Dying?… Dropping! Better!

SATURDAY, SEPT. 30, 2000, 2:55 PM
FARM, STUDY

I obviously shall be coming to you today with some thoughts (to influence yours… even abet your “best ones”) about this “end of this life” scene. You don’t know how much more of this life as Bob Russell you shall experience and enjoy… and I needn’t tell you that. It will not be immediate nor will it be long, drawn-out, and terribly painful. (Oh, there shall be some pain, but that will just be a challenge to you and your spirit).

In American secular terms you are a “dying man.” And in those terms you could be having some variety of medical treatments to kill the cancer or to just prolong your life, almost no matter what the conditions would be. News of your brother-in-law, Bob, is news of “another dying man” who probably will want more done to prolong this life, despite its present and future conditions. He has not considered and accepted the continuation of life in the spirit, and he shall have some surprises when he finally does come across. That’s all I’ll say about him.

What I want you to consider – as the most pertinent reality for you now – is just “dropping this body,” taking on your “spiritual body” (which you’ll recognize quite easily and fully) and getting on with your more “compete” life, in spirit. And I say this in spite of the fact that this body of yours now will be no more; you’ll just be “richer” without it.

The tree that you see in front of you is an interesting symbol of “dropping.” It has had beautiful green leaves all summer. Now that lively green is fading, and soon there will be a variety of colors and shades… a beautiful Fall display. Then they will begin to drop, and soon the ground will be covered and the limbs bare. It could look as if the tree is dying…even, is dead. And so it shall be during the winter season. It has dropped plenty of small pods that contain seeds for new trees, most of which will not have a chance to be a tree like this one.

Yet the trunk, limbs, and roots are still alive (although they look rather dead). In the Spring limbs will enlarge and lengthen, and green leaves will sprout anew. But they will be leaves quite like the ones you see now… not oak leaves, willow leaves, or pine needles. The tree will be bigger, but still, basically, a maple. And it is not yet dying, for it has not completed the life which comes forth and then retreats, with the seasons.

Your life is less like this healthy tree before you and more like that big one halfway down to the barn. It is still living and has upper leaves, but its branches are dying, providing you with some good firewood. It is slowly dying, as are some of your pines in and around Peter’s Park. But these are still good, live trees… and so are you!

You see less well and hear less well. Various parts of your body don’t feel as good or function as well as when you were “a young tree.” You feel as though your life won’t be much longer, in this form, but you do expect your spiritual consciousness to continue, “expanded” considerably from what it is now.

This has been a well functioning body… like unto how these leaves have been. But they shall become more beautiful in their dying process, and so can… and should… you. I’m not pleased that Our Ruminations has not been mailed yet, as this month ends. So do get to that task, as soon as you can.

Set a pace for your continuing life (this one!) that can be maintained, but that pace can also be varied. Cut the grass… but not all at once. Cut firewood… but as it’s needed and you feel like this chore.

Yes, you do have some letters to write, and these shouldn’t be postponed much longer. Your life has about the right amount of responsibilities. Don’t give everything up. That reunion in California would have been fun, but… maybe in this new year.