Dying

The growing popularity of sites like ancestry.com and services like 23andMe underscores our deep human desire to understand where we come from. While digging into archival records and testing DNA can shed light on our cultural antecedents, ancestral healing practices add another valuable layer to the picture. Ancestral healing is a modern, spiritually-based ritual process which seeks to bridge the chasm between cultural wounds and cultural treasures.

There are close to 90 million dogs in the United States and an even higher number of cats. While these pets—for many of us, companions, best friends, and loyal members of our family—often go on to have full lives, their passing is unfortunately inevitable. Burying our loved animals in the backyard is often the best choice, but is not always practical or possible.

I recently wrote on citrus essential oils, my favorite oils for scent. Now, we’ll move on to conifer essential oils, another group I love. These are uplifting and motivating, and they blend beautifully with citrus oils for both scent and energetics.

Years ago I read an interview about James Franco’s childhood. When he found out he would die one day, he cried because there were so many things he wanted to do and he didn’t think he’d be able to accomplish them all in his lifetime. I relate, but not exactly in the same way. Yes, there is a lot I want to see and do, but my predominant feeling is that I’m behind. If life were a race, my perception is I’d be losing.

For many of us, death is not something we think about until someone close to us passes. We may find ourselves ill-equipped to handle the intense emotions that come with losing someone we love. We may not want to think about death as it could make us upset or frightened, yet it is the people who reflect upon dying that find both a deep gratitude for being alive and an urgency to focus on what matters most in this life.