Hi everyone! I've started a new eNewsletter, called Tunnel Vision, to share what I learned during my Near-Death Experience, from the guidance I connected with at that time, and from over 30 years of metaphysical study. Here's one of the two feature articles from the October issue. The other featured article is Mercury Retrograde-That Time We Love to Hate! (see links, below). I hope you enjoy it! - Ellyn (and look for my article in the December "Predictions Issue" of the Sedona Journal of Emergence!)
Halloween, Death, and the Thinning of the Veils
Halloween is upon us, that wonderful time of dressing up our alter-egos and taking them out on the town, bedecking our houses with orange and black, carving ghoulish grins on pumpkins, and collecting—or handing out—Tricks and Treats. It is a remake of the ancient festival of Samhain, the end of the harvest, the beginning of the "dark" time of the year, when the veils between the living and the dead are said to be very thin.
The fascination with Halloween, especially the ghosties and ghoulies part is, in itself, fascinating, given the fear and denial of death that is so deeply embedded in our culture. In fact, in the U.S., the whole idea of death is practically taboo, and it seems the only approved discourse about it is in terms of ghosts on Halloween.
Of course, death really is the ultimate CHANGE, and we humans really hate change, don't we?! On top of that, it seems that many people believe that the life of/in the body is the sum total of our life and existence, and that death is the final end, with nothing beyond that except oblivion and obliteration—everything about us wiped out in an instant. Others fear that death leads to a final judgment (often by a very harsh God) and, as a result of their (perceived) hideous sins, eternal damnation. No wonder we live in fear and denial, if those are the only two options!
Those of us who have had Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) can offer an alternate view. Thousands upon thousands of NDE accounts relate amazingly similar experiences of realizing beyond doubt that our consciousness lives on outside the body; of going to a place/dimension/alternative reality of unconditional Love, rather than judgment and punishment; and of being met by relatives who had previously died, who appeared vibrant, alive, and happy.
In addition, hospice workers the world over relate accounts of their terminal patients seeing and conversing with relatives who had died years, if not decades, before, who apparently visit with the patients to assure them about where they are going and, when the time comes, collect them and escort them Home.
How is it that we can revel in the idea of ghoulish earth-bound spirits who haunt the living forever, yet we scoff at the idea that our loved ones do, indeed, live on after death and continue to communicate with us and surround us in love? Or that we, too, will live on, in joy? I can only guess that people are so afraid of death that they will not believe anything but scientific "proof" that their worst fears won't happen. They would rather believe the absolute worst they can imagine than listen to hundreds of thousands of people who have had amazing, wonderful experiences after being declared dead and have come back to talk about what happened. Those NDE reports may not constitute scientific proof, but they are as close to "eyewitness accounts" about what happens when we die as anyone is ever going to get!
Other cultures embrace death as the natural part of life that it is, recognize it as a transition and transformation to another form and reality (rather like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly by shedding the chrysalis, perhaps?), and celebrate that their loved one is going Home. Why don't we?
Granted, there is nothing that can take the place of gazing into a loved one's eyes or sharing a physical embrace. And nothing can fill the palpable empty "hole" in the very atmosphere that is left when a loved one dies. But there can be great comfort in the knowledge and understanding that we are so much more than our human bodies; that we not only live on after death, but that we go Home to our true and natural state of Being; and that our "lost" loved ones are always nearby—only a thought away—and that they can communicate their presence to us, once we learn their new "language." That language can consist of their favorite expressions/ songs or their laughter floating into our heads, a sudden whiff of their favorite perfume, or even a certain type of bird showing up and chirping at us every time we think of that person. If we pay attention with an open mind, and don't dismiss the subtle evidence as imagination or nonsense, they will make their presence known.
The "veils" really are thinning, and perhaps it's time to open up the dialog about death, to look inside and reflect on what we really believe about it and why. What we believe about death has immense ramifications on how we live our lives, individually and collectively, and particularly how we treat the elderly and others who remind us of our mortality. It also has an enormous impact on how we deal with the losses that we all inevitably endure. Yet we must face it sooner or later: none of us will get through life without suffering the loss of loved ones and, in fact, none of us will get out of here alive... at least, not still in these physical human bodies!
So, as the merry-making of Halloween segues into the honoring and remembrance of what some observe as All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, it might be a good time to ponder things of life and death, what our beliefs about it are, and whether our beliefs support us in living our most meaningful and joyful lives.
And while we're at it, if we think fondly of a lost loved one, we might just be surprised to get some indication that they aren't "lost" after all, but really are still with us, in a less tangible form!
By Ellyn Dye - www.LionMagic.com
Article from Tunnel Vision: The View from Here, October 2013. http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1411874715
Past issues: http://www.lionmagic.com/Tunnel_Vision.html
