Death Meditation

Meditations on the subject of death are meant to dissolve fear. Fear is a powerful energy keeping us unfree. How do we overcome fear? Well, by exposing ourselves to those things terrifying us most, by getting to know them and therefore stopping to be scared by them. Thus, let us have a closer look at death, let us deal with it, let us get to know it a little better.

Exercise:

• Relax, feel the silence within, and imagine you got 6 month to live from now on. Make it as real as possible and let everything be that wants to show up in that situation. That might be fears, worries or even relief. No judgment, just observe. Stay there for a while and watch.
• Then imagine you got 4 weeks left to live. What changes? Stay there for a while.
• Then imagine you got 1 day left to live ...
• and then imagine you got 1 hour ...
• and, if you like, then imagine this being the last moment of your life.

Annotation taken from the stories of Anthony de Mello: A priest reported about a dying person. He sat by his bedside and the dying man told him: '6 month ago the doctors told me I got 6 month to live. This has come true, now that I am about to die. These past 6 month have been the happiest of my life. Why? Because I started to live. I was dead before. I dropped all the stress, the fear, the pressure of life and I even dropped hope. Happiness and ease emerged automatically and I started to enjoy every single moment.' He had let go...

These mediations given here are meant to help discovering this ease, this innate happiness, to discover life itself and live it more intense and perceive it in all its beauty. Even if it seems paradox, and we would rather deny death and push it aside as far as possible, it is what reconnects us with life. If we stop suppressing what we fear we are free.

Expose yourself to those things you fear.
After that, fear loose its power. Fear vanishes and you are free.