I have long been intending to share this video of Stephen Jenkinson (otherwise known as “the angel of death”) on my blog. When I first heard it, my whole being started to vibrate, feeling so joyfully enlivened by a line of inquiry that, according to popular belief, should make me feel “depressed”. In his poetic way of speaking, Stephen Jenkinson asks a powerful and profound question that, in my opinion, anyone craving to live Fully Alive amidst a collapsing climate simply must contemplate.
How can we be authentically present in the midst of the death of a dearly loved one who refuses to acknowledge , even within themselves, that they are in the process of dying? (what I heard, not his exact words)
Messages like this resonate deeply within me, because, according to the universal governing principle of polarity, there isn’t a more powerful way to feel ALIVE and connected to The ALL of life that ever has existed (past, present and future) than in the grip of bearing faithful witness to our own collective mortality, our own dying.
Those who have been following me for a while now know that I am collapse-aware, meaning I accept that we are living in the midst of the sixth mass extinction. It isn’t just the science I trust, but my own intuition about it — after all, how can we exploit every. single. resource and living being on planet Earth without consequences? Anyone who thinks we can sustain an unsustainable way of living is, at best, hopelessly trying to fool themselves and blindly buy more time for the inevitable. I sense around me we are in our final moments of what we have come to know as and label “civilization”. Death is imminent. Either we collectively find a new way of living that is in alignment with what we are (and the science shows us clearly, since we don’t trust the nature of young children to show us so), or we dissipate into the earth and become fossil fuels to be discovered in the distant future by some other significantly more self-aware species (for consciousness always finds a way to evolve).
With extinction in mind, I say there isn’t a greater loss to us humans than our own demise.
And, in the midst of bearing witness to all of what is clearly unfolding in our world, LIVING in such a way that brings tremendous joy, peace, liberation to the Soul… regardless of the irrefutable fact that as humans, we are in the process of dying. The diagnosis is real, the symptoms are felt everywhere, and we are left with the collective choice of either: a. closing our eyes and pretending it’s not real; b. believing that we can fight it with science or policies or whatever other external God we choose to believe in; OR c. going within and noticing our own infinity and divinity in the midst of mortality and actually live joyous, full, compassionate, empowered, sustainable lives. Remaining present to the suffering and choosing, time and time again, Life…in this very moment. …for its own sake.
Of course, to do so, requires a level of Self-intimacy rarely found in our collective culture. It requires looking within, at the deepest and darkest corners of our Soul, face those perceived demons (which, in fact are nothing but blessings in disguise), and emerge immersed in our own Spiritual BEingness, interconnected. Without connection to Self/Spirit/Soul/Infinity/Divinity/god-Force/life-force/call-it-what-you-will, people can only choose habit, mindlessness, collapse…pretending their reality isn’t real, ignoring the screams of their bodies demanding they pay attention, waiting for someone external to them to save them from themselves (what comes to mind in 2020 is the collective eagerly waiting for an unprecedented vaccine that will allow “things can go back to normal”). From my perspective, that’s just not an enriched way of living…
For mySelf, in the midst of civilization collapse, I choose to live a full, awakened and meaningful life, now, unapologetically creating from my Being that which authentically emerges from deep within me — that which gives significance and meaning to my Life.
Really, I can think of no better way to Live.
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PS – Dean Walker, the host of The Poetry of Predicament, consistently releases incredible material. I urge you to check out his work on YouTube. Personally, I am deeply grateful for all the work that he shares and does, including the community he has brought together. Powerful stuff.
PPS – For a more in-depth conversation with Stephen Jenkinson, I urge you to listen to this profoundly life-altering interview with Brian Rose from London Real.
