Choosing Your Death Myth

I know this sounds morbid and scary, especially on the New Years holiday. I'm reading the book Memento Mori by Joanna Ebenstein and one thing it addresses is how death is uniquely personal to each of us. She cites Carl Jung in that we should each, at some point in our lives settle on our own death myth archetype. Especially as we get older.

Jung noted that “Myths are original revelations of the preconscious psyche, involuntary statements about unconscious psychic happenings, and anything but allegories of physical processes. Such allegories would be an idle amusement for an unscientific intellect. Myths, on the contrary, have a vital meaning"

Death is something each and everyone of us will experience. Some of us sooner than others, but no amount of money, power or social status can stop it. Once we realize and accept that we can focus on living better lives for ourselves. 

I grew up in a Baptist home and I was always told what death meant. That if you're saved you go to heaven and live in everlasting glory, and if you're unsaved you go to hell and burn and suffer for all eternity. Both of these feel very extreme and unpleasant if I'm honest and the lack of any real choice or understanding always bothered me. 

When I left the church in my 30s, I became an atheist for the better part of a decade. It was in that time death felt the scariest because I just believed in nothing. The idea that the end comes via serious accident or old age or illness and you're just snuffed out forever and soon forgotten by the living and no part of you exists or is conscious anymore, that always scared me. Like if this is all their is then what is the point of anything? Yes, be a good person is my goal, and I don't necessarily believe in cosmic rewards other than some form of karma. 

So about 6 years ago I began exploring witchcraft and paganism and over time my views on death changed slightly, but upgraded a lot from annihilation. I did a lot of research a and studying of various religions and cultures and I think I finally settled on my own death myth I feel comfortable with. 

My personal view is once we die, we go to a spirit realm which is a place of rest and comfort. We stay there maybe a few weeks, maybe hundreds of years. Time does not really exist there. When we are ready we come back to reincarnate and live life again building on what we learned in past lives. 

This for me makes the most sense and also feels the most comforting of all the things I've learned about. Your death myth may be different. I will say I still have a hard time picturing it. Whenever I hear about a high profile death, my neurodivergent brain always tries to imagine what they went through and what they experienced. Though its hard to not just picture everything going black. But then again imagining anything beyond our own existence is probably harder to do than I'm giving myself credit for. 

I know this is an uncomfortable subject and I know several people who don't even want to think about let alone talk about it. I wish some of them would, because once you settle on a death myth, it makes you appreciate life so much more. And the realization I don't have to earn a good death. Unlike my Christian upbringing, life isn't about suffering and I don't earn points in the afterlife based on how awful I have it hear or how awful I treat others. 

Though I do tend to think the universe is just and really awful people like Hitler or Trump will end up in annihilation, a permanent state of non-existence which to me is fine. So, that's my first New Years blog, this is meant to be more upbeat than the title probably sounds, so I hope you all found this helpful and encouraging in some way! In the meantime check out my art and apparel to help support my blog and art. Thank you everyone!