In my work with dying people and their families, and as I support my students, I see over and over again how difficult death is for us.
Part of the problem is, that in Western culture, we don’t really understand death, and so it ends up being much harder than it needs to be.
Death is hard and sad, that’s normal, but it doesn’t also have to be frightening and confusing.
Death is difficult in Western culture because we don’t have a full picture of what’s happening. Mainstream approaches basically only address the parts we can count and measure and see, and they exclude the spiritual and energetic dynamics of the process.
Those physical parts are real and important, but when we see death as only a physical phenomenon, we’re missing at least half the picture.
When we recognize that death is also an energetic process, a soul process, then we get a more complete picture. We can start to find and apply healing interventions that work at the energetic and soul level.
My online class, “Crossing the Veil” looks at what’s happening, spiritually, in the period immediately before, during and after someone takes their last breath. It offers a framework for a kind of “palliative soul care”
Palliative medical care is amazing for our bodies, and even our feelings, but it’s not enough. We also need a parallel process that supports our souls.
Our souls are the non-physical part of us. They’re the ineffable part of us that experiences meaning, beauty, and grace. They’re the unique essence of who we are. And they’re also our connection to the transcendent, to the Oneness.
Our souls are distinct from our physical bodies, and -when we’re alive- the two are absolutely interwoven. We know this in our language: we talk about the importance of “keeping body and soul together.”
Life in this dimension depends on body and soul being integrated. When there’s a rift or separation, it’s a problem.
Physical death is, by definition, the end of life in this dimension. The core experience at death is that separation of body and soul.
In order to offer soul-focused care, we need an approach that understands that the last breath is not the end of the process, and that we can support the person who’s died as they embark on that larger soul journey.
A big part of my work is to help develop that kind of soul-focused care.
If you’re interested in learning more about it, I invite you to join me in my class “Crossing the Veil”.