Fear of death
by Aart Jurriaanse

Aart Jurriaanse, undoubtedly one of the foremost experts on the Alice A
Bailey books, discusses several subjects from the esoteric viewpoint. In
previous issues [of Share International magazine] he has dealt with the
etheric body, the senses, the third eye, the kundalini fire, and so on. He
continues his article on the emotional or astral body, with this contribution
on fear of death.

There are several underlying reasons for the gnawing fear of death. There is
the horror of the unknown and undefinable, coupled with doubt about man's
immortality and the uncertainty of what becomes of him after death. Is there a
'heaven', and what about the threat of perpetual burning in purgatory? There is
also the ever present fear of the actual rending process, when the life essence
is withdrawn and the spirit or soul departs from the body. People seem to
forget that such sensitivity is associated with the actively functioning life in
the physical body, and that with the withdrawing of life all physical sense of
pain will simultaneously fade away.

There is no 'death'; it is only a question of passing from one level of
awareness to another, from physical consciousness to spiritual consciousness.
If man could only come to this realization then all fears would vanish. 'Death'
is not something to be feared, but on the contrary, in many respects, it is a
phase to be welcomed what a wonderful thought for the older person who
has been through life's treadmill and experienced its weal and woe, that he
can shed the dense physical prison with all its aches and pains and fears, that
he can exchange physical life with all its worries, doubts, disappointments
and mental strain, for a spell of life in a spiritual body that will no longer tire
and be subject to all the earthly troubles.

In that new world of spirit ample work will be provided for those who would like to contribute to the redemption of humanity. Such work will be of an agreeable nature,
and compatible with individual character, inclination and stage of development.
As might be expected, youth's approach to these thoughts may be quite
different. For them life is only commencing, with all its pleasures, experiences
and challenges to be overcome. To them death is still something remote as far
as their personal life is concerned something that happens only to others.

For the strong and vigorous, death is something in the distant and hazy future
that need not yet be contemplated, until suddenly the unexpected occurs,
upsetting all preconceived plans and ideas. Suddenly the unwitting is brought
face to face with the Angel of Death, starkly facing him with some of the
inexorable facts of life which up to that stage had been left out of
consideration. For the unprepared this will probably mean an intense shock,
followed by cringing fear. This is the time when a more discerning knowledge
of the facts of life will prove of immense help a realization that life in the
physical world is merely a passing phase in an already long established cyclic
pattern in the existence of the soul, alternating between periods passed either
in the flesh or in the world of spirit.

What matter if an apparently promising life has unexpectedly been cut short?
Although the real purpose for such a seemingly cruel fate may remain hidden
to man's myopic vision, rest assured that there is good reason for such
occurrences. From the human standpoint death often appears senseless and
severe, but remember that man can only visualize a very narrow sector of the
overall Plan, and his perspective must inevitably remain limited. Remember
also that the earthly life which has been cut short will, after a longer or
shorter spiritual sojourn, be resumed in a new physical vehicle, to continue
the experiences planned by the soul.


Liberation

No, those passing on should never be pitied, nor should death be feared --
rejoice rather on their behalf because, for a while, they have been liberated
from physical fetters and limitations. It is the immersion of the soul into the
darkness of the physical form the process man knows as 'birth' which
should be seen as entering into obscurity and a period of 'death' to the soul.
The only real sufferers caused by death are those left behind, who have
suddenly been bereft of a dear one, and who for a while will be deprived of
the love, companionship, and perhaps support of the one who has departed.
However, with the right approach the survivors should soon adapt
themselves, once they come to realize that the departed one is really far better
off in his new surroundings, and that their sorrow is mainly due to self-pity.
Try to realize that it is only 'au revoir' till we meet again!

These are broad generalizations. As among the billions of human beings no
two are exactly similar, it is impossible to describe detailed conditions which
will be applicable to all individuals and circumstances. Only broad principles
can therefore be outlined. It must be understood that each individual life,
having its own particular pattern, is adjusted and arranged around these basic
principles in accordance with the position occupied in time and space by the
being concerned, according to his stage of development, the rays and
influences impinging upon his aura, and finally according to the directives of
the incarnated soul. This is another example of the relativity of all truth as far
as it can be interpreted by the limited minds of men. Each individual, being a
separate entity, must absorb, digest and apply, to the best of his ability, as
much of the truth as he can understand and cope with at his particular stage of
awakening and expanding consciousness.

Aart Jurriaanse, wrote a number of compilations from the books of Alice A. Bailey. Among these are: Of Life and other worlds; Prophecies; Ponder on this; Serving Humanity; The Soul; The Quality of Life; and he is also the author of Bridges which is a Commentary on these teachings.   

Directory of articles by Aart Jurriaanse

"Love is an active force which transforms. Love which does not act is hardly love at all. Love in action is the essence of love. It is an ability to love the world and all that is in it which is the capacity of Maitreya. The deepest desire of the heart of the One who can do that is to unify all. He looks into the world and sees 5.6 billion people: suffering, striving, competing, all the different actions, some positive, some deeply negative. He sees all of that and His urge, His deepest desire, the outflow of His spiritual heart's need, is to bring all of that together, to unify it all." Benjamin Creme, in Maitreya's Mission Vol. III

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