ABSTRACT
This chapter tries to hide death from view or treat it as a disease to overcome. The goal is not simply to view death as the final act in life, but to welcome it as a persistent ingredient in the entire process of life. The acceptance of death brings one to the threshold of living authentically. The death-imagery techniques provide the opportunity to confront death and to come to terms with it. As Metzner points out, death/rebirth fantasy and associated ritual practices have an essential component of initiatory experiences in several traditional cultures. This type of meditation is very commonly used by Buddhist monks. The Sufis, in keeping with the Prophet Mohammed’s advice, “Die before you are dead,” have given great importance to the contemplation of death. Koestenbaum also presents an immortality exercise that has the form of a guided daydream or fantasy. This reaction, tends to give way to a feeling of deep relaxation: a fully conscious, dreamlike state.
