What Does Alive Mean?

May 2010

PART ONE

Death is seen in two ways; physical death of the body and a metaphoric death of a situation or experience that changes to offer something new. We already know that when one door closes another opens. We know that if we lose our job, our home, a relationship or career, that these are examples of a death of sorts for our life. Death in the terms of change. We also go through mini-deaths while alive during a Kundalini awakening and/or the Ascension process. We evolve as we live in this physical life.

However, I do not want to talk at length about the symbolic death in this particular article. What I want to talk about is physical death. Death has been a huge synchronicity for me lately. It's not that people around me are dying as of late, but just that the concept, thought and talk of death has been around most recently. So I chose this to be the topic of discussion.

This is a hot topic for me. I feel very close to death. It seems to be a passion of mine. I am not sure if this is something everyone feels or maybe I'm one of a few. The Angel of Death fascinates me and really makes me feel connected. Isn't that a twist! I love to walk in most cemeteries. They are beautiful and peaceful. And just to note, the dead aren't usually there! There may be a few stragglers but for the most part the cemetery is the last place you will find the dead. They are living! Some are in the in-between and working on their stuff to cross over to the next dimension or their next evolution and most have crossed over and continue on living, creating and evolving.

Death reminds us to ask the question, "What are we?" And "What are we doing or being here?" From there profound realizations and conscious spiritual awareness can ensure. And it's definitely also near and dear to my heart because Death is the ultimate for all of us (here in this physical reality). It's the ultimate fear for many or the ultimate for this experience where we then move on to the "Other Side" or higher dimension and live some more. (Let's put aside the fact that I also believe that our minds are our creator's and we can manifest ourselves into ultimate health and become immortal. This could be for a select few who choose it. Though, however, life and death have a course to lead for us as well and the limited lifespan we have allow us to really live to the fullest till we can reach a higher way of being and living and evolving. My Husband and I hosted a radio show a few months back with someone who talks about just that. Go here for a listen. So back to our regularly scheduled article. :) )

To me, death is not the opposite of life. Living unconsciously is the opposite of life. When our physical bodies die, we still go on and live. I've had too many experiences and connections to know anything else but that this is fact for me. Knowing this allows me to go on and live even more fully. When I slip back into "unconscious" land, as will happen from time to time, I will get my reminders or I will force myself to remember and then I am back to living again!

Just the other day my 3-year-old daughter was asking some pretty profound questions that were hard for me to answer in a context she would understand. She asked me, "What does Alive mean?" And I said, "wow! that one is hard for me to explain to you." I did ramble on a bit about energy and how everything is always alive but am unsure how I could help her understand with her limited understanding and vocabulary.

So what does Alive mean? Before I dive into that beautiful question, I want to answer what death is (to me at this point in my evolution). We go through mini-deaths all the time. For those of us with four seasons, we watch the trees and flowers bloom and die every year. So this is a great way to explain how I view death. We do go on. We do not die. We are energy first and always. Our bodies make up our energy while we are living on this planet in this dimensional reality. Then there comes a time when we shed our physical bodies ( "die" ) and our energy leaves our body, expanding into the full soul's capacity that we are and we continue to evolve and live in a new way. Ascend if you will.

Most of us have experienced profound grief to the depths of our soul's at least once in our lives. If you haven't, you may wonder if you are the lucky one or not. That is a debate unto itself. Moving on. :) I've experienced a few deaths of loved ones in my life. The very first was the hardest on me and forever changed me and how I viewed the world. Isn't that always the way.

It took me ten years to realize he was contacting me from the Other Side. Or maybe he was finally ready to contact me because I was ready to hear him. Either way, when we are grieving it is often times very hard to see the signs our loved ones send from beyond the "grave". They are there. It's not usually wishful thinking, but we will tell ourselves that because we are deep in our grief.

And many others will try to downplay our signs because of their own limiting beliefs. You will know in your heart. There is no need for confirmation from another when your heart feels it rings true. When we get quiet we can finally listen.

Death can be hard whether you have all the faith in the world that life does go on after this one (and I do). We are human and we are going to miss those people that have moved on and our day-to-day contact with them. They've lived with us and shined their light on our lives for even a brief time. They are so honored on our paths and they remain in our hearts forever. But we must go through our grieving stages, no matter how fast or slow and allow the pain to recede naturally. No burying any emotions that come up, but rather allowing them to be there and allowing them to float up and out of us like a blossoming flower. The experience is always divine and always honored. We bless them as they have blessed us with their presence. You grieve...and you move on. They are still living and expanding where they are and we must do the same here till we meet again. We must go on. But it does take time. The pain does diminish in intensity, I promise you. But it will always be there...a part of the new you and your new expression. You will take this person or persons in your life and in your heart always and the wisdom from the entire experience makes up who you are now.

So allow for that time to heal. Really and truly be with it and allow the time to pass you by. But know, too, they are there. They are seeing you from their place of living now. And they always always send their love. Always a message from the deceased is that they are okay and they love you. That is always the first and last message they leave with. It's a message that would always come through for the times I have connected with the deceased.

PART TWO

So back to the question, what does Alive mean? Even when our physical bodies die, we are still alive! As I said, we are energy first and always. We are alive when we truly LIVE. We are really dead when we've given up and remain unconscious to really existing, really feeling and being life for whatever that Divine unique expression is to each and every one of us. When we are truly fully awake we are alive.

Many experiences occur to us and our bodies when we are not living. Our body is wise, we must listen to the wisdom of our bodies. It will send you signs every day. If you ignore the signs in your life, it manifests in the body. When we've given up or stopped hearing the signs our bodies are sending, our bodies will produce sickness to get us to wake up. One might say, if you aren't going to live, you might as well die (physically at least). But if the experience of being sick does it's job to wake us up to our truest passions, then the experience truly had it's divine effect! Experiences such as someone getting cancer and while laid up in bed realized they were living in anxiety and fear while working too hard at a job they really hated every day! That is not living, that is dying. That is being in a forever state of negativity. Now, this doesn't discount doing a job that is "okay" and also pursuing our passion on the side so that we are still expressing our truest selves. If we can't do what we love all the time, we can love what we are doing while we do it. So in this example, this person will begin to see their passions again and really wonder why they stopped pursuing them or living in them a bit; you know playing! So they may finally start to see the light again, receive signs that get them into their passion and make the positive changes in their life that life required of them when the sickness occurred. And after making these changes, they will notice the sickness dissipate, medicine will finally work or a miraculous healing and recovery commences! It's about living, not dying.

Now, again, there are other examples of those receiving illness that are divine supposed to receive it and possibly die from in, in order for them and those around them to learn lessons of death. Each experience is unique. But I've read about many experiences of those that when they begin to die, they finally begin to live. Every moment becomes sacred. Merely going to the bathroom is a sacred moment to enjoy if only one last time. As I read these "dying" experience I begin to bring myself back to those moments. Living those little moments to the fullest. Even taking a moment to breathe and relax is vital and necessary and so beautifully honored. What a blessing it is. As you enjoy each precious moment right in the present moment you live, you become most fully who you are, the Divine Being you've always been.

I feel. It's that simple. Our feelings are our compass in life. Many times there are good feeling of happiness and joy and love. So it is easy to sit with these feelings and allow them to inspire you to new heights. And other times there are the tough emotions that require more dedication in being with them and processing them healthily. Repressed emotions manifest into our physical body as ailments, stress, and anxiety. So it is prudent to be with these not-so-pleasant emotions as much as you are with the pleasant emotions.

We are not here to live in our comfort zone all of the time but to expand beyond that point. To feel everything we desire. We are also not hear to shun our feelings. Our emotions are guides for our well being. We must feel them to the fullest in order to release them and move into something even better and higher in resonance. Repressing our feelings if they are uncomfortable only buries them deep to come up later in a much louder format that is even more challenging to release. Living in the now means feeling your feelings as they come up. Really live it and feel it. Sometimes our bodies defense mechanisms require us to go into a numb state of mind in order to make it through a tough period. And that is normal. That is perfectly fine. But then over time we will start to feel again and the feelings must come up for release. The processing that happens is amazing as we allow whatever it is we feel to simply be there. Be present with it. No need to go off on a tangent or a rage fit (though sometimes that's fun if alone and if safe methods are used) but to simply sit with the feeling and allow it to be there. Then step into that witness state and take interest in this feeling you are feeling. Think "oh that's interesting, I wonder what that means." Simply neutral though. Only allowing it to exist and then amazingly without seemingly much effort much of the time it will dissipate. Of course in terms of grief, as I have mentioned, may take time. It's all a part of the process. Ponderings of insights will come up and you will have a new higher way of being from simply allowing the feeling to move through you instead of getting stuck inside of you. Does that

"Listening to a Feeling, hearing what it has to say without thought, without judgment or avoidance, will lead it to naturally dissipate, it's job done. It's just you trying to talk to yourself, after all. Listen, and you'll gain a very enlightening heads up about what's really going on. :)" ~ Dawn, AwakeningwithDawn.com

And sometimes the best part of feeling is just being with it. Being in the beautiful stillness of life. We are not always called to act but to simple enjoy the space between; love; stillness. This connection to stillness is always there in every moment for our grasping. Every moment. The good and the not-so-good. It is here we are in our truest essence. There is action in non-action. Bask in the glow of the Divine. I gain strength from this Divine connection. It is this connection that assists us in going forth and truly what we *are* afterall. And as I wrote in my January 2010 newsletter I am so grateful to feel. I feel. I am so grateful for feeling the Divine connection within me. It is this connection that allows me to go forth in this life as it is now. It is the driving force for my entire beingness. It is amazing. It is you and it is me. It is all of us and to feel that connection is a blessed gift.

My Husband, Don, had this to say for our baby, Bella's, inquiry: "Perhaps the best anology is to say that being alive is being as awake as you can possibly be and knowing that everyone around you loves you so much."

Overall, this saying is so true: They may not remember what you did but they will remember how you made them feel. So live!

Maybe I am writing this article now for a future experience to come. Maybe I will need to come back to these words I write and reread them from a new perspective in the future. It is my intention that I can be in a state of graceful gratitude as I move through life, living and death.

CHALLENGE FOR THE MONTH
What would it take to make you happy?

This question will often go unanswered or occasionally addressed as if a wild dream never to be had. But if we simply take the time to really sit down with this question every day, at least once, you will see and entertain a reality that can be yours. As you do this you are placing your vibration in a frequency of pure happiness. What comes true to you is what will come to you as pure happiness. I'm not talking about money or things. But after you name off those obvious things that assist us in living comfortably, what is it that makes you happy. Really entertain this question. Really take the moments to answer it. Some won't even do this while reading this. Some will have too much to do, and think about all the mundane tasks that are in their day and take off running on those items. Before they know it, their day is gone and they are exhausted and heading off to bed. Take a moment. Take stock. Breathe. Allow yourself time to breathe and really listen to that voice inside you that shows you what makes you happy and peaceful every day. Listen and start to take some action steps. It's always there. So answer the question. What would it take to make you happy?

If I knew I were to die today, I would:

….Breathe more
Look at the sky more
Walk more Live more
Spend more time with kids
Do Yoga more
(...oh and quit my day job)
Worry less
Regret less
Forgive more
Love more
Be present with the divine beings in my life more–really see them and their divine essence more
Express my true self more
Be Still more
Become more fully Alive!
Be grateful for the blessings in my life more
So this is what I am trying to do, now! What would you do?

Enjoy, live, laugh and love always!

Blessings to you on your path,
~Spiritual Cheerleader