Redefining Death: The Grace of Disincarnation

Death, that of loved ones and our own, is what many of us fear most. And being entrenched, invested, and incarnate in this three-dimensional space we call reality makes us believe what we see with our physical eyes. Our culture’s terrified of aging (conventionally defined as decrepitude which, however, needn’t be), obsessed with eternal youth (however artificial), and afraid of death.

Western culture views death as the end of a life that began when you were born. It’s a finite concept laden with pain, woe, and avoidance. I’m a mortal, too, likely like you so I don’t pretend to be all enlightened and perfectly detached when a loved one passes on. I’ll cry my heart out, doubt the heavens, and disintegrate in agony for some time. But I also know this to be true: our lives don’t begin when we pop out of our mom’s vagina, and it doesn’t end when we take our last breath. We’re souls, light energy, having a dense, bodily experience on planet earth.

Death needn’t be demonized as it’s often done in mainstream society. We can, and I think we must, muster the courage to share about the passage to the next realm in a kind, honest, and thoughtful way. I’ve been trying on the idea of our disincarnating rather than dying; it’s more than semantics, it’s a new way of living.