Meditation on Mortality

Meditation on Mortality

Find a comfortable seated position, or relax down on your back. Take a big exhalation — releasing everything that is not here and now. I invite you to close the eyes, bringing your awareness to the breath. Let’s take some big deep breaths — in and out through the nose; low and slow from the belly.

Several Deep Breaths

I want to warn you that this can be a very intense meditation. It can be absolutely terrifying to look death in the eye, however the benefits of doing so are immense. On the other side of this meditation is more love and more beauty than you can imagine. Let’s do several more deep breaths.

Several Deep Breaths

Now, I want you to imagine the person you love most in this world. It doesn’t literally have to be the number one person, but it can be one of the people you love the most. Clearly see this person in your mind’s eye. Take a few moments and a few breaths to see some of the things you’ve done with this person, as well as how this person has made you feel.

Several Deep Breaths

Now that you have imagined a person you deeply love in this world, imagine a world without this person. Imagine that you wake up tomorrow and you find out this person has died. I know this is intense, but there is a purpose, and this is for good reason. With this person you love now being dead, do any of those small annoyances matter anymore? Do any of the arguments matter anymore? What would you give to be able to spend another day with this person? How would you act if you knew tomorrow would be the last day with your loved one? What would you say? What wouldn’t you say? Let’s take several more deep breaths.

Several Deep Breaths

This meditation has the power to erase all negativity. When you know it may be the last time with someone, you act differently. You care more. You love more. You are more present, and there is more beauty. Let’s do the same thing with someone who is currently annoying you, frustrating you, or stressing you out. Clearly see this person in your mind’s eye. Next, imagine you wake up tomorrow and this person has died. Would you still be frustrated? Would you still be annoyed? Does this put things into perspective? How would you act if you knew tomorrow would be your last interaction with this person? What would you say? What wouldn’t you say? Let’s take several more deep breaths.

Several Deep Breaths

For the last part of this meditation, I want to go even deeper. Let’s imagine that you wake up and find out you have died. You are out of body, looking down at your own funeral. How many people would be there? Who would be there? What would people say about you? You don’t have forever, and you never know when your last day will be. What would your funeral be like if you were to die tomorrow? Let’s do some more deep breaths.

Several Deep Breaths

If you made it this far into the meditation, I want to commend you. This is not easy. Even though death is the only guarantee in life and literally everyone dies, it is still so difficult to talk about. You may not be feeling the benefits yet, but I want you to notice how your relationships and interactions with people change. When you treat each moment with a person as if it could be the last one, all negativity is instantly erased. The presence is palpable, and the beauty is amplified beyond belief. The power of this meditation lies in the truth of it. I’ve learned this lesson the hard way, and it is my wish that you don’t have to. Treat every interaction with a person as if it could be the last one, because it very well might be.