Death, Dying, and Spirituality
by Douglas De Long

In today’s world there is a crying need for spirituality. With all the worries, fears, and stresses associated with our modern society there must be a way to find peace and order in our everyday existence.

This is equally true for those with a terminal illness. There seems to be an explosion of suffering and illness worldwide. Cancer has reached epidemic proportions. Despite all the marvellous advances of medical science many of us feel lost and helpless in the wake of all this.

How does one cope and make sense of everything today? If one is sick, especially terminally, these concerns become greatly compounded. Reality sets in and fears pervade the mind causing additional stress and worry. The fear of dying can haunt many people; it can torment a troubled soul.

From my experiences it seems that when one embraces spirituality these fears and worries tend to be dispelled. Suddenly one is able to look upon life as an amazing journey and know that dying and death are merely the gateway to a better existence. It is a transformation or transition. So, in essence, rather than fearing death and uncertainty there is a realization that there is no death. Robert Service writes about this concept in his poem:

Yea, I am one with all I see,
With wind and wave, with pine and palm;
Their very elements in me
Are fused to make me what I am.
Through me their common life-stream flows,
And when I yield this human breath,
In leaf and blossom, bud and rose,
Live on I will … There is no death.
—Robert Service (1874-1958)

A person on a spiritual path knows the human soul is eternal and linked to God, The Creator, or Great Spirit. They truly know this and understand that they are a soul with a body and not a body with a soul.

Then from this point on one can learn the next concepts – astral travel, sleep, and death – which are all closely associated with one another and have very little difference between them. In all three of these experiences your eternal soul slips out of the physical form and begins to travel about the bedroom and finally to the higher levels, or heavenly fields.

There is a vital life force – chi or Universal Energy – existing everywhere. It is in the air, the water, the trees, and in nature. This same energy is contained within the body. The life force, or Universal Energy, works like a magnet, keeping the human soul connected to the physical form.

As a person is dying, this force, or energy, starts to leave the body and returns to the Universe. When all or most of the vital life force leaves, the immortal soul cannot keep itself within the body, and shortly afterwards it journeys back to the heavenly fields accompanied by angels and departed loved ones. Death has now occurred.

When you embrace spirituality in life, you embrace it in death. Peace of mind and serenity can be attained.

The following poem, written by my wife, Carol De Long, says it all in a beautiful way:

The Song of Silence

I hear the song of Silence,
The call is “Come to Me.”
My child you are not dying,
But changing to be free.

Your soul will be unfettered
From the physical chains that bind,
Your body will return to the elements of time.
Your soul becomes an Angel, with a new song to be sung.

Come up to me my Light One,
Come join me in the Sun.
The life you have is ended
A new one has begun.

Don’t leave the earth in sorrow
New joys are here with me.
Come join with all the “Light Ones”,
Back to your beginnings, you will see.

Be not afraid of dying,
Your soul is filled with glee,
For deep within your heart, my dear,
This is where you wish to be.
—Carol De Long

Douglas De Long is the author of the best-selling book, Ancient Teachings for Beginners, and of the meditation CD, Ancient Initiation and Angel Meeting. He is a spiritual teacher, counsellor, past life therapist, chakra master, and medical intuitive. With his wife, Carol, they operate the De Long Ancient Mystery School. Contact information - phone: (306) 652-0346, write: 221 Gladmer Park, Saskatoon, SK S7J 2X3, email: mysteryschool@shaw.ca, website: www.delongmysteryschool.homestead.com.