I feel fortunate to have a positive outlook on death and the final exit from this earth plane through having experienced the death of people who were close to me. In our western culture we live in fear of old age and death, and we go to the extreme of idolizing youth. We shut away or hide any reminders of the greatest loss that we all inevitably have to face at some time. The uncertainty of life, the not knowing when it will be our turn to leave this plane and the unknown that we face, is the most terrifying part of existence for most of us. We live in fear of death. How do we live fully, when every step is a step closer to dying? The spiritual healing journey is the path to understanding the meaning of life which in turn gives us the courage to embrace death and the unknown. No matter how many stories we hear about the afterlife, no one really knows for sure what happens next.
What I know for sure from the four times I have been in the presence of death and dying, is that there is a heightened experience of energy around the person who is dying, similar to the time of birth. When I gave birth to my daughter in the hospital, there was an energy presence of a room full of beings accompanying the soul of my daughter on her entrance into this world. I had this same experience around each of the four people I knew who died. In each instance, on the actual day that they died, there was an unusually beautiful uplifting feeling in the atmosphere for me. I will mention two of these incidents.
The night before my father died, he was in great spirits and very lucid compared to the previous weeks. We were not expecting him to die for a few more months. As I was leaving the room that night, he said my name in a very strong voice that made me turn around and look at him. Our gaze locked and he said a resounding, “Thank You!” to me. I was so taken aback; what was that about? It was like he was thanking me for being, for our whole life. It was shocking because my father was not very expressive. The next morning there was an upbeat feeling in the house; my dad was sitting up having a cup of tea and laughing with my mother, and my daughter and I decided to go out for ice cream. When we came back a few minutes later he had died. During the next few days for me, there was a very euphoric ambiance in the midst of the grief of his passing. There was that same feeling around, just as when my daughter was born, of being surrounded by unseen well wishers.
When my mother-in-law was in the hospital, she was in a drugged sleep most of the time. When the doctor came to visit, she would be all perky. The last time she saw the doctor, she said, “Why is it taking so long?” She was ready to die and was impatient to go. We took her home the next day. That night my sister-in-law sang to her and fed her ice cream. The next morning there was a beautiful sunrise; my husband and I went for a walk and saw a school of dolphins playing in the ocean close to the beach right in front of her house. It was if they came to pay their last respects; she volunteered as a docent at the aquarium for a while. The grandchildren arrived from back East that morning and they gathered around and sang to her. Her bed was in the living room and the house was full of family members. We were cooking and laughing while my mother-in-law lay dying; someone always at her side holding her hand. Amidst the laughter and the chatter, she died peacefully. We all gathered around, held hands and offered our last best wishes and sent her off.
Are we aware on some level of the time of our impending death and able to control when we actually leave? In my mother-in-law’s case it seemed she waited until all her family members were able to come from afar to pay their final respects. Here is a link to an interesting post from Dr Hamilton’s blog, From The Scalpel To The Pen, related to this subject.
Death is a natural part of life and must be celebrated, just as we celebrate birth. There is a lovely story that Thich Nhat Hahn
May we all live courageously and fully and celebrate our lives, so that at the final exit we are able to say that we have done what we can to leave this world a better place than we found it, for those we leave behind.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. When my mom lay dying, I knew we were not alone in the room. For a week, she stared up at a specific point where the ceiling met the wall. She was very, very focused. It was a bit eerie, but it was also comforting. I have no idea what she saw, but I knew that something was watching over her.
Hi Miruh,
Looks like we have the same theme. Have you ever noticed that people are obsessed with death? We will do everything to avoid it and in the process miss out on living. From what you have shared, it seems like you have a positive perspective on death and that’s refreshing. I do believe that some people sense when they are going to die and are sometimes granted a window to say what they feel.
Here’s to the celebration of life as in death.
I was convinced when my sister died that she had at that moment been reborn in another body. I had the feeling that the waiting for death was actually the waiting for the a new life to be born on this planet for her to enter into . . . Perhaps I had this feeling because she herself believed in reincarnation. But I think not. It was simply something that became real for me as she died. I mentioned this to a great niece – that the experience had felt like childbirth. This niece said she also felt that there was a similarity or parallel to the birth of her child and that is what she was experiencing when her grandmother died, that is, a birth like experience.
Thanks for a great thinking piece on the eve of All Souls Day.
Dear Seeker,
Thank you for that tender sharing of your mom’s death. I have heard similar stories and the loved ones, like yourself, felt comforted and uplifted in the presence. These stories help to assuage our fear of death.
Happy weekend.
Hi Alexys,
Tis the season to be spooked, death is the theme for a few blogs I’ve visited.
You are right, obsession with death is useful if we are trying to understand its deeper meaning, the value of our life and the inner mysteries. If our obsession is about avoiding death which is what our modern culture of consumerism is about, idolizing youth then we lose a depth of richness in facing life and death.
I agree, some people are aware when death is near, I think that it is a gift to be able to say goodbye or whatever has been left unsaid, it would be harder to communicate from the other side!
Stay out of the way of goblins tonite.
Hey Jude!
Fascinating! Your conviction must mean it is true, that your sister had reincarnated right away. We need to honor the gut feeling we get, especially at a time when we are so receptive such as during grief.
It is an affirming feeling when we have been through it, that death is the other face of birth; first we have to die to the old to experience the birth of something. The paradox of life!
Thank you for your deep sharing!
Happy weekend.
Definitely a thought provoking post. We should remember that:
” For dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Old Testament)
And..
“As a well spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death.”
Thanks for sharing your insights.
God bless.
Hello Surjit,
Good quotes! Thanks for your sharing.
Happy weekend!
Miruh
Miruh, thank you for these wonderful insights! One way to view this earthly existence is to believe the body is the machine that is driven by the energy of your spirit. I find that as I evolve and attune to energy inside me, the world around me is quite different. I relate quite literally to most of the stories you share in this post. It is wonderful to reassure your readers such that they might evolve to realize sensing energy in varied forms is quite natural. Popular culture paints fearful pictures of the other side as if to perpetuate fears already ingrained by conditioning. A process of deconditioning is what is needed so that people evolve at their own pace to realize they have no reason to fear anything inside or around them.
Hello Liara,
You are right, “A process of deconditioning is what is needed so that people evolve at their own pace to realize they have no reason to fear anything inside or around them.”
The process of awakening is to let go of fear due to ignorance and to open to the truth of love.
Thank you for your insightful comment.
Peaceful presence.
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