This amazing Trevor Hall song, with complete lyrics on youtube, creates the tone for this blog entry.
Please give it a listen and allow yourself to be moved ~
'that there is a road far beyond
far beyond the streets & the cars
far beyond the clouds & the stars
far beyond what we call God . . .
well my body said just turn & run
but then I felt the light of the sun
in the heart that I thought had just died
started coming slowly alive
we awoke in the mansion above
and call it LOVE '
In part 2 of the Ram Dass video talk on my Inner Journeys Facebook page, he is sharing about conscious aging and conscious dying. He has worked with death and dying for years and through his talk he is sharing that the suffering we all potentially face when we move into aging and death are far greater if we hold the perception of attachment to the body, the ego identity, and clinging to what was. From his experience, this is what he says:
"I work with dying people all the time and those people who think they are their body are frightened. But when I work with those people who are connected to Soul, they understand that the body is dying, but they are not identified with the body that is changing. They enter the period of death and dying with equanimity."
He also expresses his belief that the time of becoming an elder is about consciously moving into the arena of exploring ourselves beyond the body and programmed mind. Sadly, one thing we can be sure of is that in mainstream society, support for conscious aging and dying is relatively slim. Even, as there is a progressive movement that sees the need for productive aging as a step in the right direction, which I also support, it is still externally focused. There is still an expectation that we remain 'productive' and 'active' in the outside world. The longer we can do this, then we are aging successfully.
It is so vital to stay healthy, engaged, being of service, living passionately, and learning at all stages. In no way does the philosophy of conscious aging/dying need to negate this quality of life. However, if we do not practice the inner connection, in conjunction, and listen inwardly to a deeper voice, we may only selling short our potential to bring a new depth and richness to our lives. We may also be setting ourselves up for more fear, suffering, and pain as we encounter stages of decline.
To do inner work consciously it is important that we accept that aging an death are realities that are ahead of us. That we will face changes in our body, our looks, our stamina. When our focus is honed on what is outside of us, how will we discover the riches within our beings? How do we age and enter the arms of death gracefully and peacefully? How do we learn to experience that we are so much more expansive than our body allows us to be?
This is a responsibility that Ram Dass believes, lies in the process of aging. We have to be the ones to choose consciously for ourselves, to explore beyond the realm of the tangible, the senses, the physical form. Particularly individuals who hold more fear can be helped to live more fully, when they are not as fearful of aging and dying!
All the mystical teachings, of all religions are preparing us for letting go into that which is greater than the personality we identify with. Pieces of this process can happen naturally as we age. When we see our elders letting go of preferences, when we witness them daydreaming peacefully, when we recognize they are sleeping more, when we hear them speak of loved ones who have died, appearing to them. These are all phases of letting go. This is how consciousness begins to expand. Some will fight this, some family and loved ones will want them to keep them 'attached'.
Letting go is one of the lessons, if not the biggie in all of life! We will either face surrender kicking and screaming, in pain and fear; or we will practice it as part of our life, embrace it with peace, joy and wonderment. We each have to make these choices for ourselves. Fortunately, there are so many paths, so many practices, spiritually focused or less spiritually focused, for each of us to explore to make our journey deep, rich, and joyful.
Conscious aging and dying is growing in momentum! Many are desiring to make their last years not only full in the external world, but feel the desire to connect more deeply in ones internal world. I am so thankful to be a part of that journey, for my own peace and for others.
You are invited!
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