I had a long and wonderful dream last night, the first of many, I hope. One woman I haven’t seen in several years said to me, “Death doesn’t seem like any fun to me.” She looked worried. I said “Since death is something none of us can avoid, we may as well familiarize ourselves with it, by making friends with the mystery.”
Every moment of life is a series of mini births, mini deaths. The inbreath: life/birth. The out breath: letting go/death. The newborn takes the first inbreath. At her death, she exhales. She drops her body. She shifts and transforms her form. Love transforms death every time.
Why can’t we remember? The reason we can’t contributes to the great mystery. Open to the mystery. The birth bed and the deathbed are one. I’ve been witness to both.
The best preparation for embracing the mystery called death and what lies beyond is to live ONLY in the present moment. The distractions to race ahead to the future or regret the past are just that: distractions. Bring yourself back to the living gift of breath. The next breath may be your last. Nothing special. Nothing dramatic. Just here, now.
In the dream I had last night, hundreds of people were in my house. All were discussing the great mystery from different perspectives. I knew Tomaso had arranged for this gathering of souls, so I went looking for him. I came across groups of people huddled together having meaningful conversations. I cheerfully said hello to all of them, and moved on. I credit my meditation practice for staying with my intention to find Tomaso.
Finally, I opened a door and Tomaso was resting on the floor, with his glasses off. He put his glasses on, got up to embrace me, and the dream ended.
I woke up and went back to sleep with the intention to re-enter the dream.
This time the house was empty but crystal white light was bouncing off the walls. The house was spacious, and the party had ended.
Perhaps the party has just begun.
Tomaso Holding Court
