It’s fall, I so enjoy walking in the woods in this season!
Carpet of leaves in the woods
Multicolored leaves cover the ground like a beautiful carpet. For a long time I had been wanting to do Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing; it started in Japan in the 1980s. At that time, the health of the Japanese was declining due to the modern life style, doctors prescribed - and still do - going in the woods not only to exercise, but also to “feel” nature with all the senses. Recently, a certified instructor in my area led a forest bathing walk at dusk, so I joined.
It was not only good for my health but also for my spirit: under the guidance of the instructor, I noticed more and more details in the branches of the trees, I touched the grass and tree trunks, smelled the air and listened to the birds. While I admired the beauty that surrounded me, I put my Beloved Tara in my heart and thanked Her for it.
Nature in all its glory.
As I walked along, thoughts about the cycle of birth, life and death came to my mind. For nature it is easy to see: in the spring life emerges and blossoms, it reaches its apex in the summer, begins to decline in the fall, goes dormant in winter, and the cycle starts again, again and again ad infinitum. What about for us humans? What if we, like nature, went dormant and then came back? The answer to that is, of course, a personal search, it would vary, depending on our religious or philosophical beliefs, or non-beliefs, but one of the big questions is what happens after death? We know how our life began and how we were born, but death and what happens after is not something we know much about, except that our heart beat stops and we cease breathing; we do know death is inescapable, we think of it as sad because it is associated with the loss of a loved one, or as tragic when it happens suddenly, in an accident, for example, or associated with suffering when it occurs after a long illness. But is it painful? Is it something to be afraid of?
Science does not offer an explanation, however, there have been many accounts of NDEs, near death experiences, during which people were clinically dead, but then “came back” and related what happened to them during their “absence”. Books have been published, and recently a film entitled “After death” shown in cinemas across the country. In my area it was featured for one week only and did not seem to draw crowds! The day I went, in this huge theater with reserved seating, there were three women plus a friend of mine and myself. The film ends with the doctor saying that science does not have the answers; however, all interviewees said they felt love, that the “real world is there”, not where we live, some saw their loved ones who had passed away. None of the interviewees in the film seemed to be eager to “return to life”, they did only because they were told it was not their time. I was particularly moved by the account of the wife who was visiting her husband, hospitalized for very severe multiple injuries, till 11 pm every day; he was not able to respond to her, nor give her any sign that he was hearing her. One night she was so frustrated that, before she left, she told him she would not come back, then she saw tears on his face, he started to breathe again, and “came back”. All interviewees changed their life after they “came back”: two of them became ministers.
In sum, although the doctor who recorded the accounts said that science does not have the answers, the interviews shed some light on a part of our life we know so little about. If you have not seen the film you can find clips of it on YouTube.
From these NDE accounts, we learned that in that state called near death, there is love, a beautiful music, one sees one’s loved ones who passed away, and it feels so good that it is difficult to come back to one’s life. Are these things to be afraid of?
I have not had a tragic accident or illness that led to an NDE, but I recall a dream about a friend of mine: he was driving a red sport car – he loved sports car - with the top off and he was waving his hat, saying “it’s only to cross, it’s only to cross”, with a wink in his eyes. A few days later I learned from a mutual friend that he had passed away on that day. I understood that the dream meant he was saying good bye! He did not seem to be in fear of anything there…
If you’ve had similar experiences, please do share them in the comments. Thank you.
___________________________________________________________
NOTE: to leave a like or a comment, please click on the title of the blog above, your first name is sufficient. Thank you.