Practicing Conscious Living and Dying, by Annamaria Hemingway
By Psyche | May 20, 2008
Practicing Conscious Living and Dying: Stories of the Eternal Continuum of Consciousness, by Annamaria Hemingway
O Books, 9781846940774, 218 pp. (incl. bibliography and works cited), 2008
The book opens with an introduction to near death experiences, or NDEs, offering an overview of what happens, then follows with several stories recounted by individuals who’ve died and “come back”, naturally with a sense of greater purpose and an increased zest for life.
Following a section on views on death in various cultures are many of the stories which revolve around grief and loss, including Hemingway’s personal story. Some tales speak of “visitations” from the deceased.
This isn’t my usual sort of book, but when it came in for review from O Books I thought I’d give it a chance. I hadn’t read anything of this sort since I was a kid first getting interested in ghost stories. Yet I recalled a pattern. This type of book relies heavily on personal stories, circumstantial evidence which is supposed to convince the reader that there is “more” beyond death. Even when young, I’ve always been confused as to why this seems so important.
Hemingway does say some sensible things, such as pointing out that “We need a philosophy of life that ultimately becomes a practice for the act and art of living and dying well”.1 Wisely, she writes “it i impossible to avoid the death of the physical body, but one can leave the memory of a life well-lived to those left behind, planting a seed for future generations to tend and cultivate.”2 It’s a shame this sort of thinking wasn’t explored further. Without it, it all seems rather pointless.
For what it is, it’s a well written book, often moving, and it’s great that it seemed meaningful to those involved, but if you were to take a random guess what an NDE might be like, you’d come up with a story similar to the ones recounted here. I simply don’t understand what I’m supposed to get out of it. Is this supposed to be comforting?
Footnotes:
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You will get out of an experience precisely what you choose. Its not always possible to measure what you learn. You may simply reinforce a belief you thought you already had. NDEs described are very different from the experience itself which defies words and ordinary communication. The ultimate truth must be felt. If you do not choose to believe an experience is true, that is your perogative. If you choose to be sceptical, you can be that too. It doesn’t change the NDE experience of the person who shared it.
I don’t deny that the experiences may have been meaningful to those who experienced them, but I’m not sure I understand the value in reading about it second-, or sometimes thirdhand. Am I supposed to be convinced in life after death as a result of reading this? I’m not.
No person can tell you what you will get as the result of a particular experience, like reading a given book. Only you decide what you are ready to accept or not. If at the core, you are sceptical of the subject of NDEs, you might ask yourself what drew you to read the book. Part of you must sense some kind of intrinsic value or you wouldn’t even take a second glance let-alone pick it up.
When people choose not believe in something, be it UFOs, extra-terrestrials, past lives or NDEs, the underlying reason is often fear of the unknown. This may be what your mind is bringing to your attention. Inner fear also raises the question of believing in yourself, your views and perception. The next step is up to you.
I review books for SpiralNature.com. Publishers from around the world send books to be reviewed, I read them, then review ‘em.
I don’t mean to sound harsh, but using “fear of the unknown” as an excuse to believe in something absurd strikes me as a little ridiculous. Is fear the reason I stopped believing in Santa Claus, or was it common sense?