Death As An Approach to Spiritual Transformation (Dr. Marilyn Schlitz Death Makes Life Possible)
For the last decade, Schlitz and her team have been focusing on the idea of consciousness, spiritual transformation and how they can use it to shift our worldview to embrace the fear of death (Vieten et al., 2005). Sparked by her own near-death experience she believes her consciousness planted the seeds for her path today. Schlitz (2016) has been delving into the nature of science, consciousness, transformation, and death for the past three decades, where she came to the conclusion that death is something that most people fear and do not want to think or talk about. The foundation of her goal is to help transform anxiety, fear, and defensiveness around death.
Death involves painful experiences, throughout her many studies she identified that pain is a powerful catalyst for transformation. She states that pain lies in the threshold of our conscious awareness (Schlitz, 2016). Jung (1959) suggested that there is no birth of consciousness without pain, also Wilber (2001) came up with the notion that the more we feel pain the less we suffer.
Schlitz et al. (2014) meaning of how death can make life possible is to realise that we are dying and reborn in every moment. Death is a creative process that deserves to be celebrated not feared and when entering into the field of creation, destruction must be embraced as well, this is an indication that we are living in the model of reality (Schlitz, 2015).
Consciousness is the fundamental ground of being in which all experience arises (Dowling-Singh, 2017). Transformation is the shift that occurs in our human experiences of consciousness, which results in changing the pattern of how we experience ourselves, others, and our worldviews. Spiritual transformation is a transformation that occurs through spiritual experience or practice (Schlitz et al., 2010).
Western science has been dominated by medicine and physics for decades (Vieten et al., 2005). Spiritual transformation until recently has appeared to be difficult to quantify since science requires a phenomenon to be predictable, repeatable, and measurable to be able to make it viable (Vieten et al., 2005). There are limitations to transformative practices especially when we place our transformative path above others (Schlitz,2015). This process leads us into thinking it is all about “me”, where we lose sight of our real connection to something that is profound (Schlitz,2015).
In her presentation Schlitz (2016) discusses her worldview transformation model and how the five elements intention, attention, repetition, guidance, and acceptance. Help us to engage in a transformative practice, where we observe a shift from “me” to “we,” this practice is designed to transcend us from our own needs and into a more inclusive worldview (Schlitz, 2015). The worldview transformation model helps us to identify blocks and limitations when facing our fears about death, this may result in bringing up feelings of resistance, tension, or denial to the new information that has been discovered (Schlitz, 2015). The more we seek to transform our assumptions about death, we can build new perspectives about our mortality that redefines who we are and what we are capable of becoming (Schlitz et al., 2011).
Schlitz (2016) argues that the shift that is needed to be integrated but is often overlooked is the model of reality, which is beyond the senses and into expanded realms of being. Transforming fear of death can result in the development of greater kindness, love, compassion, and forgiveness (Vieten et al. 2006). Our interconnectedness and inclusiveness can expand our sense of community, which can lead us to the spirit of service (Schlitz, 2015).
Medication is used to change the way our brain works, with determination and effort psychology has helped us learn how to adopt new models of reality and the notion of neuroplasticity makes it possible for us to rewire our brains (Mundkur, 2005).
Learning does not occur easily, and scientists can prove and demonstrate that from the activity from our brains (Schlitz, 2016). Some of the fundamental challenges that we are faced with are hardwired from our brains. Such as fear of death, fear-based memories that lead to rigidity, that holds us back from living our lives to the fullest (Bergland, 2017). Neuroplasticity makes it possible for us to unlearn and learn our fears about death, as the brain works through modifying our thought patterns to form new connections and learn new neuropathways (Bergland, 2017). Schlitz (2016) makes a valid point, if we keep learning the things we already know, how can we change the model of reality? When choosing to adopt the model of reality, the reality is, learning does not occur easy for some.
Insights that bridge science and spirituality are now coming together to reveal new ways of understanding of who we are and what we are capable of becoming (Beal, 2011). It is through learning and trusting our noetic experiences that we can rewire the brain to face the fears of death and live our lives to the fullest (Schlitz, 2016).
Fenwick (2004) stands for spiritual medicine and believes consciousness extends beyond the brain. Fenwick (2019) cited in Walach (2019) points out that, having a science that is limited only to material things ignores the whole spectrum of the human experience. This leads to destruction because it does not take into account the fundamental nature of human consciousness.
Traditional science and medicine treat contemplative, mystical states, and intuitive knowing as the result of delusion (Schlitz et al., 2014). Yet insights, explanations, and experiences play a magnificent role in how people understand the human nature of death and what lies beyond it (Schlitz, 2015). Whereas noetic science and experiences aim to move people from a materialistic view of their existence to one that is indescribable, mystical, and spiritual (Beal, 2011). Trying to make sense of noetic experiences can be challenging as it falls outside the standard worldview of the dominant western culture who sadly fail to see the transformative potentials of noetic experiences (Schlitz, 2016).
Edgar Mitchell is the founder of noetic science his work explores the mystery of consciousness by bridging science and noetic insights together (Schlitz, 2015). Noetic qualities shift our perspective from seeking outside ourselves as we often distinguish or confide in others to know better than we do (Schlitz, 2016). For example, seeking guidance from a teacher or a book, etc. Noetic quality helps us to generate our inner authority and inner guidance it allows us to surrender to what is and yield our own perceptions (Schlitz, 2015).
Ernest Becker the author of the book The Denial of Death, states the idea of death and the fear of death, leads us to avoid our mortality. Further he states that our method to overcome the fear of death is to deny it and pretend it does not exist (Becker, 1997). Heroism plays a major part in the fear of death according to Becker (1997) the problem of heroics is the human's need for self-esteem. Furthermore, he states that society is an organised hero system, where we are all living in a myth and humans do not want to face or admit that they are afraid of dying (Becker, 1997).
I have faced many encounters in my life where I thought my life was going to end. In my late childhood I had an experience where I was on the back of a motor bike, before I knew it I was viewing the motor bike on the opposite side of me. Until this day I can’t even remember how I came of the motorbike. All I can say is that both our lives were spared, and I went home like nothing happen. I never had any injuries or was I in pain.
Like Marilyn Schlitz I have also experienced a near death experience as a child. Where I too believe that my own consciousness planted seeds for my path today.
When I was a child, without going into much detail, I remember being hungry and thirsty laying in bed, thinking is this it, are we going to be rescued, am I going to die. I remember, looking into the faces of my mother who looked helpless, and my sister who looked like she was sleeping. I just remember in that instance surrendering and a huge white light surrounding us. Being in and out of consciousness I then seen light beings appear around me and then all of a sudden the light beings turned into doctors and nurses and we were rescued. I have been open to the spiritual world ever since.
Another story I will share…
Also in my late childhood I was at the traffic lights and it was time for me to cross the road, and as I crossed the road a car drove into me. And all of a sudden, the strength from my hand and the presence I had felt, had stopped the car from running me over. The woman came out of the car and asked me if I was ok, I just looked at her in shock and carried on walking like nothing happened. My knuckle were hurting me, I did share what happened to me but because I looked ok and nothing was broken. There was know need for me to go to the hospital. I guess it was because of all these phenomenal life events why I am healer today.
Do I have a gift? Did I experience an alternated shift in consciousness? Do you have to experience a horrific experience to experience a near-death experience? Or do I have a gift to enter into the same realm as people who are dying?
There are lots of ways to describe these mystical unexplainable experiences, for example, being a psychic, clairvoyance, or channelling, the list goes on. This is a phenomenon that not many people feel comfortable talking about, which I identify with (Mitchell, 2011).
Noetic science believes that all things are interconnected and that when we embody awareness information and energy reveals itself to us to amplify. That we never even knew existed, but out of know where, we have a divine memory, which reveals itself to us from our past lived experiences. We can give ourselves permission to trust, believe and accept, it was our reality and transcend it (Mitchell, 2011).
Noetic experiences and insights enable us to have the ability to access information that is unique to us. Beal (2011) states if psychic research does not lead to compassion, humility, wisdom, compassion, and beneficial knowledge, it should be avoided altogether. Noetic science is at the heart of science. It is the only thing that neutralises modern day crises and brings meaning, direction, and fulfilment to people (Wahbeh et al., 2019).
I have learnt that transpersonal psychology stays away from promoting a belief system; rather, it affirms the nature of spiritual experiences (Grof, 2008). Understanding the realms of the transpersonal is the key to understanding our fears about death and the dying process (Dowling-Singh, 2017).
Spiritual practices such as meditation and prayers are known to be the same transformative path that we enter into when we enter into the process of dying. The shamans, ancient wisdom and saints have known this for thousands of years. When we have accessed such information, it can be integrated to enhance our understanding of our fears of dying (Dowling-Singh, 2017).
There is a similarity between science, transpersonal psychology, AA, sages, saints, shamans, and their process in how they integrate the unfolding of the transformative experience about fears of death. They all enter into a process of the unconscious, where the ego undergoes a painful surrender, then through willingness enters into the truth of the present moment, a place of healing, then to the adult-ego, then a return to Self and the ground of being (Dowling-Singh, 2017).
This essay has attempted to show us that yes death does make life possible and that death does matter. Finding meaning in the challenges of facing death and science is diverse to each culture, religion, family structures, and the worldviews that we hold. How people think about death matters and has a major influence on our health today without us even realising it. The vast majority of health issues and human suffering is due to self-destructive behaviours such as addictions etc. People dying in western societies lack human support. Schlitz et al. (2014) research has emphasised this important work, that If we were more educated on our fears of death it would ease their transition. Instead, we protect ourselves from the pain and the emotional discomfort that death induces which ultimately does more harm (Grof, 2015).
Transformation can be a messy process, the shifts that emerge today are through knowing, being, structures, and worldviews. Science helps us to unlearn and learn who we are, through understanding transformation; not only through the transformation process of spiritual practices such as yoga and meditation. But from the transformation of our worldview about death and pain. A new age is rapidly emerging based on noetic science, bringing us to a state of interconnectedness allowing us to open to deeper realms of inner truths, and trusting our inner authority.
You grieve for those that should not be grieved for. The wise grieve neither for the living nor the dead. Never at any time was I not. Nor thou, nor these princes of men. Nor will we ever cease to be hereafter.
For the unreal has no being and the real never ceases to be.
~ Bhagavad Gita
References and Bibliography
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