In contemporary Western cultures, we tend to ignore death, the dying and the bereaved, in order to somehow forget that death is an integral part of life. This approach leads to fear and alienation from the ultimate reality of existence, when the inescapability of death touches our lives. However, a deeper understanding of the enormity and inevitability of death can result in a positively transformative, life-affirming experience.

Annamaria Hemingway is a spiritual counselor and the author of Practicing Conscious Living and Dying. She is also a member of the International Association for Near-Death Studies. Published Works: Practicing Conscious Living and Dying: Stories of the Eternal Continuum of Consciousness.