Truly it is glorious, our being here.
It often takes a tragedy — or a shock — to awaken one to awe, to the magnificence and mystery, the thrill and anxiety of living. Sometimes, it takes nothing more than contemplating, and getting, the imminence of one’s ending time on this planet. Facing a failing body and imminent death, the Elder is necessarily stepping into another new phase of his life at this stage – another “beginning.” Beginnings are always beyond our current awareness. Something in him says that this may really be “it”. On his final journey in this life as we know it, it is good for an Elder to look at what was once important, contemplate how it got him to where he is and who he is now, and then look at what part it plays in his life today. This stage is a time to pay attention to beauty, mystery, and awe. As Albert Einstein once said
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all art and science."
Death should be as beautiful as birth. We want our lives to mean something. We may also want to leave a legacy and have our death mean something. The Elder at this stage has faced and now lives with the absolute certainty of his approaching death.
This season can be a time to share what we have acquired with those who are ready to receive it. Physical possessions are symbols of our attachment to things. We can teach much by demonstrating less attachment to what we have.
At this stage, it might also be appropriate to do things such as write an ethical will - one that defines the values, beliefs and ways of being that make a life a good life. It may also be time to begin a video or audiotape or write our autobiography. It is good to have stories to tell. It is good to provide a concrete means of connection with the past.
It is also a good time to demonstrate for all around me the value of “completion”. I am able to acknowledge and accept – in a good way -- that my life has come to an end and the new cycle begins; that I have let go of my need to do more, to accomplish more and am now satisfied with the idea that “I have lived my life. I have run the race. I have fought the good fight. And now, my life is over.”
What power there is in such a place!
Learn how to live and you’ll know how to die;
Learn how to die, and you’ll learn how to live.
The Elder at this stage has also lived with an open heart, which does not age. And she has lived a life of mission and service, accepting the paradox of absolute necessity and obvious incompletion.