Death is more Humiliating than Terrifying

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Leska (resident forum death expert) wrote of her longing for death on another thread:

"...and a SOON one-way ticket outta here"

Leska, you are a very interesting resident here. My question about death is, I don't mind the concept and I look forward to the freedom and all, but what keeps me hanging around is, don't you think it is kind of, well, embarassing to die..., I mean - leave a stinky carcass lying around for others to clean up ?

For me, it is more an aesthetic problem than anything else...

-- Blue Himalayan (bh@k2.y), May 25, 1999

Answers

BH,

I remember reading a book several years ago based on the diaries of a Colonial American midwife. She oversaw the delivery of hundreds of babies, prepared herbal medicines for the sick, and attended the deaths of many of those who were ill. She also helped prepare bodies for burial on many occasions, something she referred to as a final act of kindness or something along those lines.

Truth is, life itself is pretty messy- birth is no picnic for the squeamish, and I won't even go into all the other stuff that comes in between beginning and end that's not too pleasant. And someone took care of all that for you, and for me as well. Someone will take care of the rest of it with love and regret at our passing too, or else they'll just shovel us into a hole and be done with it. Either way it won't matter to us. It's the impact on those we leave behind that matters. What would really bother me is if no one cared I was gone.

-- Lee (lplapinN@hotmail.com), May 25, 1999.


Hhhmmm. Thought I was being clear and concise on
http://greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000rrE
but maybe not clear enough.

Not a longing for death but an intense drive for liberation, salvation, permanent freedom in Spirit, oneness with God. Actually that is the opposite of death!

No embarrassment whatsoever in death, a process inherent and natural to Earth, but not our True Nature. Everybody experiences fear thinking about becoming physically dependent upon somebody else, especially strangers, and the attendant messiness of end-of-life decline. That is why it is a good idea to get hospice caregivers who have a strong spiritual focus and always see your holistic dignity shining above all else.

The Lord Himself washed feet -- we serve Him in all who are about to go face themselves and Him before the celestial Throne. We are servants of God, handmaidens to Death, ushers and escorts to the Door of Heaven. The holy vibrations are so powerful at this time that they far outweigh the ookiness. We are drawn back again and again to the Magnet of the Angel of Death who signals the Opening of Heaven to Touch Earth and the Coming of the Presence of God.

It is a tremendous sacred honor and privilege to witness a death, especially after the intimate bond of caring for that soul as he/she prepares to leave the body and re-clothe in the raiment of Light reflecting from God.

What keeps people "hanging around" is actually the pull of their unsatisfied desires. Desires, ego, bad habits, these put barriers between the Soul and total open constant communion with Spirit. Fear is a troublesome mental habit ;^)

I agree that living is quite messy and stinky, to use your word. If Y2K takes out garbage collection and sewage flow, this will become more apparent. Civilization now puts a pretty mask over much of the flotsam and jetsam of life. Y2K may shred and rip down that constructed veil. We pray it does not come down so badly.

A natural death will often leave the corpse looking beautiful. An unnatural death can be unsettling and hideous. Blue Himalayan, for better or worse all our bodies will die, so something eventually will be more insistent than mere embarrassment ;^) Nowadays the disposal of bodies is so efficient that there is no odiferous carcass to worry anybody, least of all the newly departed.
Y2K may change all this ...

I'm re-posting the quote in its full context so that it is not misunderstood:

"Hi Vic, it's not a matter of any one person accepting blame for mistreatment of any group. It's more a quiet knowledge of history and metaphysical laws, so that when payback time arrives, none of us feel too surprised or unexpectedly "picked on."

The common question "Why Me?" sometimes is answered,
"Because you were swept along with the mass current in a karmic payback cycle."

The personal responsibility each of us has is to learn from history and not perpetuate wrongs in our daily life. Kindness, harming nobody, being honest, praying, keeping in touch with our higher Self so that our conscience is awake and its guidance reliable.

Until we learn life's lessons we are stuck here, and there are *far* better places to be! So, intensely desiring liberation from the grinding wheel, I tend to look to history to learn lessons and thus expedite my permanent escape from this vale of tears. No axes to grind, no recriminations, just a tingling wide-awake awareness, watching as objectively as possible, and praying incessantly for God's Grace and intervention and a SOON one-way ticket outta here.

Can understand anyone's annoyance with imposed shouldering burdens they feel they had no part in instigating, or firm shove-off of guilt trips. At the same time, a calm realization of large unknown karmic debts can help a person take hold of their life with added vigilance and strong determination to forever throw off any latent troubles of simmering karmic seeds.

For mass karmic currents, prayer and community mitigation involvement are helpful. Which brings us back to neighborhood Y2K prep efforts, the focus of today's Hearings, and a subject covered so well in many archived threads.

I honor your feelings, Vic, and often feel the same. And I want out so badly I'm willing to explore the slim slim possibility that I may need to look at certain aspects of history and learn so that I not make or remake those mistakes and create more tangles and tentacles to bind me to earth and that shattering endless wheel."

xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxx

-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), May 25, 1999.


Leska,

My wife has a friend who will be leaving the body very shortly. She will be traveling to NJ this weekend to be with this friend. I'll print this thread for her.

Words cannot adequately describe my gratitude to you for sharing with us your divinely-inspired wisdom. Bless you & Ashton.

JG

-- Bingo1 (howe9@pop.shentel.net), May 25, 1999.


As I have said before, both privatly and publicly, both to A & L and to others in the Profession, "It takes a SPECIAL kind of person." THIS is only SOME of what I have found in Hospice people.

Chuck who has been enriched and comforted by this. Peace from Peace- full People. Thank you again.

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), May 25, 1999.


Thanks Bingo O:~)
May your wife have a blessing-filled weekend giving comfort to her friend. Good fortune for that friend!

Dying persons like quiet, soothing, heart-opening music in the background. They can't track TV any longer and have little to no interest in worldly affairs. Just sitting in a chair bedside, holding their hand, still (don't try to soothe by stroking: still), every once in a while gently reminiscing about good times, shared delights, and listening attentively to whatever the person wants to say ... these mean a great deal.

Crushed ice chips are a favorite. If the person is still taking soft food or liquid, a popsicle is appreciated. Cold in the mouth is refreshing because death is a dehydrating process, and cold relieves thirst better.

We have a totally cleaned Chloraseptic-type bottle which we use to spritz-spray plain water into the mouth, just a tiny spritz so no water will trickle down the wrong tube into the lungs. Every 15 minutes. Turning the patient side to side at least every two hours and aligning their body with pillow support is a MUST to prevent bedsores. This also relieves congestion a bit and helps with stiff achy muscles. Range of Motion, very gentle, helps too.

A cool washcloth on the forehead. Gently bathe each limb, one at a time, with everything else covered, then dry and lotion. Important to wash hair at least every 3 days; a no-rinse shampoo is available. Do frequent, every 2 hours, oral care with a toothette (little sponge on paper stick), swabbing out the mouth, gums, teeth, tongue, cheeks, upper palate, rinsing after each section. Cold water. Careful no aspiration.

Music therapy is so effective! We have 100s of very carefully selected tapes & CDs. Moods and nuances for every type. The best CD for dying in a blissful atmosphere is:
Amor Immortalis, by Patrick Bernhardt.
Highly recommended and worth it for anybody desiring heavenly music which opens the heart to God.

Of course there's also many awesome CDs for those who want to create a holy uplifting space while living ... :^)

What is so vital to realize is that a person is ALIVE completely until they are dead, and THEN they are even more ALIVE in another capacity. Respect, consideration, and acknowledgement of that vital holy life at every moment is essential. Even while in a "coma" the dying person is aware and can hear and sense everything. A good time to pray and send loving energy.

Ah, and then that transformation ... JG

xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), May 25, 1999.



Leska/Ashton, please list your top ten favorite cd's. Music is very important to me, too. I've got quite a few cd's, but only a few that it would hurt to do without.

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), May 26, 1999.

A & L.... Wow. I've never been pampered like that in my life. Neither have most people, unless they're stinking rich. If getting old & creaky meant getting that much constant attention & tender loving care, maybe we wouldn't all dread it so much.

-- another (sponge@bath.please), May 26, 1999.

For Tricia and all who love gorgeous music [therapy] imbued with the Holy Ghost:

Note: These are Calming Recordings:

Amor Immortalis, by Patrick Bernhardt, Les Production Multi-Cultures
Solaris Universalis, by Patrick Bernhardt, Les Production Multi-Cultures
Atlantis Angelis, by Patrick Bernhardt, Les Production Multi-Cultures
Mantra Mandala, by Patrick Bernhardt, Les Production Multi-Cultures
(he has 3 other new CDs out, haven't been able to get them yet; they may be very good)
Dvorak Requiem, Czech Philharmonic-Ancerl, Deutsche Grammophon
Faure Requiem, Rotterdam Philharmonic-Fournet, Philips
Brahms Requiem, Wiener Philharmoniker-Giulini, Deutsche Grammophon
Mozart Requiem, Wiener Philharmoniker-Bohm, Duetsche Grammophon
Rutter Requiem, Lond Sinfonia-Rutter, Collegium Records
Rachmaninov Vespers

Spirit of India, by Terry Oldfield, New World Music
Refuge, by Gabrielle Roth & The Mirrors, Boris Grebenshikov, Raven Recording
Mystic Dance, by Felix Maria Woschek, KoHa Music
Amba, by Felix Maria Woschek, Aquarius Intl' Music
The Essence, by Deva Premal, Same Boat Music
Secrets of Life, by Karunesh, Meistersinger Musik
Mantras, Magical Songs of Power, by Henry Marshall, Oreade Music
Ardas, Crimson, by Singh Kaur & Kim Robertson, Invincible Recordings
Vas, Sunyata, Narada
Vas, Offerings, Narada
Ishmael, by Ana & Normal Williamson, Kowhai Music Studio
Secret Garden, Songs From A Secret Garden, Philips
Secret Garden, Dawn Of A New Century, Philips
Deep Peace, by Bill Douglas, Hearts of Space

Ghazal, As night Falls On The Silk Road, Shanachie Entertainment
Sur Sudha, Festivals Of Nepal, Domo Records
Rhythms of Paradise, by Daniel Paul, Soundings of the Planet
Inner Voyage, by Alan Bachman & Aashish Khan, PO Box 3722, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110
Black Marble Sweet Fire, by Al Gromer Khan, Hearts Of Space
Alhambra, by Jon Mark, Celestial Harmonies
Ascension, by Dean Evenson, Soundings Of The Planet
Tibetan Horn, by Phil Thornton, New World
Savitri, by 2002, Dreamtime Records

Reiki, By Tina Allison, New World Music
Light Reiki Touch, by Merlin's Magic, Inner Worlds Music
The Silent Path, by Robert Coxon, RHC Productions
In The Presence of Angels, by Dik Darnell, Etherean Music
Bringers Of The Dawn, by Herb Ernst, BMI
Rainforest Magic, by Tony O'Connor, Studio Horizon Productions
Temple In The Forest, by David Naegele, Valley of the Sun
Messenger, by Scott Fitzgerald, Nature Recordings
Night of the Owl, by Hanneman & St. John, Madacy Music Group
Spirits, by Richard Stoltzman, RCA Victor
Angels of Venice, Epiphany Records
Dream Angels, Adelaide Symphony-Spigelman, Australian Broadcasting Corp
Nature's Ballet, by Dan Gibson, Solitudes Ltd

For starters ... ;-)

xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), May 27, 1999.


There is a new CD out by Patrick Bernhardt, titled Atlantis Angelis II. Different, and beautiful! How does he keep producing these exquisite recordings? Just got it last night, still getting used to it. Incredibly clear rich sound. All his recordings are amazing. We do a lot of music listening screening, and have to say nothing even approaches the quality of Patrick Bernhardt.

If you can get only one of his CDs, get Solaris Universalis.

There's another fairly new CD out of Bernhardt's titled Manuscrits du Silence. We love this! Whoa! It's more 'active' than the calming branch of his recordings, but our patients love it too :-) We listen to this one for hours on end, days + nights on end. WheeeeHeeeeee!

Even Ashton loves Patrick Bernhardt's recordings, which says a lot since Ashton is extraordinarily picky and fastidious about music. Fortunately our tastes run identical, except Leska likes the Webber Requiem, and Ashton likes Lisa Gerrard's pieces from Dead Can Dance, which Leska can listen to max 10 minutes, then flees :-) Talk about Doomer music!

While infrastructure and JIT are up & purrrrring, go somewhere and listen to demos of Patrick Bernhardt's recordings. Everybody should have this soul-awakening heart-expanding soothing uplifting experience at least once on earth ...

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 08, 1999.


Listening to Atlantis Angelis II non-stop since Thursday; it keeps getting better & better. Another one we'll NEVER get tired of listening to!

This is the absolute pinnacle of sound experience. A light-glimmering shadow of the Ecstasy of the Death Experience in music.

Heaven in the ears, expanding to the heart, rippling to every cell, tingling up the spine, opening lotus petals, rushing upward. Heaven.

Highly recommended is putting it too mildly.

@}->-- 3~0 3~0 3~0 3~0 3~0 3~0 3~0 @}->-- 3~0 3~0 3~0

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 12, 1999.



A & L, Thanks so much for the music list. And also thanks for all that you do. As Chuck said, "It takes a special kind of person," and you are both special.

Bingo 1, thanks for righting a wrong. I always liked A & L, but when I responded to the thread you mentioned, I was commenting on something earlier, and it sounded like I was agreeing with the poster. I was not, for this is two people I always admired on the old TB, even if I didn't think things were going to be as bad as they feared concerning Y2K.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), June 10, 2000.


A. & L. Thank you for your information. I happen chance to be involved with the family of a 20's something who shall soon leave this life. I brought music, but it was the now tunes which aggitated me and seem to do the same for the human of topic. Thank you, for your experience, since I have had none, in this arena.

-- Smooth Music (forthe@soul.com), June 16, 2000.

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