The Sage was asked, “Of all things in life, what is the most amazing?”
“That a man, seeing others die all around him, never thinks that he will die”, the Sage answered.
Death is a serious subject, but it is a relevant subject to us all because we will all have to die. Death is an important topic for the Healer and often is left unexamined in our modern approaches to practice.
As practitioners, we focus on discovering immortality. Immortality remember is for the soul, the body will still have to die.
When the time comes for us to die and we become afraid and throw all of our spiritual practices out the window. It is imperative that we start now to develop the grace and expertise, which will serve us when we have to transition from this present body to the next adventure.
The physical body is composed of the elements of earth, water, fire air and ether, which also correspond to chakras. When the elements are still actively present in a living body, the soul experiences life through the bodily senses, which operate by means of the elements.
The process of death involves the dissolution of the senses and elements, which is what the verse in the Bhagavad Gita refers to when it says, “Closing the Gates.”
The gradual withdrawal of each element from each chakra to the next is what allows the body to fall away and the soul to move to the top of the head, which is the best exit door (that is why we never touch the top of a person’s head while they are dying).
The chakras in a newborn child are pure in color. As we grow older, the color becomes dull. The trauma and loss in our lives leave their toxic residues behind. When the chakras are clear, they spin freely and vibrate with their original purity again.
When we clear the chakras, the toxic energy accumulated through our lives does not keep us earthbound. Our intention in cleansing the chakras is to set the spirit free.
I use this Reiki symbol to assist in transitioning. Spirit also insists that for ME, I must sing the song too.
I have a long history with Happy Trails…long before I learned of this symbol…but that’s another story!
When I first started working with Closing the Gates, I thought this process had to be part of Hospice care. Once death had occurred, I would shift the focus to afterlife. Spirit has guided me that ascension is not immediate after death. Even if a person has passed, the opportunity to close the gates is not lost. In fact, Spirit has been guiding me to do this work with victims of natural disasters and war for some time. Lately my daily practice has been to give some time to offer ‘Closing the Gates’ for those who have died alone, afraid and isolated by this pandemic…
