Preparing the Soul for Death There seems to be a quiet revolution taking place in the world concerning how people die. Many wonderful enterprises now exist for caring for the dying in ways that help the person cross the threshold with ease and, hopefully, consciously. These efforts take many and varied forms and are carried out from many different points of view - Buddhist, Anthroposophical, Christian, as well as the Hospice movement and medical care. These efforts are all oriented toward caring for the person after the announcement has been made to the person that he or she is dying. Then the preparation begins. These concerns are a great advance on meeting death face to face and dispelling fear. At the same time, there is the perpetuation of the notion that death is a terminus, even though it might now be imagined as a transition to the Great Life. Death is nonetheless imagined as the end of earthly life; it is, but it is an ending that is happening each and every moment. We are dying a little each moment. What does it mean that death is not felt as happening each and every moment? Can we adequately prepare for death only once it has been pronounced on us by someone else? Rudolf Steiner has said that only human beings die. He was obviously not talking about the mere cessation of life. He was talking about what most essentially defines the human being as a being of body, soul, and spirit - the capacity to be with our dying in a conscious way all through our lives. In past times, people had to live with their dying. Death had not yet been made invisible. People died at home. People even often knew when they were going to die, way before there was any illness; they had a sense that it was happening. But that was when people died of their death and not of a disease or illness that was pronounced on them. Death also took place publicly as many diseases and plagues made hiding death impossible And, most importantly, there were contemplative practices concerned with meditating on one's death. We feel enormously grateful for the advances in medicine so that we do not have the constant presence of death looming before us. However, the true meaning of this advance may have gotten lost. It means that we now have the freedom to be with our death or to lull ourselves into self-forgetfulness. The presence of death is not forced upon us anymore. In spite of the fact that we all intellectually know that we will one day die, we do not live within this experience; it now has to be a conscious soul work. The soul work is not to morbidly contemplate death but rather to daily release the imagination of things that we are attached to. This act of dying to something every day then opens the soul to be concerned with other qualities, qualities that come when the soul is open to the spiritual worlds. Here is an exercise on what it is like to die to something everyday: On ten small sheets of paper, write on each sheet, one thing that is very important to you in life. It can be a relationship, a material thing, something you do, and it can also be something of a more subtle nature, like for example, daily meditation. The ten things will probably include many and varied things. Then, having mixed the ten papers, take one, read it carefully, and then make an inner image of the item written on the paper. If, for example, the paper has written on it "reading", then make an inner image of actually reading a book, being fully engaged and enjoying reading. Then, wipe the image out. This is an act of dying a little to that activity. We are not suggesting that you eliminate reading from your life. Rather, the object is to become aware of how you are attached to that activity and release that image-attachment. Then, notice carefully what it is like to give this thing or experience or connection away and how that give-away opens the soul. Do this with each of the ten things on the paper. After this initial exercise and becoming more accustomed to the initial feeling of loss and emptiness, but also to the clear opening of the soul to the spiritual realms with such release, then each day, upon awakening, make a clear inner image of something of importance to you. Then, release the image from consciousness and, for a few moments, stay in the inner emptyness. In past times, the contemplative tradition engaged in practices such as these in order to keep the soul vital and open to the spiritual realms. Here are some of the inner qualities of experience that develop over time through dying to something every day. A deep inner feeling of forgiveness comes. Forgiveness may well be the greatest of all spiritual mysteries. We do not earn it; it simply comes as a grace. But, we have to be able to be present to it. Second, there is a change in the experience of time. A kind of spaciousness enters into the perception of time, as if there is an opening in time that allows us to sense the presence of the spiritual realms. There also occurs what can be best described as a kind of graciousness of soul. We find ourselves more open, more receptive, more able to listen, to be quiet, to pray, to be present to whatever comes to us in its depth. Then, there is also an inner experience of soul faith. By soul faith we mean the capacity to trust our perception of subtle inner and outer experiences that reveal qualities of a sacred nature. These perceptions are very subtle and can easily be put aside as not having happened. We experience something of the spiritual realms all of the time, but we dismiss these experiences and then immediately forget about them because we are occupied with other things. Now, we become more open to the breezes of the spirit. Preparing the soul for the moment of death is a matter of letting go of all the images that we unknowingly hold onto. In this manner, soul life is strengthened, readied for the Great Life.

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