Each moment is precious

Birth and death are natural cycles of life on planet Earth.

by Stacey Badger — 

More and more people are leaving the planet. Many of us have noticed friends, colleagues and family members moving on. Not all of these people have reached an age that is considered to be a normal time of passing. People in their 40s, 50s and 60s are leaving. What does this mean?

We can try to break down the situation and analyze it from every angle. But the truth is that we all will leave the planet one day, and we do not know when that day will arrive. Birth and death are natural cycles of life on planet Earth. All we have to do is watch the cycles of birds, animals and plant life in nature, and we know this to be true.

How we have learned to view death depends on our spiritual background and upbringing. In a general sense, Western culture has not embraced this natural part of the cycle of life. Culturally, we do not honor our aging population and the knowledge they have gained from many years of living. We are not taught that death is a natural transition in the cycle of life. We are not taught that death is a time of re-entrance back to the space from which the physical form emerged. It is a time of return.

However, we can choose to look at death differently, and as our teacher. For when we have an awareness of death and the fleeting nature of our own lives, we can realize how to live. We learn that there is no time to waste and that each moment is precious. We learn that now is the only moment we have. And we learn to make the most of each precious moment here on Earth.

There is a Tibetan Buddhist lesson that tells people they should view death as a little bird riding on their shoulder, chirping and reminding them to live fully now — chirping and reminding them this is the only moment they have. What a beautiful lesson. What a wonderful gift.

Stacey Badger is a shamanic healer who conducts private sessions and workshops on the mystic’s heart, the dreamtime and shamanic healing. 480-473-8957.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 27, Number 5, October/November 2008.