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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.
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.
Perfect!
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.