Bridge: The Way of the Spiritual Traveller
A musical journey from the mystical traditions of the Middle East
a collaboration of Neil Douglas-Klotz, Abraham Sussman and friends
“The world is a bridge. Walk on and over it, but don’t build your house upon it.”
– traditional Sufi saying attributed to Jesus
Bridge follows the way of the traveller through the peaks and valleys of the spiritual path. Through the ages, mystics in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions have described the stages of this journey in metaphor, poetry, story and song. Bridge finds its place in this long tradition. It follows the modern “pilgrim’s progress” as a seeker, dervish or spiritual nomad confronts the desire for guidance, meaning, love and purpose while simultaneously meeting the challenges of life’s natural confusion, grief and loss. Bridge is not organized by spiritual prayers or texts, but rather by the process of life. Most of the phrases used come from the sayings of Jesus in the Aramaic language, which I have previously translated, supplemented by traditions of the Sufis and Jewish mystics.
It was a blessing and a joy to collaborate again with Abraham and Halima Sussman, as well as the team of musicians who joined us, several of whom contributed to our previous recording Beginnings. Without Abraham, the project would not have got off the ground, nor followed its way to such a graceful and beautiful fulfillment. May we continue to travel further together, walking the bridge, passing through and beyond who we think we are.
–Neil Douglas-Klotz
Warning: The mp3 files here are in a digital archive (.zip), which cannot be downloaded directly to smartphones, iPads, Chromebooks or tablets. Download your choice to a PC or Mac computer first and then transfer the files to your phone or portable device. Please verify that your equipment is capable of downloading and playing standard mp3 files. Please determine first where–into which folder or location–your computer downloads files. Usually your internet browser will tell you or ask you where they should go.
Play a sample:
- The Shepherd of Ripeness: Inana Raya Taube: 3:54
- The World is a Bridge: Ad-dunya qantaratun/Subhan Allah/ Saba Ana: 4:20
- Ave Maria in Aramaic (Shlama l’ki Maryam): 4:40
- A Blessing of Trust and Creation: 5:18
- Meeting Grief and Loss (Second Beatitute in Aramaic): 6:06
- Love as Strong as Death: 4:58
- A Blessing of Work and Rest (Alaha Nyach): 4:32
- A Prayer for All Healers: 3:01
- Going Through and Further (Alaha Abaru): 3:43
- Following in the Caravan (Ina d’tayeb): 4:54
- Ripeness for the Next Spiral of Life (Inana Raya Tauba): 3:04
Text references: Books by Neil Douglas-Klotz: Prayers of the Cosmos (POC), HarperCollins 1990; Desert Wisdom (DW), Harper 1995 and Abwoon Resoure Center 2010; The Hidden Gospel (HG), Quest 1999; Blessings of the Cosmos (BOC), Sounds True 2006.
(*Any remaining stock of the original CD can be purchased by enquiring at: legacyfulfillment@abwoon.com)