We have unlearned Death

We have unlearned Death

People die in Hospitals or nursing homes. They don’t die at home any longer. We rarely have the time to take care of a sick or dying person hence we pay people to do it. And we pay people to take care of death. We are trying to stay as far away from the process of dying let alone exposing ourselves to deal with dead bodies.  We don’t sit beside a dead body, we don’t wash and dress the corpse. We show up when this whole process is finished and maybe we leave the coffin open to get one last look at the body that has been dressed up and prepared for us in a manner that we are able to bare.

We pay people to kill animals and process their meat into products that haven’t the slightest resemblance of dead flesh any longer. We keep death in a safe, bearable distance.  

Death is sanitized. 

We can’t respect, cherish and appreciate life if we try to shield ourselves from dealing with death. This is no “back to the roots” appeal. I just want to point out that we learn and understand things by touching them. That’s how Babies explore the world around them, touching, tasting, feeling. We can’t shield ourselves from the pain that is immanent in death however we can allow ourselves to get a better and more respectful understanding of life and we can give our grief an appropriate space by letting death closer to us.

What is gross about touching a dead body? We “dress” dead Turkeys at least once a year. We touch our steaks and roasts, we even eat that stuff. What is so terrible about having a corpse in the house until we are ready to say our final goodbye?

Understanding death is fairly impossible if we try to stay away from seeing the last breath, from feeling how all the sudden all life leaves the body. It not only detaches us from dealing with our pain and grief more important it takes a huge junk away from understanding and respecting life.

In theory we do understand that without death there is no new life. In praxis we have wandered far of the track. And by trying to avoid inevitable pain we have deprived ourselves of a precious experience.

Understanding does not take any pain nor does it make the grief any more bearable however going through the entire process fearless, with open eyes and an open mind will shed an entire new, beautiful light on living as well as dealing with the living souls on this planet. 

(c) Britta Goetz - Tiphareth Tarot&Astro