The Unborn

Death wears many masks but has no true face

“Thank you Shiv, (your article is) so profound! This is exactly where I am at the moment. Many years ago I thought I had my life and spirituality sorted out. Nowadays I realise I know absolutely nothing and right now this terrifies me. I worry about health, my own and those I love; I worry enormously about death and dying. Everything often seems dark and hopeless and I am definitely in a tailspin! I’ve felt like this for a few years now, ever since my sister died suddenly and unexpectedly. How do I see the miracle of life and not the terror? How do I make the freefall feel free like you describe? Does it just come out of the blue, or are there practical things I can do? Much love.”

.

***

.

“The bad news is you’re falling through the air, nothing to hang on to, no parachute. The good news is, there’s no ground.” - Chogyam Trungpa

Control is an illusion. And grasping for it is a sign that you are already able to sense this.

But something within is not ready to accept this evidence. And it is that which flails with fear, recoils with dread, and clings to thin air - even as you plummet.

We build our entire sense of self around that control mechanism. And when that mechanism begins to come apart at the seams - so does our sense of who we are begin to unravel. It is profoundly distressing and disorienting - to be sure.

But it is necessary.