Why Endings are so important

One of the unexpected fall outs of the always on, never ending busy lives many people lead, is that this kind of living, leaves little room for the skilful management of endings.

Instead of consciously ending one thing, before beginning the next, endings are not happening. Instead, an endless pile of open-ended duties/thoughts/practices/relationships are piling up and up. And that is unsustainable.

You see the beauty of endings is in their finality. We need to shed that which no longer serves us, in order to make room for the new. In preparing for Samhain, this whole coming month of November, it’s a great idea to consciously decide what you can let go of. Reflect, mourn, grieve, learn - and then move on. Consciously make space to dream in the new beginnings that can be fertile now.

In Shamanism we know that all life begins in darkness; the seed in the belly, in the ground. This is our New Year. These it’s months of darkness are the dream time. Time to allow ourselves the luxury of imagining, visualising, letting emerge gently, all that might like to take up space in us, as new beginnings come Imbolg, Spring. But we can’t do that well, unless we first free up the space.

And freeing up the space first, involves endings.

It’s worth noting that if we struggle with letting go of mini-endings, then we will really struggle with the big endings and deaths that will surely come our way. And when we don’t know how to die, we don’t know how to live. Sanitising death and pretending it doesn’t exist, doesn’t work. Death is a part of life.

It’s worth asking yourself, “If I die today, am I living a life that’s worth living?”

Many of us are, but of course, many of us are not. Where do you sit with this question?

What one small change can you make to the life that you live currently? How can you use the conscious practice of endings, to make room for dreaming in the kind of life in which you thrive, laugh often, and lift each other up?

All the end-of-life research points to those on their deathbeds regretting not making changes to how they lived. Not listening to themselves, and honouring their true nature, their true desires. “Too much time at work” is a huge regret for many.

What one regret can you avoid having when your time comes?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

One of the unexpected fall outs of the always on, never ending busy lives many people lead, is that this kind of living, leaves little room for the skillful management of endings.

Instead of consciously ending one thing, before beginning the next, endings are not happening. Instead an endless pile of open-ended duties/thoughts/practices/relationships are piling up and up. And that is unsustainable.

You see the beauty of endings is in their finality. We need to shed that which no longer serves us, in order to make room for the new. In preparing for Samhain, this whole coming month of November, its a great idea to consciously decide what you can let go of. Reflect, mourn, grieve, learn - and then move on. Consciously make space to dream in the new beginnings that can be fertile now.

In Shamanism we know that all life begins in darkness; the seed in the belly, in the ground. This is our New Year. These upcomg months of darkness are the dream time. Time to allow ourselves the luxury of imagining, visualising, letting emerge gently, all that might like to take up space in us, as new beginnings come Imbolg, Spring. But we can’t do that well, unless we first free up the space.

And freeing up the space first, involves endings.

It’s worth noting that if we struggle with letting go of mini-endings, then we will really struggle with the big endings and deaths that will surely come our way. And when we don’t know how to die, we don’t know how to live. Sanititising death and pretending it doesn’t exist, doesn’t work. Death is a part of life.

It’s worth asking yourself, “If I die today, am I living a life that’s worth living?”

Many of us are, but of course, many of us are not. Where do you sit with this question?

What one small change can you make to the life that you live currently? How can you use the conscious practice of endings, to make room for dreaming in the kind of life in which you thrive, laugh often, and lift each other up?

All the end of life research points to those on their deathbeds regretting not making changes to how they lived. Not listening to themselves, and honouring their true nature, their true desires. “Too much time at work” is a huge regret for many.

What one regret can you avoid having when your time comes?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.