Death and Dying (Ray Buckland)

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Death and Dying
by guest author Ray Buckland

It looks as though winter has finally gone. You know what winter is? It’s that long dead period when we sit around waiting for the new Lily Dale season to start.

One of the joys of Lily Dale, to my mind, is the fact that here you can talk about death and dying without being considered morbid or unusual. It was Woody Allen who said: “I’m not afraid to die... I just don’t want to be there when it happens!”

I think a lot of people have that fear. They’re fine with this life and they have no fear of the next, but it’s that actual transition that can be frightening. When and how will it happen? Will it be painful?

There are so many ways of passing. You can die peacefully in bed... your own or someone else’s! You can be hit by a garbage truck. You can be accidentally shot when out hunting (especially with the Vice-President). You can die after lying sick and in pain for many days, weeks, or even months. It’s this last, which can really put you off the dying experience.

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/wiccanandpaganrituals/a/DeathandDying.htm