If I look objectively at my body, I see that it is made of cells, which are made of atoms. These atoms have been elsewhere before they were me. They were part of the food I ate, the water I drank, the air I breathed. Of course, what I call “food” were once (mostly) living creatures of the plant and animal kingdoms. The minerals came from the earth.

If I trace these atoms in time, I see that I am a construction made of impersonal elements. Going back further in time, I can see that the heavier atoms, carbon, oxygen and so on, were forged in the stars, stars mostly made of hydrogen and helium. Despite all appearances, I am mostly hydrogen (especially in the form of water).

If I look at my thoughts, I can see that many are formed with words, in a language I did not create. I can see that most of these thoughts have been had by others and much of what I think, I have learned from others.

In this way, I see that the separate self, which is the creation of my mind, and is my default state of consciousness, is just on way of understanding reality. I am woven of materials and thoughts that are universals – not mine. They temporarily reside in patterns that are “me”. This exists in a particular fom in the present but is ever changing.

In this way, I realize that I am always and forever, totally in union with the All, the One, Reality, God, the Divine, Allah… whatever name seems best. Creation is constant and so is death.

Mystical death is the name Cafh calls the process to this realization. It is the death of the illusion of separativity, the illusion of ownership and the many other illusions that constitute the default, “self” state of consciousness.            

Now, how to integrate such awareness into daily life is the challenge we face. It is one thing to realize this in a meditation exercise or a reverie in the mountains or at the sea. It is another to put it into practice in daily life.  In essence, this is the spiritual path.