"Where is Thy Sting?" : on Death that is no more..

 

The fear of Death is prevalent in this world. Like a grim reaper, looming  with its scythe, it radiates an ominous vibe. It shows up, a visitor at the “trunk or treat”, utterly unaware that scary costumes are not acceptable at Primary activities.

  In the Western world encounters with death are rare. Unlike our ancestors, we are unaccustomed to be frequently parting the veil to bid farewell. And that significantly adds to our uneasiness with Death. In the telestial we hang on to mortality “for dear life”…As the world gradually descends into the turbulent chaos of tribulations and Death becomes a common occurrence for humanity, it seems important to revisit our perception of it.  

We treat dying with a sombre solemnity.  It appears to rob us of the presence of those we love and makes us poignantly aware of their absence. Like a child losing a baby tooth, all we can focus on is the pain of the hollow spot, unaware of  the emerging permanent molar that comes to replace it.  In reality, Death is nothing but a doorway into another dimension, a passage, not a passing, a conduit, not a blind alley. 

As eternal beings we do not begin our sojourn at mortal birth. Neither is it limited to one mortality or probation. There is a continuity in our spiritual maturing and growth we have not been taught about.  Life can not end any more than a beam of streaming light, finding its way through the stained glass window or in between the shutters. And we are just that, Lights, travelling through eternity, accruing further enLightenment on our journey. 

“DEATH DOES NOT EXIST" and with this knowledge, even the fear of it disappears!  No man who has existed has ever died. They have transformed into Light and as such they still exist,” said Nikola Tesla. Our Atlantean ancestors, whose primary faculty was not reason, but memory, had a better grasp of the continuity of Life force.  They did not assign the same significance to entering and existing mortality, as we do. Instead, they perceived all living things as a unified Flow. They knew of the law of Conservation of Light and Consciousness, which like energy, are safely nestled in mc2 . 

In the LDS culture the notion of family as a pemant unit that lasts eternally is propagated. But this and other beliefs don't seem to fit within the framework of Christ’s teachings. We stand over them, like a casket, unsure what to do with the remnants of these once unquestionable verities.

  Lodged deeply within our consciousness, some of these notions become a stumbling block to our awareness of our true nature and that of all our relationships. We grapple for permanence in the telestial. The security of a loving family  perpetuated forever seems comforting. It  feels grounding. In reality, it keeps us tethered to the status quo patterns of the old world and obscures our vision of the new one, the one soon to come. When loved ones pass away, we do not “ground” them by burial . We release them to return to God, the Source of All Light and Love, like glowing sky lanterns peacefully floating, ascending into the bosom of Eternity...

Letting go of loved ones can be traumatic, painful. We yearn to love and be loved eternally. And rightly so. It is our true nature - to love! But as the doors of mortality shut for some, leaving others on the other side of the threshold, we are overcome with grief. 

The world  equates grief with love at times. We have been told that if we don’t eternally mourn the loss of a loved one, somehow our love for them was not deep enough…But what is it we really mourn, the fact that they who were never “ours” went Home or that they have not remained, to continue loving us? For certainly, we can continue loving them, regardless of their status on the spectrum of eternity…

 Holding on to inconsolable grief disempowers, incapacities  and benefits none. The sting of death is not there for the dying, only for those that remain alive. Death is not any more painful than changing in and out of clothes. And, for all we know, to be physically born into the fallen world has more sting to it than dying…  

Our Heavenly Parents set a beautiful example of letting go, when they allowed Their Only Begotten Son, wade through the abyss of mortality and suffering. Their Love for HIm and all of us was infinitely greater than attachment or any form of fear (John 3:16).

Our mortality, as all things created,  has a carefully designed blueprint, we ourselves put together with our Heavenly Parents. It is intended to provide us with optimal opportunities for  growth and development. The thought that we intentionally included in our life’s experience adversity, loss or pain, transforms our perception from one of victimhood to the empowering Truth of being Creators and co Creators with God. We have planned for Death, pencilled it into the rough draft of probation, both as a glorious denouement and a prologue.

When and how mortality ends or continues for us or others, has been divinely orchestrated. Which is why there are many instances of NDEs, when those that have exited the premises of earthly life,  are invited to return, if their appointed time was not yet. It might require a tremendous amount of faith on our part not to regard Death as sudden or premature. After all, only He who “planted” us here knows the times and seasons that are ideal for His garden. 

The merciful nature of Death is overlooked. It comes to liberate from the shackles of physical pain and sorrow like nothing else can. Often it enters the classroom of mortality as an unrecognised instructor, who can see that the coursework of this life has been completed and it’s time to move forward, rather than drudgerously repeat the grade.

Other times, when the Agency of man is completely compromised by counterfeits of religion and self-proclaimed authority, when opportunities for true growth and learning are  all together relinquished and the Vine of Righteousness has no chance of survival among the weeds of control, falsehoods and violation, Death intervenes to provide a clean slate for God’s children. The destruction of all civilizations since times primordial has been just that… another chance to learn,a new beginning in a setting more student friendly. 

In the meridian of time Christ comes to lovingly look Death in the face and embrace it, making the possibility of merging the physical body with the spirit a reality, be it through resurrection or translation.  What He did is gloriously finished! Death is no longer the culprit. Only Darkness. Staying alive is not the goal. Only being alive in Christ!!!