Persons speculate about before-life and after-life. We can now be led, supposedly, to "our" past lives through past-life regression. And this is called "therapy." In Western culture, also, belief in reincarnation seems on rapid rise.

I recommend a sane, wise doubt in these matters. This life we have, now. We live before and after many times in this life journey. Before we die, physically, we undergo many deaths. These deaths create a new life, a new beginning. We are not the same person from moment to moment, even each breath-cycle is a new death and new birth.

The seasons teach us this, also. Here I sit with the breeze and light of Spring, after one of our colder Winters in recent memory.

I cherish the night and day. I especially like the turning of night to darkness, and the time of darkness before early morning light.

Many are living into new work careers. Old careers are dissolving, and we ask, “What next?” That question points to the mystery of the potential of a new work-birth.

This week I have looked at my beard. From one year ago, when I had a beard, this new beard is much more colored with gray.

Much in our societies encourage a denial of these deaths. Rather than mourn the dyings, many resort to artificial denials, like alcohol and drugs, religious and spiritual addictions, plastic surgeries, blame of others' for the death of one's old way of life, resentments, … Now, rather than mourn the ending rightly, a doctor will gladly give us a pill to suffocate the natural letting go emotionally. Many means that might help, can easily lead to a shutting off of the naturalness of grieving endings and, thus, welcoming beginnings. How can I welcome the new birth, if I have not lived through the death of the old life?

Spirituality helps us navigate these burials and resurrections, as natural contours of life. Yes, God, however we see That, gives us life after life after life. But let us not turn too soon from the closed door, too soon to welcome consciously and rightly the opening to the new. And, also, let us not cling to the old, knocking for it to open again, when we need to trustingly place a hand on the knob of the new and turn it.