Contemplate Your Death

Nobody really likes to think about death, at least not in modern western culture.

But it’s unavoidable. Death surrounds us.

Especially in this moment.

Halloween, the holiday of ghosts and goblins, evolved from the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sa-win).

Samhain runs from sundown to sundown, and the eve of Samhain was originally known as All Hallows’ Eve.

Essentially: Halloween is to Samhain as Christmas Eve is to Christmas.

Agriculturally, Samhain marks the third and final harvest and the end of harvest season.

In the cycle of the seasons, Samhain marks the midway point between Autumn equinox and Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

The next 6 weeks are the darkest days of the year, before the light will begin to increase again after the Winter Solstice.

This is a time of surrender and release. A time to grieve. And a time to contemplate death.

Celts believed that the veils between the worlds grew thinnest at this time of the year, making it a ripe opportunity to communicate with those who had passed on. Honoring the dead confers blessings on the dead and is said to help their souls rest with ease.

Many cultures have holidays around this time that honor the dead, to celebrate our ancestors and teachers.

This is the time of year when we celebrate the crone — the old wise woman, the elders. Those typically shunned by our youth-obsessed culture.

As we head into these dark days, it’s an opportune time to contemplate our own death.

You’re not going to escape it, so you might as well think about it and use it to guide your life.

Conetemplating death allows us to put our lives into perspective.

What would you feel if you learned you would die this week? Would you be happy with how you’ve lived your life? What would you wish you had made time for? What would you wish you had spent less time doing?

How do your responses align with the life you’re living right now?

What adjustments do you need to make to align your life with how you wish to remember it?

The best way to live a life of meaning and purpose is to contemplate death.