On Death
By The Sister of Silent Invictus

I was asked the other day what I thought happened as one died and was I afraid… I have thought about it and here is my response:

Death.

When you die, it’s not strange. It’s calming. You lie there waiting for the very end. The color of the world fades from your sight and you feel, calm. As the surroundings fall away into the black, you realize something that you should have seen from the beginning:

Dying is not an end, just a continuation.

For everyone the path is different. What may be a ship in harbor waiting for one may be a staircase to the stars for another. But no matter what the means of conveyance, the path will be there to lead you to the next chapter of your being.

Am I scared of death? No, not at all.

Why? Because I already have been on that path; I’ve been on my way.
You want to know what I saw? A path, leading through the woods. I breathed deeply and inhaled the very essence of the forest: the scent of leaves and the clean smell of earth beneath my bare feet. I glanced up as I felt my feet moving on the trail of their own accord and the sight of the night sky took my breath away.

Thousands of stars turned above me, and the full moon gleamed, lighting my way. Though the forest was dark, I was not afraid. I could feel the presence of those who walked before me and was comforted.

As I continued on I felt myself halted, and pulled back. I wasn’t allowed to go any further. My time to enter the stone and iron gates ahead had not yet come to pass. I felt weary as my mind was pulled away from the one thing I most desired: true peace.

I don’t regret coming back from my death. I have met people that have changed me in many ways that I would never have before. I feel calm once again. There is nothing painful or scary about dying.

Breathe the air of life with sighs and take in what you have. I can’t tell you what’s on the other side awaiting all of our spirits, but I do know that there is something and that it’s worth dying for.

(Author’s Note: This “essay” is based on a true event. At the age of twelve I slipped into the middle of a river and was pulled under by the current. I was technically dead for three minutes before an anonymous man wrestled me from the grasp of the river. Another minute and it would have been too late to bring me back. He rescued, called for help, and then disappeared. I never got to thank him. So, wherever you are, this Easter Sunday, thank you. You will forever be my guardian angel.)