The "D" Word and 2012

In contemporary culture, death is something that makes us deeply uncomfortable. We do not know how to think about it, be with it, even talk about it. And yet now we must learn, we must do our best to pull away from our fears and all the cultural conditioning we have around death. 

Even those of us who are very spiritual, and believe we are accepting of death, often come up with platitudes when addressing it. We comfort those in grief by telling them their loved one is just on the other side of the veil, that they have not really gone away. But often this is less than helpful, because the reality is . . .  even when we know this, we still miss our loved one terribly. Knowing they are in spirit form now, does not mean we don't ache for their presence physically.

Wanting to take the higher road, we gloss over the dark side of the person who has passed, wanting only to focus on our love and compassion for them. And yet we are all complex human beings and this does not change when we die. Even in spirit form we retain this complexity - the light and the dark. If we pretend that after leaving the body a person's spirit is suddenly enlightened and angelic, we may want to stop and ask ourselves why we are not okay knowing that the evolution of our spirit into the Higher Self continues to unfold even after death. 

I mention all of this because many deaths are now occurring, and we may see a continued increase in the numbers of people leaving their bodies in this next year. This is happening, and will happen, for a wide range of reasons, and I don't want to simplify the "why" with a nice, pat answer. Nor do I want in any way to imply that something catastrophic is going to happen. This is not the 2012 of Hollywood's making: a disaster movie of epic proportions. This is a transitional year, and with transition there is death and rebirth. The energy is very intense. For many this felt as supportive energy that moves us forward. But for those who are struggling, it can also bring them to a choice point, of whether to stay or leave.

Sometimes the death is physical, and sometimes not. Some have struggled long and hard with illness and are ready to be released from the confines of their body. Some have struggled with the issues they came here to work on in this life, and not making much progress they have decided to leave, do their work on the other side, and then perhaps come back again when the energy on earth is softer, less turbulent. But there are many, many other reasons, and as I said, I don't want to over simplify this in any way. 

The main point is that for those of us who are staying (most of us), we will need to move through the challenging emotions of loss and grief. In those cases where the death is not physical, we will instead be letting go of relationships, homes, or core paths we've been on (this of course has been going on for many in the past few years). We will be redefining ourselves and getting to know who we are in this time of transition. At the same time, much that is new, and therefore potentially disorienting (though ultimately wonderful!) will also be coming into our lives.

I will close with this passage from Lee Harris' 2012 message (italics are mine):

"You can choose how you want to be on Earth. You cannot always choose your circumstances or change things that have happened to you, but you can choose how you want to be. If you are in a great depression or a great disconnection from life; wondering why you are still here, know that this has been a common experience for many over the years. And know that you are still here because you are choosing to be. So get curious as to why. It is not hard to leave this planet. We can do this in many ways. Either through our own actions or “accidents” - the word we like to give these things as humans.

This is why living is so important and in our mind-led ways of being we have forgotten that we are a spark of life that is animating flesh and bone. And it is that spark of life which keeps us here. And the flesh and bone and the maintenance and support of these that allow us to do more."