Celtic Spirituality, Music & the End of Life Journey: Ancient Roots and Modern Applications
Jeanne Martin, Ph.D. and Stefana Dadas
March 25, Noon

Music can be a powerful tool as people approach dying and deal with life's mysteries. This presentation will begin with a general overview of how music is being used in hospice care in our community. It will then focus on the particular relevance of music among ancient Celtic people, who understood the power of music as "medicine for the heart." A specific emphasis will be the harp as a sacred instrument in Celtic mythology and how it applies to hospice work. We will see how music, especially the harp, was seen as a portal to the Celtic Otherworld, the ethereal or supernatural dimension of music, and how these teachings are relevant to the stages of the dying process. We will discuss the mythological origins of the Celtic Anam cara, the term for soul friend for the end of life journey.

Jeanne Martin, Ph.D., mythologist/harpist, specializes in the role of music for psychological well-being and end of life care. She is a therapeutic harpist for the Elly Nadel Music Therapy Program at VNHC. Stefana Dadas, B.A., is a board certified music therapist and coordinator of the Elly Nadel Music Therapy Program at VNHC.