The following exercise is not a ritual or anything that needs to be respected step by step. It is a meditation, a contemplation on the nature of Death, which has been celebrated for thousands of years, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was celebrated all around the globe and in all religions. This might sound strange to some, celebrating Death, which is seen as a negative thing that most people fear and run from.
But, my dear friends, we all die… we will all experience it, no matter what religion or belief we have.
Death does not make exceptions. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Well, that is your duty to find out, and that is the purpose of this exercise.
As I was saying, it is a ‘process’ which all living beings experience. The problem is not the death act itself but the way we perceive it. There are very, very few people who would actually accept and embrace death as it is, though some would say they don’t fear it, many of them haven’t even been close to it. So instead of fearing all your life for something that is inevitable, I believe it is wise to get to know what exactly do we fear… but how? Well, a real and factual answer would only be death itself, which I don’t recommend to anyone who hasn’t done his role in the physical world. But there are some other methods through which we could get a better (yet not complete) picture of Death. However, before we learn about Death we should learn about Life. Many of us don’t actually live, we survive. We don’t really acknowledge we are alive, we are all too caught up in the mundane stuff or even rituals.
Stage I: Acknowledge Life
So, the first and most important advice I would give is to open up to ourselves and meditate on the things that make us alive.
How conscious are you of your breathing? Of course you know you breathe, but have you ever observed it closely? No, not during panic attacks. I mean, closing your eyes, breathing and trying to observe your breath and get to actually be aware of it. Try to observe it for at least 15 minutes. At the beginning it might be difficult if you don’t have experience in meditation or haven’t meditated in a long time. There will be many thoughts coming through your head… don’t force yourself not to think about anything, just ignore the thoughts when they come and get your attention back to your breathing. Observe, feel and acknowledge how the air comes through your nostrils and goes to your lungs, which expand and deflate. Observe how your living body works and understand how important your breath is. (tip: google “Pranayama”)
How about your heart? Have you paid much attention to it lately? No, not during amorous break-ups. I mean, closing your eyes, breathing normally and trying to observe your heart, how it beats, how it pulses your blood (life-source). Do this with all your organs or anything you want that makes you feel alive, including your sexual organs. Oh, your back hurts because you stayed too much in the same position? Don’t change the position just yet, try to observe… you have an itch? you wanna pee? you wanna sleep? That is your body, your LIVING BODY.
Perfect!
Stage II: Acknowledge Death
Now image yourself not having all these experiences. How would it be? Is it good? Is it bad? How does it make you feel?
Does death hurt? When? How much? WHY?
What happens next? How would you feel after your physical pain or sensations are no longer there? Is it good? Is it bad? WHY? How do you feel about it?
Have you ever seen someone dying? No, not in the movies, but in real life. What did you see? How did it make you feel? How do you feel now?
You haven’t seen someone dying, but you seen someone dead? How was it? What thoughts or feelings did it give you? Why?
A very big impact is when you actually carry a dead body in your arms, or at least touch it. Observe how it is, how it feels. It is a sensation that can’t be described, only felt.
Done!
I won’t tell you what idea you should come up with, because it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if it’s a good or a bad feeling. What matters is what YOU feel and think about it. But please, give it a little attention. After all, we all die. Even plants! Nature itself dies, right now, in October, on Samhain! The leaves fall, grains die, bugs die. And then… comes spring.
Only after you done these two stages you’ll be able (to some extent) to understand if and why Death is worth celebrating. But at least I’m sure it has to be respected and accepted and no longer feared. Death is also part of existence.
And pay your homage to the Dead! They know more about it than you do. If you have a dead relative that you haven’t visited recently, go there on the night of Samhain and do what ever you feel like doing there. But be one with Death…. you will be revived after that. Just like nature on spring, with the grass as green as ever.
Enjoy your experience! Happy Samhain!
Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.
Isaac Asimov
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