Posts Tagged ‘dying’

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In considering the concept of a continuum of consciousness that includes an afterlife, it is important to look to ancient civilizations, such as that of the Egyptians and Greeks, who had no problem in understanding their place in the cosmos. These early ancestors worshipped natural phenomena, such as the sun gods found in most cultures around the globe and believed that they too were part of a constant cosmic cycle of death and renewal. They lived in close harmony with the rhythms of the natural world, in which all forms of animal and plant life were, as they believed, connected. Through observing natural cycles, these people were able to make sense of the mysteries of birth, death and rebirth. They understood the symbolic analogy that nature provided, which enabled them to experience and feel a cosmic, numinous, sacred higher power that guided the workings of the universe. Life was considered to be a continuum of consciousness, controlled by a form of psychic energy that manifested in symbolic metaphors. It was during this period that archetypal divinities made their presence felt in human consciousness.

Nature provided and instilled a feeling of “oneness” with an expanded form of consciousness, because the natural world constantly had – and continues to have – the ability to renew itself and with every death, rebirth follows. This continual process symbolized the eternal life of the soul, and there were many examples. Each evening, the dying sun – often at its most luminous point – descended and set like a golden globe on the horizon. This is the place where the sky meets the earth, and a thin white line symbolizes the thinnest of veils that separates the visible from the invisible world. The moon was also constantly reborn, and renewed itself each month. Similarly, the shore of the ocean was hidden and then exposed by the turn of the unceasing incoming and outgoing tides, and the barren starkness of winter gave way to the reemergence of spring and new life.

As the memories of winter begin to fade and the days become longer, the subtle changes that are taking place in the change of season give us the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with this ancient wisdom. Through contemplating how the once barren landscape has become full of vibrant new blossom and foliage, we are reminded of the sacred analogy of The Tree of Life, which symbolizes creation, life, and return to the Divine, providing simultaneous images of the microcosm of the Self merging into the macrocosm of the supernatural realm. This metaphor found in many world religions can instill in us a magical sense of connection to the primordial origins and divine roots of human existence.

In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl who was imprisoned for three years in Auschwitz, one of the notorious German concentration camps, illustrates how this sacred connection could still be accessed, even in the most desperate and dire situations. As a doctor, he tried to tend to the sick prisoners and relates how he witnessed the experience of a young woman who was dying in the Nazi camps. Through the window of her hut, she could see a single branch of a chestnut tree that had two blossoms in flower, which comforted her, and she remarked to Frankl:

This tree here is the only friend I have in my loneliness. I often talk to this tree…It said to me, ‘I am here – I am life, eternal life.’

In modern-day Western society, sacred communion to the natural world barely exists, as the ability to maintain our relationship and sense of wonder with these symbolic images is no longer a part of human consciousness. We now try to control the forces of nature, for example: we attempt to clone life forms, and genetically modify crops and consequently view ourselves as set apart, rather than as being a part of the teeming life force of the planet. As a result, the ability to connect with our Divine legacy has been lost, and people are unaware of and unable to recognize the archetypal images that manifest all around them.

Unfortunately, the voice of the natural world and its divinities can no longer be heard. Swiss Psychiatrist, C.G. Jung described people as only being able to refer to a belief, because they had lost this primordial understanding. Jung lamented that today’s people no longer experience sacred connection to the natural world, and have no understanding of the real world that is alive in rivers, oceans, mountains and nature in general. As a result, they live their lives in exile, with only unconscious stirrings to remind them of their true purpose and ultimate destiny. In his book, The Earth has a Soul, Jung states: “Man feels himself isolated in the cosmos. He is no longer involved in nature and has lost his participation in natural events…his immediate communication is gone forever, and the emotional energy it generated has sunk into the unconscious.”

However, as we approach the oncoming spring solstice and can celebrate the spiritual meaning of Easter, which in Western traditions is symbolized through the death and resurrection of Christ, we also have the opportunity to journey inwards and reconnect with the powerful, symbolic imagery provided by the natural world to reflect on how rebirth in nature also powerfully symbolizes our hope of resurrection. This capacity for renewal was also illustrated through world mythology, for the ancient vegetation gods, such as the Greek god, Adonis, died during the summer solstice, as the sun descended in the west into the depths of winter and crossed the threshold into the darkness of the underworld. Fertility goddesses from many other cultures such as the Norse goddess, Idun, made similar underworld journeys. But although “death” claimed them for a while, at the winter solstice, the gods and goddesses were believed to reappear in the sky, when the returning sun commenced its journey in the south and heralded the promise and stirrings of regeneration.

Through meditating on these ancient myths and primordial images, we can recognize once more the soul in nature and remember that our own soul is merely clothed in the physical body, and emanates from the same life force that is visible everywhere in the natural world. This understanding can enable us to live life with a sense of purpose and meaning – as a joyful celebration of our existence – and help us become fully involved in the practice of conscious living and dying.

More about Annamaria Hemingway….

Annamaria Hemingway MA (ABD) is the author of Practicing Conscious Living and Dying, published by O Books. She is also a spiritual counselor and member of the International Association of Near-Death Studies. More info at: www.practicingconsciouslivinganddying.com

Kala and Annamaria Hemingway discuss her book Practicing Conscious Living and Dying on The Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show.  Listen in the archives here: http://exploreyourspirit.com/Media/shows3.shtml#HEMINGWAY

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