“Death is intrinsic to life. Our impulse to grow is closely allied to our intuition that death is inherent in life. To live fully we must open, not only to life but also to death. This is both a literal truth, since death inevitably follows life, and spiritual truth, since the body dies to the spirit. Death and life are inextricably bound. Breathing in, we invite life; breathing out, we touch death. Our lives move between and embrace both. To be truly alive is to be willing to die, because only when we are open enough to give ourselves totally to each moment do we emerge, refreshed, open, and available to the present.” (Richard Harvey, Your Essential Self, p.174)
In December 2013, a great soul and spirit passed through the veil. This great soul and spirit went by the name of Nelson Mandela. By most standards his life was extraordinary. He was credited with changing an entire nation—maybe even changing the entire world. He was internationally recognized for his unwavering devotion to peace and reconciliation. But it is not the life and time of Nelson Mandela I want to talk about here. Many of you likely know far more about this great man than I do.
In the days following the passing of Nelson Mandela, newspaper and magazine headlines were devoted, in their way, to honoring the life of this man. TV and radio all dedicated newscasts to his passing. I remember glancing at our local newspaper headline the day after his passing. The headline read “The World Has Lost A Great Man.” I read the headline slowly, several times. My eyes focused in on the word “Lost” in the headline. I knew what they were trying to say, but I just didn’t see it. Or should I say, I just didn’t see it the way they did.
While I have great compassion for anyone grieving over the passing of a loved one from this time and space, to imply we have ‘lost’ them because they are physically not here, no longer makes sense to me. Take Nelson Mandela for instance. His passing has not ‘lost’ us anything. His passing has ‘given’ many of us something we didn’t have when he was living in this time and space. We have ‘gained’ deeper insight and appreciation for this man, his life and his legacy.
As for Nelson Mandela’s physical presence…yes, he is no longer with us in physical body form, in this time and space. However, any of you who work with energy know that his soul, his spirit can be reached at any time. Anyone can be ‘with’ Nelson Mandela, or any other soul on the other side of the veil, at any time we please. We can still talk to the soul(s) and, if we learn how to listen, we can receive their response.
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying people should not feel a sense of loss, or grieve, over the passing of a loved one. People should feel whatever it is they feel. I am merely suggesting that to imply we have ‘lost’ someone when they have passed over the veil is not a truth. Just because we cannot see someone or something with our physical eyes does not mean that person or that thing no longer exists. My spiritual teacher, Richard Harvey, offers us some beautiful insight to the relationship(s) between the concepts of life and death, in his most recent book Your Essential Self:
Passing from life, we are born into the unknown we call death. Life and death comprise a single process. The moment of death is any moment. There are only moments before death and moments after death. So where is death? Death does not exist. It is merely the dark mirror, the empty screen on which we may project our fears. All that scares or attracts us about death is really about life.
I am blessed to have been brought the gift to communicate with souls who have passed over the veil. This gift is offered to humanity each day during my daily meditation and prayer vigil service through the Buddhist practice of Phowa. Through Phowa I have learned that our loved ones live on in another existence and can be reached at any time. We can communicate with them, and they can communicate with us. It is not like ‘speaking’ with someone here in this time and space, but it is communication just the same. It is also through the Phowa practice I have been brought the wondrous awareness of what we call the moment of ‘death.’ And I can share with you that ‘death’ is nothing. We simply take on another form of existence—an existence that is only pure peace.
Shanti, Namaste, Agapé,
Rev. Robert Meagher
About the Author:
Robert Meagher worked for almost 25 years in traditional corporate settings and acted in various management roles in the education, arts, financial, not-for-profit, government, consulting, and healthcare sectors. Along the way Robert earned bachelor and masters degrees and professional certifications. Robert left corporate Canada in 2009 to set himself adrift and explore a new way of living and seeing the world we live in. Robert is now an Interfaith Minister who embraces a spiritual life and now serves to guide all those who wish to accept the Divine into their lives. Through Spiritual Guidance, Robert’s ministry initiative, he embraces the opportunity to serve those who wish to explore their own spirituality and gain insight into who they are, their purpose here in this lifetime and existence, and their desire to grow in Spirit. Robert can be reached at 613-204-0299, [email protected], or through his website at www.servingyourjourney.com.
