The Rebirth of a Woman
Sometimes within life, a death occurs.
This death may be coupled with a physical death... the death of a precious friend, beloved family member, even a famous figure that was positively influential in in your life. But it doesn't have to be.
We are taught to look at death as the end. The end of a physical existence. The end of a life. The end of a journey in this human form. The dictionary even defines death as "the end of the life of a person or organism". But what if we've been taught to view death through a limited lens? Like a pair of glasses that is scratched and scuffed, only allowing our eyes to see a small portion of the bigger picture.
I choose to see death as a transition. It's likely if you've ever experienced the passing of someone close to you, you understand this truth. The physical body may die, yes. But the spirit continues on into an existence unknown. This unknown can be interpreted in many ways, depending on how you you were raised and what spiritual knowledge you've chosen to seek out. Some believe this is where you are welcomed into "heaven" or "hell". Some believe your spirit may journey through another life to learn and ascend spiritually through reincarnation. Some believe your spirit is dispersed among the physical forms of life that your cells give new life to. Some embrace a combination of these while understanding that there is much we don't understand about death.
In viewing death as a spiritual transition, we also can understand that death can take place within our life. We've all likely experienced the death of a friendship or relationship, or even a career one felt a deep attachment to. This experience includes either a single event or series of that leads to the decision (or abrupt surprise) of parting ways, followed by feelings of loss and mourning. But we can also experience death within the relationship with ourselves.
The term "ego death" or "psychic death" is described as a loss of subjective self-identity and transformation of the psyche. This is a time of deep spiritual transition and self-surrendering that occurs within. We release identities that are no longer serving us.
During this time of "death", we question the systems in place in our society, explore our own inner wounds, and may feel as though our own world is crashing down. Because it is.
It must crash down in order to be rebuilt with love, care, and intention. Envision the natural process of a wildfire. We might think of fires as destruction and the end of life in an area. Yet the annihilation of all that is currently in a natural environment isn't the end for good. It may feel like that for a while as we observe the blackened land, mourning what used to live there. But before we know it that blackened land provides ample nutrients for new life to grow.
Just as in our lives, sometimes our minds get overrun with dead brush and diseased trees of thought. We attach ourselves too closely to limiting beliefs of societal groups... identifying more closely with a political party or particular religion than with the understanding that we are all human and all deserving of love and care. We must internally set fire to that which is growing toxic within our own lives, or the Divine will do it for us... turning our lives upside down with apparent loss. What feels like loss can often be the very nutrients that feed lush, lively, and abundant growth.
We may lose a loved one in physical form, but grow our connection with the spiritual world. We may lost a job we thought was best for us, only to find that space was being created for an even better opportunity. We may drift apart from a friend, only to discover that their own limiting beliefs were infiltrating your own ways of thinking. We may dissociate from a pattern of thought we'd been trained since childhood to believe, only to learn that there are endless opportunities to understand the beliefs that our spirit is guiding us to know. We plant the seeds we wish to grow rather that what invasive species had taken over.
It is then that we experience rebirth.
We regrow from the ground up, making the courageous choice to transition through this ego death into a life more aligned with our soul.
Life is a cycle of death and rebirth. You may feel yourself at the cusp of new growth exploding, or perhaps you're currently in the midst of a raging wildfire. Whatever stage of life and death you're currently in, know that you're not alone.
Feel additional support and inspiration from the newest issue of Heal & Rise Magazine: The Rebirth Issue available on Spring Equinox (March 20th) to uplift your soul!
Love & Healing,
Ashley Kay
