birth

A woman's body does not require permission to do what must be done in order to give birth. It knows what it must do and does it.. contractions come and go.. pain ebbs and flows. When I had my daughter, I discovered that resisting the contractions created the most panic and discomfort. The more I surrendered the control over my body, the less pain and fear I experienced. If I was able to breath above the pain everything seemed to move more gracefully.

Just as my baby's body knew how to grow fingers and toes within my womb, my body knew exactly what to do in order for this new life to make it's way out of my body and continue on it's earthly physical existence.

Death is a similar process. When the human body begins it's letting go of life in the matter of this world, the soul must also relinquish ownership of the familiar vessel it has called home throughout it's life on earth. As my baby eventually outgrew my womb and moved on to fulfil her personal destiny, my soul will one day release it's grasp on my body and transition out of this physical realm.

Illustrations © Barbara J Holzapfel

I suspect that a baby believes life is over when they are rudely evicted from their warm, familiar life inside their mother's womb and rushed into the glaring greater life on earth. I believe that, when I am no longer able to reside within my reliable physical body, I will be released into a whole new extraordinary world of spirit.