END OF YEAR MESSAGE: Memento Mori: Contemplation of Death

End of Year Message: Memento Mori

Blessed Ones,

As we near the end of this year, it feels like a good time to start discussing a subject I've been intermittently studying for years, but recently, I've been delving into it more deeply. It's a topic that's likely to strike a chord with everyone who reads this message. Some might resist it, avoiding or reacting strongly to it. Yet, I believe many will find value in this topic for walking the path of spiritual wisdom and living a life of service.

I've had a series of synchronicities and inner promptings to start researching what's been called "the king of meditations": the contemplation of death. It's said that among all meditation methods, there are two that reign supreme on the spiritual path: cultivating friendliness and remembering death. Pay attention to the emotions and thoughts that arise as you read this; you'll understand how much work can be catalyzed through this powerful inquiry.
Why would anyone want to think about death?

There are countless benefits gained through this practice. The main ones include releasing fear and anxiety, cultivating mercy and compassion, and developing clarity of mind and intention.

It's easy to think about the end of a year, a movie, or a day, but how comfortable is it to ponder the inevitability of our death and that of our loved ones?

Let’s face it: our lifespan is decreasing at this very second, and no one knows the hour or day that death will come. Will either of us, the writer or the reader, even make it to the end of this letter?
Our exit from this Earth will come whether we are ready for it or not. How much time do we waste in distraction, resentment, scrolling, or procrastination? How much time do we invest in thoughts and actions that actually benefit ourselves and others?

Death has many causes, infinite ways for the event to transpire. One may have an illness and die of something else! Old age, youthful, rich, and poor—death comes for us all eventually. In this way, we are all equal at this time of reckoning.

The human body is fragile and vulnerable; one odd event, and one might quickly move towards the exit sign. Do we take care of our body appropriately so that we can die in peace?

At the moment of death, our friends, loved ones, and material resources cannot help us avoid the inevitable. They may bring comfort, but they can also cause us more suffering in the end. It might be sad to see them suffer as we lay on our deathbed. We may worry about “our belongings” and stress over whether or not our legacy is valued by others.

Even this body which has carried us through every moment of this life will not be able to keep us from departing. We feed it, bathe it, adorn it, exercise it, pamper it, and it is still going to die.

Death comes as a surprise for most people. Out of all the people who died today, how many were expecting it?

What can one do to prepare for death? What can truly help us as we draw closer to that fateful moment? Is there a way that we can live now, so that our death is as comfortable and peaceful as possible?

Spiritual practice and living our lives in service to others are the main principles for living in a way that makes death easier. The mind must be polished and fortified, transformed into a diamond. Spiritual practices that include dwelling on impermanence, letting go of the limited egoic identity, and learning how to face suffering with right understanding—all help one to die in peace. Growing in non-attachment, compassionate understanding, and altruistic action help to release the grip of the conditioned mind, allowing for spiritual wisdom and love to shine from within as one makes its way through the portal of physical death.

Are there resentments or hard feelings that you hold that rob you of the sweetness of life now? What gives your life meaning? Do you put enough time into your spiritual development and refinement of your mind? Do you feel you give enough to those in need? Is your life in order? What are you doing with your precious human life?

Have you found this topic evocative?

I'm in the process of developing a new method of this ancient practice of “maranasati,” contemplation of death. This ancient process will merge with contemporary methods to take an individual through a deeply contemplative quantum healing process, a quantum rebirthing if you will, where deep truth can be resurrected from within to be used to live life fully.

Please also share your thoughts and inquiries that have been stirred as you read this post. If you are interested in learning more about the new process I am testing, please reach out to me.

May we collectively learn to face the truth of our inevitable death, so that we can learn to live our life to the fullest together! None of us are getting out of here alive. So we might as well live in the light of our True Nature while we still can. Time is ticking!

Yours Deeply,
Michael James Garber
December 31st, 2023