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Remembrances of John Mack | links added daily to this section
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Dear Friends,
I write this with deep sadness and tears at John's passing and with even deeper appreciation to know and love him during his life. My prayers and support go to each of you.
I received the news while in our annual international meetings here in New Mexico. I could not continue the meeting.
I asked all participants - yogis and tachers from every continent - to stop with me. We chanted a powerful sound, one I had taught John years ago, that awakens and guides the soul in passing. It was a tangibly potent, respectful and quiet space. I am sure our prayers join those of the thousands of other souls he has touched in his life. My own spiritual teacher would say that when we pass through the short transition of death the only clothing we wear are the ones woven from the fabric of kindness we spun in our life and stitched together by the tears of the spirits we inspired. So I know he is well clad.
For over twenty years we shared moments of creativity and inspiration in our talks together. Always a blend of vision, heart, philosophy and practical actions.
He often said I acted as a spiritual guide so he added 22 years to my age so he could speak to an elder. It became a running chuckle between us.
One thing we did was share writings and poems from time to time. Here is one I wrote that I wish to share:
We stand before the Infinite
At One with being just one
At first all is a journey
Until gradually, like a perfect dawn
we become the destination
We admit the visit of the spirit
We open to the limitless in our sweet, timorous way
We get busy preparing our mind and body to welcome
The intrusion of the subtle
The kiss of the Divine
The reality of that embrace
In the earthy tangle of each moment
Then it is done
There is a ripening ecstasy and calm
That finds a friend in every atom and movement
Of this universe
We are finally home
In love
In humility
In our timeless body that knows no bounds.
He and I would enjoy these types of sentiments together.
In our Sikh Tradition the way we honor a person of respect and love is to do a continuous three day prayer - three 24 hours continuous. I am sponsoring such an event here in New Mexico in our most sacred spot over the next few days.
I am with you all in this time.
Blessings
MSS Gurucharan Singh Khalsa
Gurucharan S. Khalsa, Ph.D. is recognized internationally as an expert in the application of meditation and Kundalini yoga. He trains therapists to use meditation effectively, is director of training for Kundalini yoga teachers, maintains a broad counseling practice for 25 years and is an author, professor and researcher. He bridges the perspectives of east and west, of the heart and science and of the personal and the transpersonal.
Jeremy Wilson
(Vice-Chairman of the T.E.Lawrence Society)
Reprinted from the T.E.Lawrence Studies discussion list (hosted by GWU)
As some of you will already know, John E. Mack, our principal guest at the
T.E.Lawrence Society Symposium, was killed in a road accident in London on
Monday evening. There are reports about the accident on the Internet. It
seems he was struck down by a drunken driver.
I last saw John after the end of the Symposium on Sunday afternoon. Later,
Nicole talked to him in the lodge of St. John's while he was waiting with
his luggage to be collected. He had told me he was dining that night with
an Oxford friend from the period he had spent researching Lawrence's life
at the Bodleian Library. I do not know what he planned to do on Monday.
I cannot find words to express what I feel about this news. The things that
immediately come to my mind are, perhaps, inconsequential.
John told me during the Symposium that he felt very emotional (those were
the words he used) about this homecoming to the world of T.E.Lawrence
scholarship. I and others had the impression that he was in some way deeply
happy. In advance, he had been apprehensive about speaking to an audience
that was probably better informed about the details of Lawrence's life than
he was, after so many years. Those fears were unfounded, as he quickly
realised. He took part not only in the scheduled sessions on Saturday, but
in the question panel on Sunday morning. Throughout, he spoke with great
intelligence and empathy. The effect was spellbinding.
Those who heard him talking about Lawrence and his own current interests
will understand the words of a colleague, reported on the Internet, "John
was one of the kindest, most compassionate mental health clinicians I have
ever met."
I noticed that at one point John referred to the death of his father,
Edward Mack, which occurred while he was working on 'A Prince of Our
Disorder'. I think he said that his father - a specialist in a different
academic field - had taken a keen and supportive interest in the project.
Somehow, as I told Nicole afterwards, this reference seemed to me to have a
deeper significance for John. Edward Mack also died tragically - killed, I
think, by a passing vehicle while changing the wheel of his car.
Sometimes, when you meet a friend after a long interval, they seem to have
changed. The element in their personality that you liked has gone. When I
met John on Friday morning, the intervening years simply disappeared. The
friendship we had known a quarter of a century earlier was unchanged.
My heart goes out to his family. He will be mourned by many, many friends.
Jeremy Wilson
George Pagliero
I'm sure you have been deluged this week with messages of condolences, such was the stature, influence and popularity of John that he had friends and admirers all over the world. I would just like to pass on mine to his family, to Daniel, Kenneth and Tony, to Mary and to Sally.
As a student of history I was influenced greatly by his biography of T.E.Lawrence, and later as a television producer lucky enough to talk with him at length over Lawrence and entice him to England to appear as a major interviewee in our documentary 'Lawrence of Arabia: Battle for the Arab World', which aired on PBS in 2002. We were enthralled with his original and intelligent interpretations of this complicated character and delighted with his contribution.
When we heard John would be speaking at the T.E.Lawrence Society Symposium in Oxford this weekend gone - to which the documentary's director, James Hawes, and myself were also invited to speak - we were delighted. He had impacted on our lives in a very positive way and it was very special to see him again and chat about a subject that clearly fascinated us all. To hear of the accident this morning was a bitter blow and I am still struggling to take it in. John was the last person we talked to in Oxford before we departed. He seemed so radiant and happy and genuinely pleased he was over here and mixing in the Lawrence world again and this was, I think, infectious. Everyone wanted to be in his company. I even spied eminent Lawrence scholars asking John to sign their books. We were all humbled by his presence. The warm reception he received and the generous applause he was given show the mark of the man. He was greatly respected and will be sorely missed. My heart goes out to his family and friends. may he rest in peace.
George Pagliero
London
30 September 2004
Dear Sir/ Madam
My wife and I write to express our deep shock and sorrow at the tragic and utterly needless death of Prof Mack
in London earlier this week; and to convey our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
Last weekend we were at the TE Lawrence Symposium at St John's College, Oxford where Prof Mack was the guest
of honour at what was his first, and now tragically only, attendance at this bi-ennial event. All of us who
profess to know something of TE Lawrence scholarship recognise the huge contribution that Prof Mack made with his
book "A Prince of Our Disorder - The Life of TE Lawrence" published in 1976. Many of us were there with the
original and now well-thumbed copies which he graciously signed for us.
Everyone we spoke to at the Symposium, and since, agree that this was the best of the eight Symposia the TE
Lawrence Society have held. This was undoubtedly largely due to Prof Mack's charming, unassuming, modest and
friendly approachable presence throughout the weekend. It was also due to the profoundity and wisdom of his
perceptive observations and discussions on why he became interested in Lawrence, and why Lawrence remains relevant
and important to current world, and especially US leadership, particularly with regard to the current grave
tensions and difficulties between the West and the Middle East.
By chance, my wife and I happened to leave the Symposium when Prof Mack did and we talked to him at some
length. He said that he had very much enjoyed the Symposium and wanted to come back again. He also expressed a
desire to explore further TE Lawrence's spirituality. That he will not be able to do this is a huge loss.
All the members of the TE Lawrence Society are deeply upset at this tragic accident. Those of us who had the
good fortune to be at the Symposium last weekend will give thanks that we had the opportunity to meet Prof Mack
but our acquaintance just makes us appreciate what we have all lost.
Yours sincerely,
Pieter & Dominique Shipster
Shefford, Bedfordshire
England
I knew John from my work as director of the screenwriting programme at Boston University. In our course on sacred drama, which deals with cosmic and personal mythology, his Passport To The Cosmos was studied. John addressed my very large class, and was forthright, charming, intelligent, and disarmingly honest about what he knew and did not know. His humanity, compassion and solid science made themselves felt in that classroom. He was a perfect definition of the best of the methods of science and of academic discipline.
Because of the nature of his work, he made enemies in his profession, and in academia. But by his behaviour during the Harvard debacle, he proved himself to be tougher, more rigorous academically, and more the gentleman than political elements of that body of learning had themselves evinced. He won; they did not.
Steve Geller
Professor of film
Boston University
Oct. 9, 2004
Dear Friends:
We met John in September, 1951, as we entered Harvard Medical School, and maintained our friendship visiting back and forth between Arizona and Massachusetts through the years. We never were involved in his professional life, but knew his family, many of his friends, and much of his extraordinary life. We are shocked and acutely bereaved by his death. He visited us last spring and wrote a great letter to us a few days before his death, glowing with the description of his son Ken's marriage in Boston and of plans to attend the second marriage ceremony in Kazahkstan.
John was unusual in many ways, and these attributes were uniquely his from an early time. He was attracted to new ideas and reveled in exploring them. He was delighted with the new ideas of others, without jealousy. He enjoyed argument, too, but usually friendship survived disagreement. The amazing thing was how many people he could maintain a close relationship to, how many people thought of him as a special friend. Thanks to an awesome memory, he could "take up where we left off" with friends he hadn't seen in years.
One of his most impressive characteristics was revealed in one-on-one conversation. He listened better than anyone we've ever known - whether to friend, patient, adult or child. One felt important, interesting, and cared for in his presence and by his existence. We will miss him terribly. Our love and sympathy go to his family and we share the grief of the many others who loved and admired him.
Sincerely,
Georgiana Sykes Boyer MD & John T. Boyer MD
The Final Gift From John E. Mack to You
I did not physically know John E. Mack, and the reason I use the word physically and not personally is because it was nothing but personal. When my life was instantly flooded with the realization of a lifetime of unknown visitations,my mind was swept with confusion. Madness suddenly fixed it stare upon me. Moving in rapid circles, with no signs of relaxation or destination, I sought help through John E. Mack's research institute. The people there were extremely helpful in assisting me and finding persons in my area in which I could confide in. But the one thing that gave me hope and always put my mind at ease was the very presence of John E. Mack himself. To have someone with his heart and status among us was refreshing. His presence alone gave me the proper tools and methods against the madness.
When I heard about the loss of John E. Mack I was swept with extreme emotions and realizations. My heart dropped, my eyes filled with tears, and fear once again came rushing in. I thought,' This is it. He is gone. Now they will devour us, spit us out, sweep us, again, under the carpet, and pass us off as ridiculous and impossible.' I was lost once again.
But just as quickly as those emotions came, so did my realizations: Life is fragile for a reason. It is so to strengthen the spirit. Any person who has been through a traumatic experience either consciously or subconsciously understands that when it happens and when we recover, the foundation of our very selves are stronger and have the necessity to move on and face what is next to come.
Why was this happening so bizarrely fast? With the loss of Betty Hill, John E. Mack, and the sudden illness of Anne Strieber I was feeling a closeness that one would toward his own family. And being on the outside, with the heartbreak I felt, I can't imagine the pain of all the families and friends to whom this is all happening to. My love and positive thoughts go out to you all.
John E. Mack had so much to offer. He had helped so many people face any aspects of difficulties in their lives. This is where the realization of his gift comes in. With his loss we will not be swept under the carpet. With his loss we will only become stronger, closer, and more determined. The spirit of John E. Mack will live forever in our hearts and minds. So take it. Use it. Give his passing ultimate purpose. With his death, John E. Mack has embraced our foundation and has made it that much stronger for us to move on. So there it is for us all; the final gift from John E. Mack to you.
Sincerely with love,
Phil - A California experiencer
I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to interview John Mack
three times. Excerpts from these interviews appear on my web site
(www.mavericksofthemind.com) and in my forthcoming book *Conversations
on the Edge of the Apocalypse* (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005).
John was one of the most brilliant men I've had the opportunity to
interview. He was also one of the most compassionate and open-minded men
I've ever known. John opened my mind to a wealth of new possibilities,
and he expanded my sense of reality. He was overwhelmingly generous and
a wonderful heart. He did some of the most important scientific work of
the twentieth century, and he helped many many people. He had an
incredible memory and was an amazingly talented writer. His passing is a
great loss to the world.
--David Jay Brown
I was fortunate enough to work with John for almost 2 years with PEER. What I remember most about John was his quietness - which I found out meant he was always listening - always taking everything in. He came to see my plays and we would have very in-depth discussions afterwards. John was a gentle soul and his mark will be felt on this world for years to come.
Tom Ryan
We would also like to acknowledge Budd Hopkins' moving remembrance of John Mack, spoken on Tuesday evening's Coast to Coast syndicated radio program.
Links to tributes on external sites (please click to vist each)
Read author Whitley Strieber's remembrance of John Mack (click here)
Read singer/songwriter Stuart Davis' remembrance of John Mack (click here)
Read attorney Michael H. Cohen's remembrance (click here)
Read author Michael Mannion & Trish Corbett's remembrance (click here)
The Daily Grail: Tribute to Dr John Mack (click here)
Many in the field of UFO studies have sent messages of appreciation to the UFOUpdates Discussion List (click here to read)
Scholar Robert Jay Lifton's comments on National Public Radio (click here)
Suzanne Taylor's remembrance of John Mack, with excerpts from Dr Mack's book Passport to the Cosmos (click here)
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