I discovered a dead bird on the path as I walked outside to dispose the rubbish. Well, it appeared to be dead so I went to the garage to get a pair of gloves before handling the body and take it to the neighbouring wilderness to rest. When I returned it was in a different position, and I wondered if it was just injured. I picked it up gently and felt it flinch and wings try to take flight, but it couldn’t. It surrendered completely in my hands.
Part of me hesitated to believe it was dying. I considered attempting to give it new life through prayer, but instead I chose to sing its soul to the heavens.
For personal transformation to be effective we must let the old self die and die well. It’s a metaphorical death and a necessary stage of the evolutionary cycle we experience numerous times throughout our life. Any resistance can lead to suffering and is often the effect of fear, and a physical death is no exception. Fearing the unknown or fearing the need to have to start all over again when the mind, body and soul feel weak and weary because life experiences have weighed heavily on the path. “I’m done trying,” it would say. But when you let the old self die well and surrender to the wings of Spirit to gently carry you forward, less effort is needed. The new self and new life take shape organically and you become a willing participant as life unfolds through you, rather than ‘trying’ to figure it all out instantaneously.
I nestled the bird’s body by a tree amidst the grass and sat with it until its spirit took flight. I wasn’t willing to let the bird die alone. I don’t believe anyone deserves to die alone and physical presence is the healing agent for a smoother transition.
May we all learn how to comfort those we love and those in need, so all beings can ‘die well’ feeling the presence of God’s love through each other.
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Disclaimer: Please be informed that to ‘die well’ is a metaphor, to release an old aspect of self which inhibits one’s ability to make healthy and constructive choices which foster personal and spiritual growth.
