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Over the past two weeks, I’ve had the honor of witnessing the passing of two hospice patients I had been visiting for several months. Volunteering with the Hospice of Santa Cruz County for the past year has profoundly deepened my capacity to be with death and dying.
What strikes me is the transformation of the body during the final days of life. As the different organs and systems begin to shut down, the body undergoes significant changes. This transformation can be incredibly traumatic for those close to the dying person, as their features can become completely unrecognizable. Yet, there's a sacredness in acknowledging these changes and embracing the natural cycle of life and death.
I find solace in the belief that the body is a vessel that houses the Spirit (which can also be referred to as the Soul, Life Force, or Consciousness - the essence is the same). I believe we are all Spirit having a human experience, and how wonderful that we get to live through these masterpieces of art called bodies.
Each one is different and unique, yet all serve the same higher purpose—to allow us to “suck the marrow out of life,” to quote Henry David Thoreau.
As Spirit begins its separation from the body to return to the land of the Ancestors, or to One-ness with all that is, the body is no longer needed. When something has served its purpose, it can die in peace, knowing it did what it was meant to do. This natural process allows the human body to return to the earth from whence it came—dust to dust, as the old saying goes.
This experience is sacred, and my wish for us all is to face our fears around death so we can become better informed about what to expect and be more prepared as a result. By doing so, we can move past the fear and be present with the natural, sacred experience of life’s final transformation. Understanding and preparing for death allows us - the living and the dying - to live our final days with purpose and dignity.
May we embrace this ultimate transformation with open hearts, acknowledging the beauty and peace that can come from a life well-lived, and death honored as a sacred rite of passage.
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