Tag: death

World Building: Rituals of Esse

When an individual completes their cycle, a number of steps are carried out (typically by those closest to said individual).

  1. The body is washed and dressed before being laid out in the home.
  2. Others sit with the body for several hours or days to be present in the presence of completion.
  3. The body is buried in a fungi cocoon which breaks down the remains while enriching the soil.

In regions where soil will not benefit from the above method, the body is laid out to sustain scavenging fauna with the bones later cremated.

World Building: Keepers of Esse

Deep beneath the tallest peak lies an endless sea of lotuses, each giving off a glow illuminating a number of beings perched upon low lying, flat stone fixtures. Draped in fine robes, these beings oversee the blossoms drifting along soft currents.

Varying Luminescence

  • When a blossom’s light goes out, it signifies completion of a soul’s cycle, with petals closing before descending to dark depths.
  • When a blossom’s light dims lightly, a soul has begun the end of its cycle.
  • When a blossom’s light dims darkly, a soul is nearing the end of its cycle.
  • When a blossom’s light flashes violently, a soul is meeting an excruciating end.

In the final case, if a being can reach such a blossom they will close the petals before placing it back to sink below. If a being cannot reach, however, the soul must wait until its physical body gives out.

Steady steam flows across the surface from which new buds arise, signaling a new cycle has begun. 

The Ode to the Deceased

While cleaning out my desk I found a poetry project from eighth grade. That’s right. Eighth grade. Now I’d never say I’m a good poet and let me just say- I was definitely still in my teen angst phase. All in all, I wrote five poems of which one didn’t make me cringe.  

The Ode to the Deceased

When our dear loved ones move on
To what some believe to be another world,
They leave behind a part of themselves,
Whether it be material like money and jewelry,
Or memories such as a fine summer’s day.
They have completed their journey,

Finished the game
And now can finally rest
But with something up their sleeve no less.

For they are the ones who know the truth.
They now know that sacred secret.
They have seen the other part of life

The one thing that our instincts tell us to fear
They have embraced,
With or without that same fear

So raise up your candles
And bow your heads
In respect to the deceased,
For they have finished the deadly game
And they know all the means

P.S. It’s nice to know that even after fourteen years, the concept of death still hangs heavy on me.

Yackety-Yak: Life Stages

It’s safe to say marriage is considered a major life milestone, right?

Um…yeah? I’d say so. For those who value it, at least.

Right…

Why?

Sometimes I get anxious. Not in the, “I’m having second thoughts“ way or anything. It’s more, “Getting married is a major life mark and I’m suddenly reminded of my own mortality“…

This is…not the direction I thought we were headed in.

I know, right?

I don’t think it’s out of left field though. I mean, your biggest fear is death and while milestones are traditionally great…

-They also traditionally bring us closer to death.

It can be bittersweet.

In many ways, I think it is.

The Clock

Prompt: Write about anything you’d like. Somewhere in your post, include the sentence, “I heard the car door slam, and immediately looked at the clock.”

It’s a strange thing to know when you’ll die.

For some, they know mere seconds before. For others, only minutes.

The rare few know further than that…

As I leaned back in the driver’s seat I purposely closed my eyes. I was in the parking lot of my office. My car partially hidden by low hanging branches of an untrimmed tree.

It had been like any other day. Awake at seven, in work by eight, lunch at one, and out by five. No different from many days past, yet different in every imaginable way.

My bags were in the passenger seat- a half filled container exposing a meal never finished.

The radio played, but I couldn’t hear it.

My mind was blank. My breaths slowed.

An eternity seemed both to pass and fly by.

Perhaps I’d gotten the date wrong? The time even? But I knew it wasn’t the case.

I heard the car door slam, and immediately looked at the clock.

Saying Goodbye

This is a re-post from a blog I had three years ago.

I was a bit torn on whether I wanted to post it or not, but it’s been a year to the day and it’s a time for reflection. 

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The Bucket List

Today I watched a movie I haven’t had the pleasure of watching in ages; you might have guessed it- The Bucket List. 

It’s one of those movies that seems like everyone saw it at least once and then never watched again. Well, I recommend watching it again. Especially if you’re anything like me and death is one of those things you try your best not to think about.

After watching it again I realized a few things really stood out to me.

The first was the scene when Carter (Morgan Freeman) is told his diagnosis and thinks: “There was a survey once. A thousand people were asked if they could know in advance would they want to know the exact day of their death. 96% of them said no. I always kind of leaned towards the other 4%. I thought it would be liberating, knowing how much time you had left to work with. It turns out, it’s not.”  – (cue the Morgan Freeman voice).

I’m definitely the kind of person who leans towards the 96% and that scene emulates exactly why. As someone who loves to plan there’s always that desire to know your time limits, but that’s a limit from which you just can’t escape. Knowing the day would be soul crushing and then there’s the pressure because the clock it now literally ticking down…

I know that’s a morbid take on it, but it’s a morbid topic guys!

Now if there’s one thing I’ll give this movie, it’s the way in which is handles death. In the past there was only one movie that tackled death in a way I could handle: Never Let Me Go. While that movie will always have a special place in my heart (and I highly recommend it to ANYONE)- The Bucket List definitely confronts it in a much more ‘heads on’ way. When I was younger I don’t think it really resonated because I didn’t think about death and by the time I saw Never Let Me Go I’d easily forgotten all about The Bucket List. Watching it now as an adult though, I definitely have an appreciation for it. Especially this quip.  

Edward Cole: I envy people who have faith, I just can’t wrap my head around it.

Carter Chambers: Maybe because your head’s in the way.

I’m not someone who has a faith or follows a religion. I’m not even spiritual. By all accounts I’m definitely Edward in this scene- and probably most of the movie to be fair, but especially during this part. Why? Because I do envy those who have faith and it’s something I just can’t seem to manage myself. I’m just…here. If we were to break it down it’s probably because I over think things or as Carter said; “my head’s in the way”.

Another thing I enjoyed was how Carter brought other faiths into the mix. Like most people, I generally only ever really think of that sort of stuff in the frame of the current big religions since those are ones I hear about the most in my day to day. So, when Carter brought up the ancient Egyptian approach to death I was pleasantly surprised. I used to be really into ancient Egypt. In fact, I’m sure I have some books still lying around, but I didn’t remember that tidbit and I find it very…I guess beautiful.

You know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two questions. Their answers determined whether they were able to enter or not. ‘Have you found joy in your life?’ ‘Has your life brought joy to others?’ – (cue the Morgan Freeman voice again).

Those are the questions that resurface at the end of the movie; ‘Have you found joy in your life?’ and ‘Has your life brought joy to others?’. In a way I think that’s all I can strive for really. I like to make others happy and I also want to be happy. What else is there to achieve, right? Well, specifically I think what I want the most is to have been able to make an impact on someone’s life the same way Carter did for Edward. Hopefully the other two will naturally follow…

This is one of those movies that manages to make me laugh and at the end has my eyes watering. In the past I’d never admit to a movie making me teary eyed, but as I’ve gotten older the whole “acting stone cold in order to appear strong” bit doesn’t cut it for me anymore. I’d rather openly be me because in a lot of cases I find not forcing yourself into a mold takes a lot more effort.

With all this being said I think I will create a bucket list and possibly post it that way I’ll have it in a specific place and can update it as I find more things I really want to do. Will the Himalayas be on this list? Hahaha- no. Have you guys seen the movie Everest? If not, I’d look up the story of what happened. SO, unless I can climb a different part…I’ll pass on that adventure for now. 

O.P. 16 January 2018