When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse
to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes
like the measle-pox
when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,
I want to step through the door full of curiosity

Mary Oliver

When we look at the natural world with open eyes we see the full cycle of death and life. We see how a forest depends on death for its life and how our own lives are dependant on this cycle.  All life ends in death, every being that lives will disappear. Yet, how come so many of us struggle to face this essential truth?

Beneath the usual thoughts and reactions to the reality of our own death, what might our deeper wisdom have to say about it? What does our body know about it? How might our reactions be shaped by the broader culture of “death denial”? and might we bring a fresh knowing to the whole thing?