Why is death so frightening for most people?

At this time of year, when the leaves are falling off the trees and things are ‘dying’ and winter is upon us, I am reminded of the natural cycles of life. Nature has so much to teach us. It accepts death as a natural part of life. It knows that it is merely a natural part of the ongoing cycle of life, death and rebirth. It knows this is a natural transformation of energy that is happening. Nothing is really dying for nothing ever really dies. As Einstein once taught us, energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed.  And, as John Lennon once said about dying, it is simply like getting out of one car and getting into another.

So why then are we so afraid of dying?  It may be due to living in a culture that has taught us to fear death. Every day we are bombarded with news that tells of all of the frightening ways people are dying and of all the ways we may become sick and die, etc.  This keeps us focused on the fear of dying and in a state of fear in general. Because it is so frightening, we push death away. And, to top that off, many of us were told that we are sinners and if we are not good enough in life, that we will be judged and may live in the fires of hell for eternity when we die.  No wonder we have these fears of death!

So, we focus on youth and do anything we can to hold onto it. We compartmentalize our elders into ‘senior citizens’, often looking down on them, and do not embrace their beauty and wisdom as the revered elders, grandmothers and grandfathers of our society.  Instead, we do whatever we can to push away anything that reminds us of the impending ‘doom’ of dying.

These ways of looking at death are how we have been programmed throughout ages of conditioning and beliefs.  What if we dropped these old beliefs and ways of looking at things and chose to perceive and create a new way of looking at the transition that takes place at the time we call ‘death’? How would this change our lives and our world?

How would your life be different if you were taught to embrace dying as a part of life?  What if you turned dying into a celebration of an incredible transformation where you are simply moving into a new way of being and expressing? What if you realized that ‘life’ does not stop with the ‘shedding of your skin’, the breaking free of the cocoon or chrysalis, and moving out of the body to soar in a whole new way? You may not comprehend what that looks like just yet. What if that was okay?  What if you learned to embrace this change, and all change, as a new adventure? What if you opened your heart, mind, eyes and arms to welcome these transitions with the wonder of a child discovering something new?

What if in death, we celebrated life? Nature teaches us this and many things if we take time to listen. The fall leaves turn to brilliant colors to celebrate life as they are ‘dying’. What a glorious celebration and honoring of life! Nature knows life will be reborn and that the ‘dying’ leaves are simply energy transforming to a new state of being. It is a part of a perfect infinite life plan in action.

From what I have experienced, both in my own mystical experiences, and with communications from those close to me who have passed on, both directly and through various messengers, I have absolutely no doubt anymore as to whether our Spirit lives on. Knowing this helps me to not fear dying, rather to embrace it as another amazing part of our miraculous lives.  And the interesting part is, once I embraced dying, I so much more fully began to embrace life!  I recognize it for the true gift that it is, an amazing human experience along my Soul’s continuous journey. Each moment and each experience is an incredible blessing.  And everything is unfolding just as it should be.

Osho tells us that is the definition of enlightenment – knowing everything is as it should be and is perfect just as it is. When you step into this knowing, you begin to feel like you are no longer missing anything.  You realize you are not separate and are a part of this miraculous, beautiful whole where you feel like you are at home. You celebrate joyfully as there is no more worry about dying, for you realize there is no more possibility of death. And another beautiful thing happens, you begin to finally love YOU, just as you are right now in this moment!

“This is what enlightenment is. It is the understanding that all is good,
that all is beautiful – and it is beautiful as it is. Everything is in tremendous harmony, in accord”.
(Osho, The Fish in the Sea is Not Thirsty, Talk #14)

Imagine how you life would look and feel if you choose to change how you perceive dying? What if you were no longer afraid of it? How will this change how you live?

Donna Packard, M.Ed., Spirit Blessings Coach
www.IgniteYourDivineNature.com