentically.
This paper will explore how specific contemplative practices which focus on the heart can be
helpful to musicthanatologists in developing the sensitivity, discernment and responsiveness that
is inherent in the skill of delivering prescriptive music at the bedside of the dying. The metaphor
of the rose will be used to symbolize the mystical, spiritual element that resides within the heart
and blossoms into the fullness of beauty in the presence of the light of daily, loving attentiveness.
Our entire body and, indeed, the surface of every cell bristles with receptor antennae.
2
Some receptors function automatically, and others need conscious activation and tuning. Within
us the flesh and blood heart beats ceaselessly. There is also a second, inner heart that functions as
the interdimensional core of the body. It does not selfsustain with oxygen. This second heart
can be directly experienced and felt within the body, according to sound shaman Barbarajoy
Westin.
3
Without its energy nutrient, it lies inactive, as if asleep. Meditation which focuses loving
attention upon the physical heart will reawaken the inner heart. This is the blossoming of the rose
within our heart.
4
Heart centered meditative practices can aid the musicthanatologist in bringing
their heart into resonance with their harp. We tune our harps so that our tone is true, and we tune
our hearts so that the resonance from our spiritual heart will come through the music.
I care for over one hundred rose plants at my home in Oregon’s fertile Willamette Valley.
The variety of form, color and fragrance soothe, heal, and feed my soul. It is the luminescent,
living color and palpable spiritual essence of beauty that draws me again and again to my rose
garden where I commune with the nature spirits. Each plant has a lovely name, like Sharifa
Asma, Lida, Louise Odier, Fragrant Memory and Precious Moment. The most beloved of
flowers, the rose, has from ancient times stood not only as an emblem of love and beauty, but
also as a metaphor for the most profound and mystical qualities of the soul. A metaphor is used
to transfer information inherent in one context to another to infuse the target with an extra layer
-3-
of meaning.
5
What extra layers of meaning can we derive from the image of a rose in the middle
of our heart? Beyond the more common associations that many people have of roses as symbols
of the heart and romance, there is a lesser known esoteric path of knowledge that includes sacred
geometry and Rosicrucianism that takes this symbolism to a much deeper level.
Early in the 17th century, two manifestos were published and circulated among German
occultists: TheFama Fraternitatis,and theConfessio Fraternitatis.They tell the story of the
Rosicrucian Order and its mysterious founder and set forth its principles and philosophy. In
its role as a Western Mystery School and one of the custodians of the ancient wisdom of the
alchemists, Qabbalists, and astrologers, this fraternal order holds dear its’ primary symbol of
a fivepetaled rose in the center of a cross constructed of six
squares. Among its many
meanings, the number five represents
the microcosm, humankind,
and the golden mean. The geometric
proportions of the five pointed star, or pentagram, are those
of the golden mean, which declares that “a is to b as b is to c,”
and mathematically is 1.618.
Using a square one can generate aGolden Spiralwith the “Fibonacci series” of numbers.
The Fibonacci series of numbers proceeds as follows, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144…
where each number is formed by adding together the
previous two numbers. The spiraling form of the Fibonacci
series can be found in nature, from the tiniest sprout
unfurling towards the light, to the spiral of the galaxy.
6
Musical
scales are also based on the first eight numbers in the Fibonacci series.
7
The number six, represented by the six squares forming the Rosicrucian
cross, corresponds to the macrocosm, the perfectly
balanced union of male and female energies. This can
be visualized by superimposing an upward pointing
equilateral triangle (a fire triangle) over a downward
-4-
pointing equilateral triangle (a water triangle), thus forming a six pointed star. A
sevenpointed star illustrates the 8 tone octave scale of the Fibonacci series with the
center point representing the eighth interval.
The rose is associated with the geometrical pattern of the pentagram because wild roses
have five petals and all roses have their petals grouped in multiples of five, the leaves as well.
The pentagram was employed by the disciples of Pythagorus as a symbol of health. It has also
been considered and used ritually as a powerful symbol that can banish evil spirits. The five
points, like the five petals of the rose, represent the Microcosm, humankind. One can imagine
the uppermost point as the head with the remaining four points representing the arms and
legs. The five points and petals also refer to the five senses, and to the four elements of earth,
air, water and fire, plus spirit. The star must always have the spirit point oriented at the top.
Otherwise, it is considered a symbol of “black magic.” With the point oriented at the top, the
pentagram symbolically affirms the dominion of spirit over the elemental nature, and this is why
it is such a potent talisman against evil, according to occult doctrine.
8
The rose is also a symbol for the generative force of the universe. All flowers are literally
the sex organs of the plant world. The Fibonacci series of numbers, which generates the spiral
form of the lifeforce, can be seen in the unfurling petals as well as the position of the thorns
on the stem. Israel Regardie, in his comprehensive treatise on the philosophies and practices of
the late 19th centuryOrder of The Golden Dawn, states that the rose is sacred to Aurora and
the Sun. It is a symbol of dawn, resurrection of light and renewal of life. It is a symbol of “The
Great Work” and it is highly important that this symbol be worn over the heart in every important
ritual.
9
Lucy Goracke, my four year old granddaughter and spiritual advisor, states that “Roses
bring light into the darkness.”
10
There is also a Quaker saying which speaks to the luminescence
of the rose: “I will only venture into the darkness as far as I can carry fresh roses.”
11
And what
of the lightbearing rose which may reside within one’s physical heart? In a 2007 study by Puran
Bair, founder of the Institute for Applied Meditation, it was demonstrated that:
-5-
It is possible to produce visible light from the chest area under certain
conditions. The first condition is that the meditation technique must be heart
centered, not transcendent. Secondly, a specific person with an actual need must
be identified as a receiver of the transmitted light. Under these conditions, a
sustained light emission of 100,000 photons per second was measured, where
only a background count of 20 photons per second was observed without
meditation.”
12
This visible light emitted from the chest is called “bioluminescence.” These conditions
parallel the vigil setting, where musicthanatologists turn inward, into their own heart, and then
expand that attention to include the individual, sending him or her love and light from their heart
which is energized with attention and intention. Through the body of the musicthanatologist,
the voice and the harp, the light is transformed into sound, bathing the person in vibration
that potentially comforts, holds, and allows for whatever may be needed in the moment. It
is important to note in the study that without healing intention, in spite of one’s best efforts
using a variety of meditations which had been mastered, the meditator was not able to generate
consistent light emissions. Clearly, one’sintentionat the bedside is of crucial importance in the
work of musicthanatology.
Jonathan Goldman, authority on sound healing and pioneer in the field of harmonics,
asserts that “frequency + intention = healing.” Frequency refers to the actual sound used. Healing
could be described as the process of putting something into its healthy resonance, or “frequency
shifting.” He emphasizes strongly that it is not enough to hone in on a frequency that may be
beneficial. The practitioner’s positive, healing intention is also essential for the sound therapy to
work in healing.
13
Christina Tourin, founder of the International Harp Therapy Program, states
that in addition to playing beautiful music, we must be present in the moment and focus on
adding to the music ourpositive intentionfor healing, harmony, peace or whatever is needed.
“Our greatest tool is our intention.”
14
William Tiller, professor emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford
University and Chairman and Chief Scientist of the William A. Tiller Foundation, has researched
the role that human intention plays in affecting “physical reality.” Tiller has devoted his
foundation to research in the area ofpsychoenergetics, which he defines as the study of subtle
-6-
energies in relation to the application of human consciousness. He has theorized the heart as an
intentionimprinting electromagnetic device.
15
Tiller states that:
For the last four hundred years, an unstated assumption of science is that human
intention cannot affect what we call “physical reality.”
Our experimental research of the past decade shows that, for today’s world and
under the right conditions, this assumption is no longer correct.
We humans are much more than we think we are and Psychoenergetic Science
continues to expand the proof of it.
16
The heart centered meditation utilized in Puran Bair’s study is calledHeart Rhythm
Meditation,and is founded upon the work of the Indian mystic, Hazrat Inayat Khan. He explains
that the heart is referred to as a mirror in Sufi terms, and also performs a creative action.
For instance a heart which is holding in itself and reflecting the rose, will find
roses everywhere. Roses will be attracted to that heart, roses will be produced
from it and for it. As this reflection becomes stronger, so it becomes creative of
the phenomenon of roses. The heart that holds and reflects a wound will find
wounds everywhere, will attract wounds, will create wounds, for that is the
nature of the phenomenon of reflection.
17
Hazrat Inayat Khan also compares the qualities of the rose to those of the soul. “The
rose brings forth fragrance, color and beautiful structure: so the soul, with its unfoldment
shows personality, atmosphere and refined manner. The sun, air, water, space and fertile soil are
necessary for the rose to bloom: intelligence, inspiration, love, a wide outlook and guidance are
required for the soul to unfold.”
18
Rev. Dana St. Claire of Maylaigh Ministries experiences the intimate connection between
a rose and the soul in a very personal way. She explained to me that she frequently begins her
private sessions with a person sitting while she lightly massages their neck and back as she tones.
With her hands placed front and back over a person’s heart center, she will “see” a rose. “A rose
always ‘shows up’ and the quality, color, and general demeanor of the rose ‘tells me things’ that,
what do you know, give insight into the person’s situation, condition or state. This has always
been very interesting to me, as the image of the rose always comes unbidden.”
19
Therese SchroederSheker, the founder of MusicThanatology, has also found inspiration
in the symbol of the rose. In elucidation of her recording,Rosa Mystica,she speaks to the
-7-
metaphor ofpilgrimageas the notion of living one’s life as a pilgrim en route from threshold
to threshold in longterm sacralization. “Some of the most potent symbols on that path have
concerned chalice, harp, bodytemple, Grail, rose, rosegold. Each of these symbols generates
multiple images which are woven together in vigil to create something like a fine, concentrated,
elongated prayer. In substance and symbol, roses have been a major part of this vigil.”
20
SchroederSheker refers to the profound historical associations of rose symbolism that exist on
the mythic level and describes how their fragrant images affect the ways in which we transform
our lives.
Starting with the Swedish, German, French, and Spanish miracle and legend
stories heard in early childhood, roses were cascading from a woman’s cloak,
bursting into bloom during a Christmas snowstorm, exuding from the being of
a saintly crone, or falling from the skies at the death of a sweet and pious girl.
Dante’s matchless rose can occupy a lifetime of thoughtfulness, let alone the
rose without thorns in the Grunewald masterpiece (the Eisenheim altarpiece at
Colar). The rose mysteries in Charles Williams’ “The Region of the Summer
Stars” and the alchemical five petaled rose experienced by Mechtild of
Hackeborn speak the most powerfully to me . . .
21
Additionally,Rosa Mystica, or Mystical Rose, is a name used to venerate Mary, the Mother of
Jesus. And Dante similarly describes the spiritual qualities inherent in “the rose, wherein the
world divine makes itself flesh.”
22
Christina Tourin has described to me personally as well as in her book, “Harp Therapy
Manual: A Cradle of Sound,” her personal spiritual experience with the rose.
I was lifted and enveloped in the LIGHT of the petals of a White Rose, with
each petal surrounding me, until it became brighter and brighter and lighter
and lighter, to the point of an all encompassing explosion into the Light. The
translucent petals held me in their fragrance and carried me to higher heights.
There is a void here of words in other words, there are none for what I then
saw. Is this what it is like when we leave the earth plane? If so, then I am ready
to go! All Knowing was contained in this suspension of time, this moment of
being I AM . . . and then the “I” falling off to the pure state of being AM. Yes,
there is no fear of death. There is a Knowing that we live forever and just go to
other realms. In my experience, it is indeed so!”
23
Not only was this a transforming experience that was powerfully informed by the
image of a white rose, it was a turning point in Christina’s life from which she emerged forever
changed. Music began to flow through her fingers and through her harp immediately. She feels
that all her subsequent compositions were divinely given and her white rose experience was an
-8-
act of grace. Medical intuitive Caroline Myss says of grace: “Although it is difficult to capture
its full nature in one definition, grace is unmistakable when experienced. Grace is a noun and
a verb; it is a state and an action, an energy that flows between two beings. Grace is gratis, a
gift. In theology, grace is defined as unmerited divine assistance, aid given to help us regenerate
our spirits and lives a virtue coming from God.”
24
We can never know when grace will touch
our lives nor can we demand it. However, I do believe that the open heart invites grace and that
heart centered spiritual practices create a receptive state of being within us that may allow grace
to flow through us as a channel of grace to others. For musicthanatologists, our voices and
our harps can be the instruments of grace. By aligning ourselves, through our heart, to our own
divine purpose, the universe will support us and use us if that is what we desire. The presence
of an open heart invites the heart of another to open in safety and bring forth its own beautiful
expression. Everyone has a heart and each heart contains its spiritual essence, its rose. Every bud
is beautiful, and through grace each sweet bud can find its full expression of form, fragrance,
color and its unique energetic gift to the world. This can occur at any moment in a person’s life,
even the very last moments.
The physical and spiritual heart has special significance to our work as music
thanatologists. The Institute for Applied Meditation defines the heart as “a container to hold and
reflect the pure light of the soul,” describing its function as guiding one towards one’s purpose
and creating the conditions in life needed to accomplish it.
25
Rev. Charla Hermann, gatekeeper
at Hawkwind Earth Renewal Cooperative, reminds us of the calling to service that we feel in our
hearts and the importance of honoring the heart as our most important tool right now for feeling
and connecting with the love that will feed the fires of our soul’s passion.
26
Carolyn Myss tells us
that the heart is designed to express beauty, compassion, forgiveness and love and, as such, has
tremendous spiritual power.
27
Heart centered spiritual practice awakens us to remembrance of our
mission, the purpose for our life that was the reason for our birth. According to Puran Bair, “This
sense of purpose is imprinted into your heart at its creation and you’ll find it when you energize
your heart.”
28
-9-
Our physical bodies are infused with and surrounded by a torus field which originates
in the heart. This is an electromagnetic field which our heart generates that extends beyond the
physical body affecting, being affected by and interacting with the torus fields of other beings.
29
All hearts exchange information with other hearts and with the brain. This exchange of heart
information occurs in the vigil setting, amplified by the attention and intention of the music
thanatologist.
30
The information that emanates from the heart can be further understood as related
to the whirling vortex of energy associated with the heart chakra, also known as in Sanskrit as
Anahata. The wordchakrameans “wheel.”Anahatatranslates as “Not Struck the pure sound of
creation.”
31
Since ancient times, eastern philosophies have recognized seven vortices of whirling
energy within the physical and subtle bodies. Each of these vortices, or chakras, is a reservoir,
or power center of its own unique kind of energy. The heart chakra corresponds bodily to the
cardiac ganglion, a knotlike mass of nerve cells of the cardiac plexus between the arch of the
aorta and the bifurcation of the pulmonary artery.
32
As the fourth and central chakra in the body,
it is the powerhouse of the human energy system. According to Myss, “More than any other
chakra, the fourth represents our capacity tolet go and let God.”
33
On the Qabbalistic Tree of Life, the heart chakra corresponds to the central sephirah,
Tiphareth, which means “Beauty.” This sephirah is located at the “heart” of the tree and also
represents the Christ Consciousness. Holding the energy of compassion, harmony and beauty,
it is the link between the physical and spiritual worlds or between matter and spirit.Qabbalah
translates as “the reception” and tradition tells that the teachings of the
Qabbalah, also known as Jewish mysticism, were received by humankind
from the angels. Western mystery school tradition teaches that
undifferentiated Life Power enters the body through the cardiac ganglion,
admitting living radiance into the field of personality.
34
Chinese medicine
recognizes the heart chakra as one of the most important centers for the
conveyance and storage of subtle “Life” energy and as the transitional
point where our physical essence connects with heaven, or the cosmos.
BEAUTYBEAUTY
-10-
In his book, “The Heart’s Code,” Paul Pearsall, a psychoneuroimmunologist, says of the
heart, “From the first miracle of the beginning of life to the final miracle of transcendence
beyond life . . . you have your own spiritual recording chamber vibrating in the center of your
being.”
35
Caroline Myss says that our entire medical model is being reshaped around the power
of the heart.
36
The desire of the musicthanatologist to address the physical, emotional and spiritual
needs of the dying through the prescriptive elements of music is a call to sacred service. Robert
Sardello defines sacred service as involving “the deeper soul and spirit qualities of relationship,
empathy, harmony and movement into the domain of the pure intelligence of the heart.”
37
How
does the heart’s intelligence inform the prescriptive music choices of the musicthanatologist?
At what point in time does the heart’s energy reach out across time and space to the heart of the
patient? This could happen when the musicthanatologist tunes their harp in preparation for a
vigil, as the intention is held to simultaneously tune the heart. Prescriptive musicianship training
teaches that tuning the harp is indeed a part of the vigil, whether or not the tuning occurs in
a space where it can be heard by others. The musicthanatologist tunes the harp consciously,
paying close attention to the process and making even this required preliminary act one of
beauty. At this time the heart can be brought into attunement with one’s instrument, environment
and intention for the vigil.
38
Regular heartcentered spiritual practices that open the heart can aid
the musicthanatologist in this process of tuning into the heart so that the prescriptive music truly
flows from the heart of the musicthanatologist through their harp and voice to the dying person
and their families.
The harp is considered the voice of the heart chakra. Of all instruments, the harp produces
the purest tone due to each string touching metal at both top and bottom. The harp produces the
clearest overtone system of harmonic sounds and thus is clear in the vibrations it projects. Harp
and voice combined afford the musicthanatologist a wide tonal and dynamic range. Music
thanatologists use the harp and voice to deliver intentioninfused music into the sacred space of
the vigil. The following excerpts from a channeled letter through Kathryn Knoll to Christina Fox,
-11-
as quoted in “Cradle of Sound, Harp Therapy Manual,” explain why the harp is an instrument
perfectly suited to use at the bedside. Kathryn channels a friend who has crossed over to the
other side by the name of Cynthia.
You know how angels are most often portrayed playing the harp? Well, that
is because the harp, of all the musical instruments we have created, is most
resonant or replicates the vibrations in its sound chamber that we experience
over here. . . The one who plays is a bridge between the worlds. . . The harp, the
player and the sounds made are literally a bridge that transports the light body
into its new form and experience of existence. . . Music in a room, especially
made by people whose bodies become the “sound box” literally changes the
molecules and atmosphere of that room. . . In a way, the soul making the
transition rides the waves the sound creates.”
39
This process is initiated as the musicthanatologist sits in silence to begin the vigil, breathing
with the patient. The breath sends out waves of pressure, exactly like very lowfrequency sound
waves, that fill the vigil space and intermingle with the breath of the patient and others who are
present.
40
Music is not something you just hear with your ears. It’s something you hear
with your pu’uwai heart. Moe Keale
41
In “The Art of Practicing,” Madeline Bruser describes how a musician’s ability to tune
into their heart is the essential element in bringing forth music that touches other hearts deeply,
enabling them to open in turn. Speaking to the music student, she says that people can “hear”
when your heart is open and that is what people want. They want to hear your heart. Though
the musicthanatologist is not “performing,” the same principle applies. Bruser suggests that by
reflecting upon the preciousness of life and the impermanence of life, one can feel warmth in
the chest area of the heart. Once one has connected to the power of the heart, this energy can be
extended into the environment. “Without a palpable heart we are neither fully musical nor fully
human.”
42
Through music, the always available storehouse of energy that is the heart can be
extended into the environment. “Feel your heart. Trust it in all its rawness and unpredictability.
This is your power. Let it flood your being.”
43
How can we define openheartedness in a way that helps us to recognize this state in
ourselves and develop our sensitivity to the condition of the hearts of others? Puran Bair tells
us in his book, “Living from the Heart,” that the natural condition of human beings is to have
-12-
an open heart that allows us to be easily moved, touched by common place beauty, responsive
to simple human kindness, vulnerable rather than defensive, deep in feeling and magnanimous
towards others.
44
Painful life experiences and negative mental states often close the sensitive
heart that feels overwhelmed. Heart centered spiritual practice can strengthen the heart so
that it stays open and can still function in the world. These practices nourish the rose in the
middle of one’s heart with the vital elements that encourage it to bloom in the fullness of its
beauty. Strengthening the heart’s energy can be helpful to the musicthanatologist as a means of
enhancing one’s sensitivity and ability to respond with appropriate musical choices. Thus music
thanatologists are assisted by this connection to their indwelling source of power and perception
in maintaining their own center and balance in the midst of the emotionally charged situations
that can be encountered in the vigil setting. And this path of the heart is appropriate and
beneficial for everyone of any faith, gender, age, occupation or nationality. We can meet another
soul through our heart’s energy no matter their state of consciousness.
I was initiated into Transcendental Meditation when I was in college, a few years prior
to meeting my friend, Edith, and receiving her words of wisdom. I have also engaged in various
meditation practices that I received as a student of Tarot and Holy Qaballah through the Western
Mystery School teachings ofThe Builders of the Adytum. In the ensuing years I have had periods
of regular daily practice and periods when I allowed daily practice to fall away. In September
of 2008, I was introduced toHeart Rhythm Meditationby Daniel McMannis who presented
“Applied Heart Ecology” at the MusicThanatology Association International Conference in
Missoula, Montana. Since that time, while studying to learn the skills of musicthanatology
through the training and internship, and gathering resources in preparation of writing this paper,
I also began practicing this meditation as a way of connecting with and nourishing the rose in
the middle ofmyheart. What is new and different to me aboutHeart Rhythm Meditationis the
practice of going beyond conscious breath to also become conscious of the heartbeat within the
body and synchronizing the two. It is the opposite of upward focused transcendental meditation
practices which encourage expansion of consciousness out of the body. I have enjoyed rewards
-13-
of increased centeredness, wellbeing, and spiritual insight from all my meditation practices.
However, I feel thatHeart Rhythm Meditationserves me particularly well at this time. I have
learned to listen and hear my own heart which gives me a sense of being grounded in my body as
well as being connected to others through the heart as both a sender and a receiver of energy. The
first step of the practice is focusing upon a goal. Of the many possibilities, my present goal is
related to the element of water and emotional capacity: to bring to the vigil a deepened capacity
for sensing, to more fully develop the twelve senses as put forth by Rudolph Steiner, which may
help inform my choice and delivery of music in a prescriptive manner. “We must awaken our
perception with artistry, love and discipline.”
45
Rudolph Steiner expanded the concept of the five senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and
touch, into a more complete model of twelve senses. He divided these twelve senses into three
categories. The bodily or corporeal senses are touch, life, movement and balance, which orient us
to our own bodies. The soul senses are smell, taste, vision and temperature with which we make
connection with the world. The spiritual or social senses of hearing, speech, concept and ego may
need further development in human beings and require intervention from the spiritual realms to
achieve this development.
46
As the musicthanatologist attends to serving the physical, emotional
and spiritual needs of the dying and their families, developing and balancing the twelve senses is
a capacity of being that is helpful on many levels. It is important to have skills of discerning what
those needs are in order to address them musically. The ability to sense changes that occur during
the vigil in response to the musical offerings guides the musicthanatologist in supporting those
changes in ways that may allow the patient to experience greater comfort and peace. While acute
sensing is a necessary skill for musicthanatologists, developing this skill is an ongoing, lifelong
process. To illustrate how development of these senses can be helpful in the vigil setting, I will
focus on the senses of touch, life, hearing and ego, or “I.”
In the vigil, the musicthanatologist touches the patient both physically as vital signs are
assessed, and energetically with the vibrations of music. The reason for physical touching may
be a practical one, yet the sensation of hands on the wrist and forehead may be more significant
-14-
to the patient. They may feel the music thanatologist’s presence of being as a “compassionate
other” who offers them comfort and grounding during this liminal time. There may be times
when physical touch is purposefully avoided so as to allow the patient the possibility of
unbinding from their body, supported by the gentle and all encompassing touch of vibration.
The poet, Novalis, expressed that the sense of touch is a paradox in that it is both separation
and connection.
47
Through touch the patient may be able to experience their body as being
touched and, at the same time, be aware that they are separate from the person touching them.
The vibration of the music, touching the entire surface of the skin as a hearing organ, might
offer a sensation of being connected to the ever present and always available vibratory energy
of the universe. Recently I took my husband to the emergency room with unbearable pain that
turned out to be a kidney stone. Morphine administered through an IV was not alleviating the
pain. Wishing I had thought to bring my harp, I sat holding his hand and sang an antiphon with
flowing melismatic vowels in lower registers. When he was finally able to speak, he said, “I can
tell you that the music is felt in the body, not in the mind.”
48
In the summer of 2008, as I wheeled my harp through the hospital hallway, a woman
approached me thinking that I was the musicthanatologist who had played for her father the
prior year at his passing. “Judy” wanted to tell me what had happened after the vigil. Her father
had been in a metabolic coma and not outwardly responsive for several days. The family had
gathered from distant places. The musicthanatologist arrived and, after playing for about
20 minutes, her father awakened. He became engaged with his family and all were given the
opportunity to express their love for him and to say “goodbye.” After the vigil was over and
the music thanatologist had left, her father requested his favorite TV program, “Wheel of
Fortune,” which just happened to be on at that time, 6:30 p.m. At 6:45 p.m., while watching the
program with his family, he lifted his arms heavenward and stopped breathing. At 6:59 p.m. his
heart stopped just as “Wheel of Fortune” ended. Judy told me that her father had a beautiful and
peaceful death that was a gift to the family. Thetouchof sound vibration delivered prescriptively
was a catalyst for this man’s final interaction with his loved ones. Perhaps the viewing of
-15-
“Wheel of Fortune” could be seen as a metaphor for embracing his transition on the “Wheel of
Life.”
The life sense is the monitoring system of the whole body, through which one
experiences their state of wellbeing. One may also experience the extreme of life sense which
is pain. We can only imagine how the dying individual’s life sense may be interpreting the
dissolution of their bodies and the diminishment of function. Through the support and skillful
delivery of prescriptive music, the musicthanatologist offers an atmosphere where peace and
well being could be companions on this journey of transition that every human being will travel.
The spiritual senses of hearing, speech, concept and ego are difficult to articulate
and require the engagement of imagination. According to Steiner, they are accessed through
intervention from the spiritual realms, and require a sacrifice. Vibration causes a physical
movement in the bones of the middle ear, a phenomenon related to the earthly realm. As a result
of this movement, we hear tone which requires a leap from the earthly to the spiritual nature
of sound; we must give up our earthly desires in order to hear truly. This “leap” is thegap of
mystery.
49
In the vigil setting, this leap from the earthly to the spiritual can be a metaphor for the
experience of the dying person and their family. Often the patient’s eyes are closed, and family
members may also rest into the music with closed eyes. They are engaging their sense of hearing
and making their own sacrifice, in effect, of earthly desires. Thus, the natural letting go of earthly
things, including the body, is supported by the vigil experience. Musicthanatologist Lorraine
McCarthy described a vigil experience which illustrates this transition from earth to sky. As the
music was being offered, the patient’s daughter sat on the floor and closed her eyes meditatively.
Lorraine observed the patient take her last breath and, after a few moments, gently called this to
the daughter’s attention. The daughter then shared that, during the very moments of her mother’s
death, she had seen a vision of her mother on a train waving goodbye to her as the train pulled
away from the station. Having this direct experience of communication with her mother’s spirit,
while bathed in the heavenly vibrations of the harp music, was of great comfort to the daughter.
50
The final spiritual sense, the ego sense, requires the sacrifice of one’s own sense of
-16-
individuality in order to meet the “I” of another. Musicthanatologists are also trained to let go
of egoic attachment to outcome. The patient’s outward and visible response to the music may
be very subtle, which is why a deepening of the capacity for sensing on all levels is important.
Still, there will always be an element of the unknown, theGreat Mystery, surrounding the dying
process and the soul’s journey. And there may be responses that occur after the vigil is over that
the musicthanatologist will not know about. The story of the patient who roused to interact with
his family and watch “Wheel of Fortune” is an example of this. I was fortunate to have another
woman share her family’s story with me. This story was also prompted by seeing me with the
harp at the hospital. “Mary’s” father had never been baptized and this troubled the members
of his family due to their beliefs. As his death approached, the family became more distressed.
However, he was unrelenting in his refusal. Following his music vigil, he agreed to be baptized,
which was a great comfort to this woman and the rest of her family. We can only imagine how
the prescriptive music that flowed from the open heart of the musicthanatologist allowed this
dying man to have a “change of heart” regarding his willingness to receive this sacrament.
The concept of sacrifice that Steiner states is necessary in order to experience the spiritual
senses brings to my mind the Native American ritual of the Sun Dance. The participants commit
themselves to sacrificing every comfort: food, water, shelter, rest. Additionally, they pierce their
bodies with an eagle feather, and through these piercings, tie themselves to the sacred tree. In this
way they dance for four days, continually praying and being upheld in the prayers of supporters
who are observing. They do this so that the people may live and the earth be healed, that all
beings may be united in one heart, synchronizing all hearts with the heartbeat of Mother Earth,
listening, singing, dancing, praying, sacrificing. While they suffer, they pray for the relief of
suffering for others.
Feel Unity with Spirit and All Creation. All things share the same breath: the
beast, the tree, the man . . the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.
Chief Seattle.
Such depth of heartfelt sacrifice is uncommon in our culture. How tenaciously the ego
clings to its need for attention, recognition and comfort. In musicthanatology training we learn a
-17-
gentler way to tame an unbalanced sense of self that is to give the ego something sacred to do.
Being fully present to the dying and their families while offering the mystical rose of universal
love through prescriptive delivery of carefully chosen musical elements, gives the ego something
sacred to do. The offering of voice is an intimate act of sacrifice of one’s life force through
breath. Thus, the musicthanatologist humbly considers and meets musically, through discipline,
skill and love, the needs of a dying person who is approaching the ultimate sacrifice on this
earthly plane. As individuals near death, they may experience sacrifices in the realm of physical
functions of the body and attachments to possessions, emotional letting go of relationships, and
finally a dissolving of the ego as they open their hearts and consciousness to other realms of
existence beyond this physical plane.
In considering heart centered spiritual practices and recognition of the heart as an organ
of perception, it is instructive to explore how the shamanic practices of some native cultures
can also facilitate both heart opening and sensory deepening experiences. In 1908, Arnold Van
Gennep described the three universal stages of ritual in “The Rites of Passage:” separation,
liminality and reincorporation.
51
While these stages are clearly an inherent part of the music
thanatology vigil, they can also be observed in shamanic rituals of North and South America
where music is a central feature of many of the ceremonies. In theNative American Church of
North America,the ceremony itself is centered around medicine songs, accompanied by the
water drum and rattle, that are sung by participants in the ceremony. These songs are either
learned by the singers from others, or are the result of what is considered a divine inspiration
that comes to them during the ceremony. The songs themselves tend to focus and unify the
participants in the twelve hour long ceremony. There are early evening songs, midnight songs,
and early and late morning songs. Some are healing songs, songs for protection and songs for
prayer and giving thanks. The singers take their turn and progress around the circle of people
in the tipi in a clockwise fashion through the all night ceremony. It was in a ceremony such as
this that I received an experience of ancestral connection and healing that was influential in my
personal journey of answering the call to serve the dying. This experience, which combined
-18-
the elements of intention, focus, prayer and music, was a profoundly heart opening experience
that illuminated the path of my destiny. A participant in a similar all night tipi prayer ceremony,
Jackie Murray, shared with me what this experience meant to her.
Sometimes we have an experience in life that changes everything. As I was
held within the heartbeat of the mother through the sound of drumming and
illumined by the central fire of Spirit that burned throughout the night in the
center of the tipi, I found the voice to express and release my pain which then
became transformed into joy. I feel that I am on my path now.
52
I can attest that all who were in attendance that night felt the power of Jackie’s transformation
expressed through her voice.
Musicthanatologists learn medical anthropology and the importance of cultural
awareness and sensitivity in order to provide a service that is universal and transcends cultural
boundaries. In the scope of this exploration of heart centered spiritual practice, I believe an
excursion into shamanic ritual can be informative especially in exploring the role of music
in diverse cultures. The ceremonies that come from the traditions of the native people from
the Amazon share the use of music as a central feature.Icarosare healing songs, songs for
protection, songs used as incantations and so forth.Maririsare songs used to call in specific
spirits for a specific purpose or to pay homage to them. The Shaman in these ceremonies uses a
combination of these songs with other musical elements such as rattling, whistling, drumming,
playing flutes, stringed instruments, and shaking ofshacapaswhich are bundles of leafy fronds
from a small shrub. In these ceremonies the effect of the music is to facilitate the creation and
maintenance of a state of heart centered visionary consciousness, which is one of the attributes of
these Amazonian spiritual practices. The music acts as a vehicle through which psychospiritual
healing may occur. Different instruments and music have the capacity to produce different effects
within the listeners.
A participant in many shamanic ceremonies in South America, Howard Sprouse, shared
with me his personal experience of sensing the music, one which may serve to enrich and inform
the musicthanatologist’s own imaginings as they offer music prescriptively.
One of the first times that I experienced a feeling of deep connection to the
group that I was with and to all of creation was in a ceremony where many
-19-
people were drumming and chanting together. The music that issued forth from
us all was very cohesive and at a certain point the group became immersed in a
shared ecstatic state. This left us all feeling very close to one another and very
appreciative of what felt like an experience of the divine.
53
My own experience with music and prayer in the Native American Church ceremony
echoes what Sprouse expressed. He further describes participating in a “Long Dance” ceremony
where the group marched clockwise around a central fire for half the night and counterclockwise
for the last half of the night. Each participant had their own personal intention, as well as a
shared intention that went from the individual to the family, the community, and the world. Some
of the participants had drums, rattles and other music makers.
As the evening progressed we became increasingly unified in our music
making. At one point I was overcome with the unstoppable experience of a very
beautiful chant coming out of me. I was having the experience of witnessing
myself for about fifteen minutes in a state that I can only describe as being
a vehicle for the ‘Muses’ to act through me. . . During this ceremony the
Shaman would play a variety of his own instruments and sing songs to direct
the energies of the group. The overall effect of this has been that I now feel as
though music resides deeply within ourselves and that it is an expression that
belongs to us all as well as to us individually.
54
The Muses in ancient Greek history were goddesses or spirits who were the inspiration
and source of creative human experience and knowledge. Steiner tells us that, although the
twelve senses are discussed separately, they are interconnected. In certain conditions and for
some people, music may be perceived not only auditorily, but visually. The liminal state of the
dying patient may also facilitate this synethesia or overlapping of the sensory modes.
In one Amazonian ceremony I felt a desire to take a drum from the Shaman
and asked him if I could drum for the group. He gave me the drum and within
a few seconds my arms seemed to be acting through some authority outside of
my own. The rhythms and sounds that came from the drum were very complex
and very beautiful. Then I saw a crystalline rope or thread come out of the drum
and wrap around a man sitting close to me. He had been acting very confused.
As soon as this energy touched him I saw him react by moving just as though he
had been touched by someone or grasped. He became calm and clearly focused
within about a minute. Then the crystalline thread or rope unwound itself from
him and went to the next person who reacted similarly. This progressed around
the circle with a similar effect as it encountered each person in turn.
55
From these profoundly rich experiences, Sprouse concludes that music may be both a
-20-
component of theorganizationof the ceremony as well as aproductof the ceremony. Music can
be a carrier or vehicle for healing or spiritual connection. Sound may be experienced as color or
have the qualities of visual or tactile perceptions. In spiritual traditions where music is used it
is said that music can beenlivenedor infused with spiritual consciousness. These observations
regarding music by a participant in heart centered shamanic ceremony have relevance for
musicthantologists as they consider how their musical offerings may be received by the dying
individual and families and the power inherent in these offerings.
In prescriptive musicianship classes, thematic material is analyzed in terms of the musical
elements. With this knowledge and understanding, different music and improvisations arise
within the vigil setting using these principles. The following account by Luis Eduardo Luna
of singing to a dying AIDS patient is an example of how listening to the heart and holding the
intention of being a channel for divine love may allow an experience of grace to occur.
He was a 40yearold artist, very bright and animated. When I first met
him, he was terribly frightened of being alone, and of death . . . He was full
of anger and felt abandoned by friends and family. . . He wanted to find inner
peace, so he could die with dignity and without fear. On what was to be our
last visit I watched him laboring to breathe with an oxygen mask on his face,
exhausted from the ravages of disease and disoriented by pain medication and
sedation. I focused all my attention on opening my heart and extending love. I
visualized myself as a section of pipe hooked up to the “Great Generator,” just a
channel for healing love force. While silently holding his hand and sending him
love, I began to enter a trance state. Up from the depths of my heart came the
words of a song that I’d learned in Mexico years before while on a pilgrimage
with the Huichol Indians. I adopted it as my “death song” and had used it once
before as a dear friend was dying. My first response was not to do it. “How will
he receive it?” I worried. The guidance grew stronger. “Just sing it, just share
the song,” it said. “Just send it to him without any pressure or attachment. Sing
it to him with love and let it go” said the inner instructions. So softly I began
to hum. Slowly the humming shifted into singing, soft at first, then louder. As
I sang louder, I could hear him trying to hum along. Then to my total surprise,
he took off his oxygen mask and began to sing along with me. He had barely
enough strength to breathe, but somehow found strength to join me in singing.
Singing together our voices became one as we both sang louder. Then a shift
occurred and there was no separation between us; we were one! His eyes came
to life, his face now radiant. For the first time since I knew him he was joyful.
He was experiencing what he had been so desperately seeking so that he could
die in peace release from fear and union with spirit. It was a transcendent
experience for us both. Our hearts and souls joined together in a timeless
moment of absolute bliss. We stayed in silence for several minutes enjoying the
awe of what had just touched us both so powerfully. He smiled as I left the room
and died the next day.”
56
-21-
Setting aside one’s own concerns, desires and agendas and opening all of the senses to
the present moment creates the possibility of meeting another on a soul level with music that
both supports and allows each person’s individual journey. This could facilitate receiving into
one’s open heart the pain or suffering of another soul. Within the open, receptive heart that
allows for all human experience, whether dark or light, an alchemical transformation may occur.
Through the intention of the musicthanatologist, the spiritual energy of the heart may find
audible expression through the strings of the harp. The musical elements chosen for that unique
individual at that particular moment in time, delivered with skillful intention and combined with
the sacrifice of life force through breath and voice may be a catalyst of heart opening grace for
the dying and their families. In the words of Robert Schumann:
The musician’s art is to send light into the depths of men’s hearts.
57
Within the heart lies the mystical rose of love and compassion whose transcendent beauty
illumines the soul’s journey from one realm of existence to the next. As the musicthanatologist
tunes their heart and their harp, the intentioninfused music that flows forth creates a pathway
from earth to sky that the dying individual may choose to follow.
Of all the earthly music that reaches farthest into heaven,
it is the beating of a loving heart.
58
-22-
1
Vedanta Society of Southern California, “What is Vedanta?” 17 April, 2009 .
2
Dr. Bruce Lipton, The Biology of Belief Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Mind
and Miracles, Santa Rosa, California, Garden of Love/Elite Books, 2005, 8284.
3
Barbarajoy Westin, personal interview, 30 May 2009.
4
Barbarajoy Weston, “Rose Crystal Meditation,” 14 February, 2009 .
5
Peggy Le Carra, “A Neuroscientist Explains how to Manifest with Metaphors,”
Spirituality and Health, March/April 2009, 38.
6
8 May, 2009. .
7
8 May, 2009. .
8
Paul Foster Case, The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order, (Maine, Samuel Weiser,
Inc., 1985), 133142.
9
Israel Regardie, The Golden Dawn, Volume Two, (Saint Paul, Minnesota, Llewellyn
Publications, 1971), 4656.
10
Lucy Goracke, Personal Interview, 21 December 2008.
11
Keith Tannler, Personal Interview, 9 March 2009.
12
Puran Bair, “Visible Light Radiated from the heart with Heart Rhythm Meditation,”
Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 2007, 16(3), 211217.
13
Jonathan Goldman, “Shifting Frequencies,” 9 May, 2009 .
14
Christina Tourin, Harp Therapy Manual, Cradle of Sound, (Canada, Art Bookbindery,
2006) 179.
15
William A. Tiller, “A Personal Perspective on Energies in Future Energy Medicine,”
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Nov. 2004, 10(5): 867877.
16
William A. Tiller, 29 May, 2009, .
17
Hazrat Inayat Khan, Mental Purification and Healing Part IV, The Mind World,
Chapter VI.
18
Hazrat Inayat Khan, Sayings of PiroMurshid Inayat Khan TALAS (Rhythmic
expressions of ideas), 30 May, 2009,
19
Dana St. Clair, email, 2 February, 2009.
Endnotes
-23-
20
Therese SchroederSheker, “Rosa Mystica,” Celestial Harmonies, Tucson, Arizona,
1990.
21
Therese SchroederSheker, “Rosa Mystica,” Celestial Harmonies, Tucson, Arizona,
1990.
22
Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy en Paradiso, 30 May, 2009, .
23
Christina Tourin, 21.
24
Caroline Myss, “Grace, Intuition, Power,” Unity Magazine, May/June 2006, 9.
25
Puran and Susanna Bair, Energize Your Heart, 30 May, 2009. .
26
Charla Harmann, “Winter Portal,” 23 December, 2008, www.web.me.com/
bluestartimes.
27
Caroline Myss, Anatomy of the Spirit, The Seven Stages of Power and Healing,
Harmony Books, New York, 1996, 201.
28
Puran Bair, 9 May, 2009, .
29
Anna Fiasca, Michael Sasnow, “Reimagining the Body,” Class Lecture, Music
Thanatology Training through Lane Community College, Portland, Oregon, 7 November, 2007.
30
Laura Lamm, “Prescriptive Musicianship,” Class Lecture, MusicThanatology Training
through Lane Community College, Portland, Oregon, 21 February , 2009.
31
Joseph Campbell, The Mythic Image, Princeton University Press, 10722.
32
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.
33
Myss, 197.
34
Paul Foster Case, The Tarot, Macoy Publishing Company, Richmond, Virginia, 1947,
181.
35
Paul Pearsall, The Heart’s Code, Broadway Books, New York, 1998, 226.
36
Myss, 207.
37
Robert Sardello, “The Spiritual Psychology of Service,” Class Lecture, School of
MusicThanatology, Missoula, Montana, 14 September 2000.
38
Laura Lamm, “Presciptive Musicianship,” Class Lecture, MusicThanatology Training
through Lane Community College, Portland, Oregon 21 February 2009.
39
Christina Tourin, 75.
40
Puran Bair, Living From the Heart, Three Rivers Press, New York, 1997, 174.
41
Pearsall, 67.
-24-
42
Madeline Bruser, The Art of Practicing, a Guide to Making Music from the Heart, Bell
Tower, 1997, 54.
43
Madeline Bruser, 62.
44
Puran Bair, Living from the Heart, Three Rivers Press, New York, 1997, 132.
45
Anna Fiasca, Suzanne Cerdeu, “Reimagining the Body IV,” Class Lecture, Music
Thanatology Training through Lane Community College, Portland, Oregon, 21 March 2009.
46
Anna Fiasca, Laura Lamm, “The Twelve Senses,” Class Lecture, MusicThanatology
Training through Lane Community College, Portland, Oregon, 22 March 2009.
47
Novalis, “The Twelve Senses,” Class Lecture, MusicThanatology Training through
Lane Community College, Portland, Oregon, 25 January 2009.
48
Steve Rose, personal interview, 4 April 2009.
49
Anna Fiasca, Laura Lamm, “The Twelve Senses,” Class Lecture, MusicThanatology
Training through Lane Community College, Portland, Oregon, 22 March 2009.
50
Lorraine McCarthy, personal interview, 21 March 2009.
51
Sister Vivian Ripp, “Religion and Ritual,” Class Lecture, MusicThanatology Training
through Lane Community College, Portland, Oregon, 16 March 2008.
52
Jackie Murray, personal interview, 18 June, 2008.
53
Howard Sprouse, email, 13 April, 2009.
54
Ibid.
55
Ibid.
56
Luis Eduardo Luna, 5 May, 2009, .
57
Robert Schumann, 6 June, 2009, .
58
Henry Ward Beecher, 5 June, 2009 .
-25-
Bibliography
Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy en Paradiso. 30 May, 2009. .
Bair, Puran. Living from the Heart: Heart Rhythm Meditation. New York: Three Rivers
Press, 1998.
Bair, Puran and Susanna. Energize Your Heart in 4 Dimensions. Tucson, Arizona: Living
Heart Media, 2007.
Bair, Puran. “Visible Light Radiated from the heart with Heart Rhythm Meditation.”
Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine. (2007); 16(3). 211217.
Benson, Stella. The Healing Musician: A guide to playing healing music at the bedside.
Seattle, Wa: NewGrail Media, 1999.
Bruser, Madeline, The Art of Practicing, a Guide to Making Music from the Heart. New
York: Bell Tower, 1997.
Buhner, Stephen Harrod. The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in
the Direct Perception of Nature. Rochester, Vermont: Bear and Company, 2004.
Case, Paul Foster. The Tarot. Richmond, Virginia: Macoy Publishing Company, 1947.
Case, Paul Foster. The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order. York Beach, Maine: Samuel
Weiser, Inc., 1985.
Crowe, Barbara. Music and Soul Making: Toward a New Theory of Music Therapy.
Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, INC., 2004.
Godwin, Joscelyn. Harmonies of Heaven and Earth: The Spiritual Dimensions of Music.
Rochestser, Vermont: Inner Traditions International, LTD., 1987.
Goldman, Jonathan. “Shifting Frequencies.” 9 May, 2009. .
Groves, Richard F., and Henriette Anne Klauser. The American Book of Dying:
Lessons in Healing Spiritual Pain. Berkeley, California: Celestial Arts, 2005.
Khan, Hazrat Inayat. Sayings of PiroMurshid Inayat Khan TALAS (Rhythmic
expressiojns of ideas). 30 May, 2009. .
Le Carra, Peggy. “A Neuroscientist Explains how to Manifest with Metaphors.”
Spirituality and Health. March/April 2009: 38+.
Levenda, Peter. Stairway to Heaven: Chinese Alchemists, Jewish Kabbalists, and the
Art of Spiritual Transformation. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc,
2008.
-26-
Lipton, Bruce H. The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter
and Miracles. Santa Rosa, California: Mountain of Love/Elite Books, 2005.
Myss, Caroline. “Grace, Intuition, Power.” Unity Magazine. May/June 2006.
Myss, Caroline. Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing. New
York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1996.
Paddison, Sara. The Hidden Power of the Heart: Discovering an Unlimited Source of
Intelligence. Boulder Creek, California: Planetary Publications, 1993.
Pearsall, Paul. The Heart’s Code. New York: Broadway Books, 1998.
Regardie, Israel. The Golden Dawn. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications,
1971.
SchroederSheker, Therese. “Rosa Mystica,” Celestial Harmonies, Tucson, AR. 1990.
Soesman, Albert. Our Twelve Senses: How Healthy Senses Refresh the Soul. UK:
Hawthorne Press, 1990.
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.
Tiller, William A. “A Personal Perspective on Energies in Future Energy Medicine.” The
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Nov. 2004, 10(5): 867877.
Tolle, Echart. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. New York: Plume, 2005.
Tourin, Christina. Harp Therapy Manual: A Cradle of Sound. Canada: Art Bookbindery,
2006.
Vedanta Society of Southern California. “What is Vedanta?” 17 April, 2009 .
Westin, Barbarajoy. “Rose Crystal Meditation,” 14 February, 2009 .
Williams, Sarajane. “An interview with medical intuitive Sarah Weiss, MA, LMT.” The
Harp Therapy Journal. Winter 200607, Vol. 11, No. 4: 811.
