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Dying Consciously


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Dying Consciously – the Greatest Journey by Linda Fitch

Death is not a topic most people want to acknowledge, much less discuss. Yet it is the one thing we absolutely all have in common. As the joke is told, “no one is getting out of this life alive”. But ancient cultures and traditions have long believed that conscious death is possible. The message of the Greatest Journey is that we can come to the end of a life with grace, full of light.

A Brief History of Dying

The way we die has changed dramatically throughout the centuries. In the Middle Ages, death was a public affair. The community gathered at the deathbed. Not only was it a time when the dying person publicly bequeathed all his worldly goods to his heirs, but it was also an opportunity for family disputes to be settled. In the Victorian era, death was part of family life and the home. Death took place in the family bedroom, and the body was laid out in the family parlor; however, instead of the entire community being present, only family members were there to witness the person's passing.

In the twentieth century death was removed from the home almost entirely and shifted to medical facilities. This change happened most dramatically after World War II. As death moved away from the home and the natural cycle of family life, it took on a whole new meaning. It became a medical event, feared by all.

Teachings about the journey of death from many ancient traditions reflect universal themes that transcend culture and spirituality. The struggles, fears and concerns at the end of life are essentially the same: fear of the unknown, reluctance to leave behind loved ones, and a desire to cling to life.

There is a beautiful book by Richard F. Groves and Henriette Ann Klauser that addresses many of these concerns. In The American Book of Dying, Lessons in Healing Spiritual Pain they draw from the lessons found in the ancient books of the dying and offer answers to many of the universal questions regarding death.

Near Death Experiences

Plato, one of the greatest thinkers of all time, lived in Athens from 428 to 348 B.C. His writings on death are extensive and include one of the earliest references to an actual near-death experience. He referenced a Greek soldier who was killed in battle along with many fellow soldiers. The bodies were collected from the battlefield and laid upon a funeral pyre to be burned. The soldier awoke on top of the pyre and described what he had seen on his journey to the realms beyond death. There he had been told that he must return to the physical world to inform men what these other realms were like.

Dr. Raymond Moody has documented hundreds of experiences of individuals who have had a near death experience (NDE). Most near-death experiences have been reported over the last 30 to 40 years because prior to the advent of modern medicine, there was no advanced resuscitation technology available. “Bringing people back” is a fairly recent phenomenon. Today’s research shows almost 5% of the United States population has had a near-death experience.

There are many common themes between near death experiences and what is taught in ancient traditions such as Native Americans, Tibetans, and Buddhists. We can’t rely entirely on the experiences of those who have died and have been resuscitated, however, because they usually have had such a brief journey. Typically if some one is not resuscitated within 4-5 minutes it is no longer a near death experience. The ancient traditions of the Native Americans, Tibetans, and Buddhists offer the best references for the death experience based on accounts of those who have journeyed to the realms of spirit and returned.

Specific Steps

The great death rites practiced by the ancient traditions allow us to understand the kind of psychological and emotional closure needed. They provide specific steps to bring reconciliation and healing both to the loved ones and to the person dying. The purpose of the Greatest Journey is to teach the steps to anyone involved in the dying process so they can assist the person who is making the journey beyond death to do so in a peaceful manner, full of light.

Through the process, the loved one is encouraged to tell their life story in a new way – one that weaves together the major themes of their journey. This "life review" can be both tremendously healing and liberating for all participants. The family becomes sacred witnesses and supports the loved one in forgiving themselves and others. The family gives permission for their loved one to die – releasing them with love and forgiveness, which can promote healing for the entire family system. In this way, the deathbed becomes an oasis of peace.

The Final Rites are perhaps the most important part of this process, and ideally begin before a loved one passes. The energetic structure, which holds the unfinished and uncompleted emotional issues for a person, is cleansed so that a lifetime of dense material can be combusted. After death the soul is set free through a simple process of disengaging the chakras and releasing the luminous field.

Teachings from ancient traditions also include ways to assist those loved ones who may have died in a place of being over-medicated, unconscious, or not ready to die, including individuals who may have been in extreme emotional pain or have committed suicide. These circumstances require more advanced techniques. Trained practitioners say these techniques are the most gratifying processes they offer for families.

See DyingConsciously.org for additional information and the steps. In addition to the Dying Consciously Website you can order a free DVD with a brief overview and the steps. There are resources listed on the site to help all involved prepare medically, emotionally, and spiritually. Another key element of this program is a list of volunteers who are available to assist the individual or family through the dying process via the phone or e-mail.

The ancient healing techniques teach how to assist loved ones and friends to die with grace and dignity. Previously only a select few knew the steps and wisdom of how to assist someone through their final crossing. The Greatest Gift offers a message of hope that is possible to bring dignity and peace back to the dying process.

http://www.dyingcons....org/index.html

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Dying Consciously – the Greatest Journey by Linda Fitch

Death is not a topic most people want to acknowledge, much less discuss. Yet it is the one thing we absolutely all have in common. As the joke is told, “no one is getting out of this life alive”. But ancient cultures and traditions have long believed that conscious death is possible. The message of the Greatest Journey is that we can come to the end of a life with grace, full of light.

A Brief History of Dying

The way we die has changed dramatically throughout the centuries. In the Middle Ages, death was a public affair. The community gathered at the deathbed. Not only was it a time when the dying person publicly bequeathed all his worldly goods to his heirs, but it was also an opportunity for family disputes to be settled. In the Victorian era, death was part of family life and the home. Death took place in the family bedroom, and the body was laid out in the family parlor; however, instead of the entire community being present, only family members were there to witness the person's passing.

In the twentieth century death was removed from the home almost entirely and shifted to medical facilities. This change happened most dramatically after World War II. As death moved away from the home and the natural cycle of family life, it took on a whole new meaning. It became a medical event, feared by all.

Teachings about the journey of death from many ancient traditions reflect universal themes that transcend culture and spirituality. The struggles, fears and concerns at the end of life are essentially the same: fear of the unknown, reluctance to leave behind loved ones, and a desire to cling to life.

There is a beautiful book by Richard F. Groves and Henriette Ann Klauser that addresses many of these concerns. In The American Book of Dying, Lessons in Healing Spiritual Pain they draw from the lessons found in the ancient books of the dying and offer answers to many of the universal questions regarding death.

Near Death Experiences

Plato, one of the greatest thinkers of all time, lived in Athens from 428 to 348 B.C. His writings on death are extensive and include one of the earliest references to an actual near-death experience. He referenced a Greek soldier who was killed in battle along with many fellow soldiers. The bodies were collected from the battlefield and laid upon a funeral pyre to be burned. The soldier awoke on top of the pyre and described what he had seen on his journey to the realms beyond death. There he had been told that he must return to the physical world to inform men what these other realms were like.

Dr. Raymond Moody has documented hundreds of experiences of individuals who have had a near death experience (NDE). Most near-death experiences have been reported over the last 30 to 40 years because prior to the advent of modern medicine, there was no advanced resuscitation technology available. “Bringing people back” is a fairly recent phenomenon. Today’s research shows almost 5% of the United States population has had a near-death experience.

There are many common themes between near death experiences and what is taught in ancient traditions such as Native Americans, Tibetans, and Buddhists. We can’t rely entirely on the experiences of those who have died and have been resuscitated, however, because they usually have had such a brief journey. Typically if some one is not resuscitated within 4-5 minutes it is no longer a near death experience. The ancient traditions of the Native Americans, Tibetans, and Buddhists offer the best references for the death experience based on accounts of those who have journeyed to the realms of spirit and returned.

Specific Steps

The great death rites practiced by the ancient traditions allow us to understand the kind of psychological and emotional closure needed. They provide specific steps to bring reconciliation and healing both to the loved ones and to the person dying. The purpose of the Greatest Journey is to teach the steps to anyone involved in the dying process so they can assist the person who is making the journey beyond death to do so in a peaceful manner, full of light.

Through the process, the loved one is encouraged to tell their life story in a new way – one that weaves together the major themes of their journey. This "life review" can be both tremendously healing and liberating for all participants. The family becomes sacred witnesses and supports the loved one in forgiving themselves and others. The family gives permission for their loved one to die – releasing them with love and forgiveness, which can promote healing for the entire family system. In this way, the deathbed becomes an oasis of peace.

The Final Rites are perhaps the most important part of this process, and ideally begin before a loved one passes. The energetic structure, which holds the unfinished and uncompleted emotional issues for a person, is cleansed so that a lifetime of dense material can be combusted. After death the soul is set free through a simple process of disengaging the chakras and releasing the luminous field.

Teachings from ancient traditions also include ways to assist those loved ones who may have died in a place of being over-medicated, unconscious, or not ready to die, including individuals who may have been in extreme emotional pain or have committed suicide. These circumstances require more advanced techniques. Trained practitioners say these techniques are the most gratifying processes they offer for families.

See DyingConsciously.org for additional information and the steps. In addition to the Dying Consciously Website you can order a free DVD with a brief overview and the steps. There are resources listed on the site to help all involved prepare medically, emotionally, and spiritually. Another key element of this program is a list of volunteers who are available to assist the individual or family through the dying process via the phone or e-mail.

The ancient healing techniques teach how to assist loved ones and friends to die with grace and dignity. Previously only a select few knew the steps and wisdom of how to assist someone through their final crossing. The Greatest Gift offers a message of hope that is possible to bring dignity and peace back to the dying process.

http://www.dyingcons....org/index.html

How interesting. Thank you.

ModKonnie

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I am wondering what the Sophian view onconscious dying and preparing for ones death is when the end comes. I think thebest way to approach this great transition is the practice of transference ofconsciousness as described in another post in the order of St. Lazarus.

Meeting a person from a different spiritualbackground sparked this contemplation. I am wondering if practices from theirbackground resonate with Sophian teachings or if they are a distraction in ourview:

If one feels the end coming should the process bequickened by not eating and drinking? Is this a shamanic tradition? Is itpossible to find out the time of one’s death and what would be the value ofthis knowledge?

In the teachings on Keter in "Gnosis of theCosmic Christ" we learn that we can transcend our karma more or less onthe spiritual path and that our relationship to god can be likened to that of anovice chess player to a master chess player. So it seems that there is nofixed time of death and that free will plays an important role. It is alwaysgood to live as consciously as possible every day and be prepared for death inthat way. But can more be said about this topic?

I am looking forward to learn from other Sophianfriends.

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