THE TIME OF OUR DEATH

The following morning, Stephen Levine gave the opening plenary address. He has published several books on death and dying, among them Meetings at the Edge, and Who Dies, (Doubleday, 1989), and Healing into Life and Death, (Anchor,1989). He spoke of how it is helpful to experience and work with the all embracing awareness that surrounds us, indeed, is us, before confronting it head on at the time of our death. He also spoke of the nature of attachment, and of the desires that separate us from this experience of awareness. The nature of desire is dissatisfaction, but it can be viewed in larger terms. As 'The Desire,' (or even,' The Death'), what were formerly personal problems become universal phenomena, for one has become a more objective observer of them.. Stephen also spoke of the value of a meditation practice, no matter what form it may take, and of the necessity of keeping an open heart. He decided long ago that nothing is worth keeping the heart closed for even a millisecond longer. He finished his speech by having us imagine being those in whose presence others can let go of their suffering. This very powerful idea allowed us to see how everything he had said fit wonderfully together.

Marion Woodman followed, with an equally thoughtful speech. She began with the idea that the central question which determines one's life is: "What is my relationship to the infinite?" She then related personal experiences that had influenced her own journey through life and had allowed her to continually re-define the concept of death. She shared her vision of the difference between the vibratory frequency of matter and that of spirit, and how, at death, it is possible that we are "consumed by that from which we were once nourished."

As was to be the format for the entire weekend, these plenary speeches were followed by smaller workshops. It is impossible for us to review all of these, or even all of the speeches for that matter, though in apology to the many that we can't review, we will say that there was a standard of excellence throughout the program. We will attempt to give an overview at this time, focusing on the key ideas of certain speakers either as they were presented in the plenary speeches or in the workshops.

The Great Adventure
The Inner Part of Inner Jourrneys
Editor: Iven Lourie
Contributing Editors: Grant Abrams, Paul Barry, Tamara Murray
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