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The Fear of Death: A Great Illusion, by Ginny Brock

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Fear is the most fearful of all things, and it, in itself, is an illusion. The fear of death is one of its greatest cultivations. Death can freak you out totally. And unless you think about it, take it apart molecule by molecule, and begin to figure it out, it will continue to paralyze you. Look around the next airport you visit. White knuckles everywhere, intestinal uproars, darting eyes, shrill rudeness, and suspicion fill the air. The fear of death has a grip on at least half of the travelers there.

No one is immune to fear; it goes around like the common cold. It infects whole congregations with ideas of hellfire and damnation. The politics of fear affect whole populations. Put a snake within ten feet of me and some primordial instinct takes hold and I discover that I can jump five feet off the ground—and fly the rest of the way. Well, more or less. The fear of death has given me wings.

Illusion or not, fear can really turn on the jets inside us. It's called an illusion, because if we think it through we find that there are things we can do to change the emotion. Whistling a happy tune with a snake rearing back to strike doesn't quite do it for me. But I can get the heck out of its way—quietly and with a minimum of fuss.

Mohandas Gandhi, the great Hindu pacifist, was once quoted as having said that the more he thought about it, the more he studied, the more he became convinced that sorrow over death may be the greatest illusion. "There is no death," he said. "No separation of substance."

Sorrow may be an illusion, but it also brings great physical pain. Gandhi is saying that if we can see through the illusory mists of sorrow with its incumbent pain, if we can understand and believe that there is no death, we can then take the deep sorrow out of grief.

We don't die. I know that. Our physical bodies stop working when, for whatever reason, old age, illness, or accident, the source of their energy departs. "The dear departed" is what we miss, what we grieve for, but in the reality of the collective consciousness, their energy is still very much alive, very much within our own sphere of consciousness, our own physical and ethereal space. It hasn't left us.

But you already know this. You're just not sure whether you believe it or not. Have you ever felt a spirit? Or heard a spirit? Have you ever seen one in a dream? Most of us have. And most of us shake our heads in disbelief and say, "I've had too much coffee!" It's not easy to admit that you've seen a ghost; nobody wants to open themselves to ridicule. And it's not surprising. For centuries, we've been well tutored in keeping our mouths shut about such things. But there have been some over the years who weren't so prudent, and they paid for it. It wasn't all that long ago that people who said they saw dead people or people who claimed to be able to communicate with the dead, would be hauled up before some pontifical city council, and asked to explain themselves by a group of blustering, pot-bellied old men spraying spit all over the place. The next thing they knew, they were being carted off to the nearest fire pit. And the whole village showed up for the fireworks!

Well, I see dead people. I feel them, I hear them, and I communicate with them. I have no fear of ridicule, and because witch burning has become unfashionable, I'm not afraid of institutional councils or inquisitions. I'm hoping to light up the village in a very different way, with light that can permeate that darkest part of our greatest fear—the fear of death.

Since childhood I've been aware of other realities that hang out with us. Ghosts, if you like, auras around people, I pick up mood or illness in someone very easily. But I never paid much attention to any of this as I was growing up. Much like a dog or a cat, I accepted their presence without question or much interest. They just were. It wasn't until I lost a parent, and then another parent, and then a husband that I began to take serious notice. Following my husband's death, I began to study everything I could get my hands on that had anything to do with death and dying, but most particularly, soul survival. Little did I know that all of this study was actually preparing me for the most devastating event of all—the death of my youngest son at age twenty-six.

"He died at 3:20 p.m. …The ticking of ice on the windows had stopped. Snow fell gently on the city. It blanketed the asphalt, the brick walkway, the street near the hospital. No birds sang. Nothing moved but the steady, white flutter of Rocky Mountain snow. Denver lay still beneath its crystals. As still as death and the silence that comes with dying."*

Buried under the rubble of my life, the cave-in of my existence, I searched for every teacher on the subject of soul-survival I had ever had. I researched the writings of Plato, Socrates, the French philosophers, and the Transcendentalists of New England (who included Walt Whitman, Longfellow, Emerson, and Louisa May Alcott). And then one evening, sitting in the gloom of a hotel bedroom, exhausted and filled with paralyzing sorrow, a shaft of light broke through the darkness. It began to glow, and to grow stronger and stronger as it filled the space around me, permeating the blackness, its warmth melting the ice in my heart as I stared in awe at the spirit of my son.

My physical eyes were open and trying to focus on something they couldn't see...my sixth sense, my spirit watched in amazement. He was alive, whole, feeling—his hair was dark and curly brown—just as I had seen it five days ago before he died, and his cheeks were flushed. When his eyes met mine they were filled with tears. The emotion I felt in him was stronger than any emotion I've ever felt on Earth. My son lived!

We don't die. We go on from here, leaving the limiting constraints of this human body behind. What a relief! We once again become the magnificent spirit being that is our natural state. We move on thought. We manifest our desires, our wishes in thought, and our understanding of all things human is clarified and we are filled with deep compassion beyond our earthly understanding. So I am told. In myriad conversations with my son I learned about the place he's in. These talks are usually preceded by a massive whoosh of energy that signals he is with me; I feel his essence, but not only that, I hear his voice, I can feel his skin—living and warm, I can touch his face and his hair.

I still miss his physical presence. So much. I would like to pick up the phone and just say "Hi!" I would like to hug him and hold him just one more time. When I have those very human thoughts, I suddenly remember that I can. He hasn't gone far. Of that I am sure.

Sometimes someone will say, "Yeah, you're a writer—you can imagine anything you want! Maybe you're imagining all this." And that's true. As a writer I have a boundless imagination that I recognize as such and I understand very well. It will take me anywhere I like; I can make it do anything I want to. The difference between it and this other energy is that I cannot manipulate it. The messages I get are sure and come from outside of me and my knowledge. I cannot change them or make them sound the way I want them to. They just are.

So, death is not an illusion. But because we are human we feel the illusion of sorrow and grief. The best part of this is that we all have the ability to transcend our humanity; most of us have just forgotten that once we were vibrant spirit beings who could do miraculous things. We still are, but now we're covered in this sheath called the human body. It's not impermeable. There are constant "bleed-throughs," and memories from the other side. Have you ever dreamed you were flying? Voila!

We are vibrant spirits living on a human plane with all its difficulties. Fear may be our greatest challenge. Could it be that one of our reasons for being here is to conquer fear in all its aspects, in all its disguises? I'm thinking that that is the secret of true happiness.

*From the book By Morning's Light by Ginny Brock. Copyright 2012 by Ginny Brock. Used by permission from Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2012. All rights reserved.

I have been having strange experiences in my apartment. In fact, I've had some ghost hunters and two pastors out to visit me. It all began when I attended the funeral of my husband's friend who committed suicide. Since then, I've been hearing things like Talk! Can you hear me? Hey! and a lot of other things. I hear this audibly. I'm wondering if I have some sort of gift because I can sense spirits; I seem to be clairaudient because I can clearly hear them talking to me. They also send images into my head. I'm not mentally ill. I don't feel afraid of these spirits but I'm not sure what to do about all of this.

Tara

Susyn:

It appears your friendís husband has awakened an important gift within you. Because he sensed your ability to hear and sense spirits, he has chosen you as his medium to connect with people on the physical plane. Now that he knows he can actually get through to you, you will become quite popular in the spirit world as other souls attempt to communicate through you as well.

These spirits mean you no harm; they are simply excited to be able to communicate. It's as if they have discovered a telephone they can use to call the other side. As the operator connecting these calls, your challenge will be to set good boundaries with these spirits and ask them to be more direct.

When I first began to channel, I experienced similar confusion. I was forever wondering who was talking to me, who were they trying to reach, and how I could help. You must ask these spirits to be direct.

It would also be helpful to ask them to find a way to connect with you one at a time. I have a client who has many loved ones and spirit guides on the other side. Each time we do a reading, they all gather and begin trying to talk at once. I often have to stop and direct them to take a number. Then I ask them to identify themselves and present their messages one at a time.

When you start to hear these voices, ask them to identify themselves, and then ask them how you can help. Let's take for example your friendís husband talking with you. It's likely that he is trying to get a message to someone. You may wonder why he doesnít talk directly to them, but we must keep in mind that anyone who is grieving will have a very difficult time hearing him and trusting that he is actually speaking to them. In my first channeling experience, the spirit who came to me was the partner of one of my best friends; he figured the best way to let my friend know he was fine was through me.

As you develop this gift and create boundaries around when you are open to using it, you'll become more comfortable with channeling. I've found that one of the best ways to encourage and direct these clairaudient sessions is via the use of Tarot, for Tarot cards can open up a connection to other realms, confirm the messages we receive, and identify their sources.

You may want to perform a reading with the person who was closest to this man if they are open to it. Call him in and see what messages you get. This will affirm your gift and build trust in your perceptions, and may even encourage a new career. Once others discover you have this gift (just as the spirits have), they will seek you out in hopes of connecting with their loved ones.

*****

If I am understanding you correctly, you have always had the ability to sense spirits, and it is this auditory phenomena that is new.

What you're describing here actually happens quite often. When someone who is psychically sensitive or a natural medium encounters an earthbound spirit, and that spirit both senses that this person can perceive them and may be able to help them in some way, the spirit will start to make a great effort to get that natural medium's attention.

Spirit once explained to me that mediums have a special light or glow around them when viewed from the other side, and because of this, they become like beacons for lost spirits. This man had to be very lost in darkness to take his own life. Unfortunately, that darkness doesn't disappear when we leave this world; we carry the state of our minds, hearts and souls over.

For this reason, this man is probably earthbound and doesn't know what to do next. When you attended his funeral, he no doubt noticed that special glow around you and sensed that you may be able to perceive him. I'm sure he can also sense that you are aware of all his efforts, and thus he is continuing to do whatever he can to get you to respond to him.

It may be that he wants you to communicate something to someone living who can't perceive him as you can. It may also be that he simply doesn't know what to do or where to go next.

It is amazing to me how many people experience clairaudient phenomena like you describe yet never think to engage whoever is speaking to them in an actual conversation. So far, you've been a passive receiver of his attempts to communicate with you; now it's time to start talking back and asking him questions so you can figure out what he wants.

Usually people who commit suicide immediately realize that they've made a terrible mistake. Because they are so heavy with remorse and because their loved ones are in so much pain, these spirits tend to linger close to those who are grieving for them. Most of the time, these spirits want more than anything to apologize for committing suicide and let their loved ones know that they are in no way responsible for this. Only after these messages have been delivered and their loved ones are on their way to healing from this tragedy do these spirits feel free to move on.

Other spirits are simply fumbling around in the dark when they are drawn to the light of spiritual people who may be able to help them. If this is the case, you might study up on how to help spirits cross over. Also, pray for this man daily by visualizing him turning toward the light and divine helpers guiding him onward.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.