Understanding Death From The Perspective Of A Consciousness Framework
Developing ourselves to perceive the phenomenon of death from a new perspective
Developing ourselves to perceive the phenomenon of death from a new perspective
There are many different insights which can be gained by looking at the subject of death, so it is a subject that will be looked at over the course of a number of different articles, each one looking at the same subject from a different perspective. The fundamental thing to note from all of this, as is the case with most of these articles, is that death is just one more of the phenomenal experiences which make up the total experience of the cosmos. In other words, although it may be something which we typically think of as being a major event, it is still a phenomenon that exists on the surface of things and is not the reality.
Because of how deep our own collective block in conscious perception surrounding this subject is, our perception becomes distorted when we bring this concept into our awareness, and so the phenomenon of death starts to take on the appearance of something which is different and separate from many of the other phenomena. If this is the case for you, it is an indication that this is just one of the many phenomena which you have not fully internally realised yet. It is hoped that by reading this article, the reader is able to make some progress towards internally realising the phenomenon of death and, by doing so, come to realise the reality which lies behind it.
If we want to see how deep this block in our collective conscious perception is, we can simply observe how we, or those around us, react to the subject of death being brought up in conversation. It is not being suggested that we should unnecessarily want to discuss this subject for no reason, but we should at least be able to contemplate it without it resulting in a reaction arising within us. Our general attitude and resistance to looking at this subject indicates that there is a negative connotation which is often associated with it.
Far closer to the truth though is that, in not wanting to realise the fact that we are all mortal, we have created this negative stigmatism around the topic so that it is something which is generally avoided. Death is a perfectly natural part of the process of life, and a quick glance around by any sufficiently conscious and observant person will have them notice that everything is dying constantly, in one way or another. It is just that some of these deaths may be more noticeable than others, such as the death of a relative, friend or pet. It is also possible to shift our perception and see that, in another way, it is just as true to say that from the moment we are born we are all ‘dying’. This way of perceiving things is generally ignored and the word which is most commonly used to describe what we are doing is ‘living’. Both are equally true; they are just two different ways of looking at the same thing.
It is therefore hopefully obvious to the reader, although it is still worth stating explicitly, that anyone who is reading this article will die. This is not because the article has some curse placed upon it, but this is a simple fact of life. This is something which is guaranteed to happen and there is nothing that you can do to change this outcome. If this is something that you have not allowed yourself to perceive in the past, sit with it and allow it to sink in. This has not been stated to try and make people feel depressed or helpless but because, if you are reading this article, you are most likely engaged with the process of wanting to develop yourself and come to realise the fundamental nature of the cosmos and yourself.
From a consciousness perspective this simply means that you would like to raise your conscious level of perception to come to perceive the world clearly. In other words, you desire to come to see the world for what it is. If there are some phenomena, such as death, which you are not able to see clearly, it means that you will lack a certain degree of clarity in your conscious perception. What we are doing in this article is identifying and revealing a particular block that exists in the conscious perception of many. Once we see the block is existent for us, we can then understand the conflicts which need to be resolved in order to remove this block from our conscious perception.
The interesting thing to note is that this block in conscious perception is something which is generally held at the individual level and is also quite prominent in the collective as a whole, even more so in the countries we would categorize as being part of the ‘West’ or ‘developed’. This is because countries in the West are typically more developed, and so a larger percentage of the population find themselves living and working in urban environments.
Generally, you will find that it is the people who are involved in a more agriculturally based life where the block in their conscious perception relating to death will be less pronounced. This is because most people who are living an agricultural or subsistence-based lifestyle are intrinsically involved with, and need to understand, the natural life cycle. A farmer for example, will be aware of the seasons as they dictate when they need to sow their crops, when the crops grow, and when they are harvested.
They will also see this happening with the animals that they rear and so death is a more natural part of their lives and therefore is more clearly held in their conscious perception. By being around death constantly, in one way or another, they gradually internally realise the phenomenon and come to see the reality behind it. It is ironically therefore the case that some of the wisest individuals you may be lucky enough to meet on your journey are not intellectuals or academics, but often ‘simple’ farmers. It is through their daily activities that they come to realise the fundamental principles of Life.
Conversely, for individuals living in the more ‘developed’ parts of the world, this direct connection with the natural cycles of Life has become somewhat distanced. Many of these individuals have even gotten to the point where there is a disassociation between the products they buy in a supermarket and the animals and plants they see in the world around them. In cities, even the distinction between day and night are not as pronounced, because there is an abundance of artificial lighting that allows people to continue being active long after the sun has gone down.
These are just two examples of how we have increasingly become disconnected from the natural cycles and processes of Life. We may not think much of the impact that these simple daily activities have on our conscious perception, such as the simple act of shopping for food in a supermarket. The truth though is that because these activities are conducted so regularly, their impact on us is far greater than we may be are aware of, usually having become something which exists for us subconsciously. It is because of this that they can easily develop into a block in our conscious perception without us even being aware that this process is occurring.
