Conscious Transitions –
Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov
“When the Baal Shem Tov fell ill shortly before his death, he would not take to his bed. His body grew weak, his voice faint, and he would sit alone in his room meditating. On the eve of Shavuot, the last evening of his life, his disciples gathered around him and he spoke to them about the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. In the morning he requested that all of them gather together in his room and he gave his final instructions for burial to members of the Hevra Kaddisha. …
Then after his time spent in prayer and preparation for greeting the Angel of Death, he told his disciples that as a sign, at the moment of his death the two clocks in the house would stop. … After a while the ball Shem Tov began to describe how the soul was leaving his body, first through the extremities, slowly, slowly … slowly … Then in a quiet voice he said: ‘Now I can no longer speak with you.’ His disciples looked and noticed that at the moment, one clock in the house had stopped.
The Ball Shem Tov then motioned for his disciples to cover him with blankets and he began to shake and tremble as he did when praying the silent prayer. Finally, he grew quiet, inhaled his last breath of air, and there was no exhalation, only stillness, peace. At that moment, the disciples noticed that the second clock in the house had stopped too.
And those who buried the Ball Shem Tov said they had seen his soul ascend towards the heavens as a blue flame.” – Simcha Paull Raphael, Jewish Views of the Afterlife
This passage reminded me of Gurdjieff’s “law of accident”: “when an event happens without the lines of the events we observe” (Ouspensky, The Fourth Way: A Record of Talks and Answers to Questions Based on the Teaching of G. I. Gurdjieff). In Gurdjieff’s Fourth Way:
“… man in his undeveloped state was subject to the law of accident. Unless we are able to take our lives in hand with consciousness and will, we cannot effectively do anything; we are bounced around by circumstance like coins in a pocket. And it was precisely to exempt oneself from this law of accident that one undertook the Work.” – Richard Smoley, “Meetings with a Remarkable Paradox”
If the account of Baal Shem Tov’s passing is accurate, perhaps he escaped the law of accident and consciously guided/witnessed his transition to another state of being. The Tibetan Book of the Dead proffered a similar skill-set – framed within metaphorical passages through Bardos, which Timothy Leary re-envisioned in The Psychedelic Experience.
What do you think – is it possible to consciously guide/witness the transition from life to ??? Do you think there’s any value in exercising the requisite cognitive faculties necessary for such a transition? In an ideal world, how would you like to approach your passing?
Additional Rabbit Holes -
Khephra is an ex-pat INTJ participating in America's brain drain. Accompanied by his conscientious spouse and intrepid beagle, he explores, teaches and provokes. An avowed radical and advocate of the working class, Khephra considers modern civilization a great tragedy and invites you to join him in actively immanentizing the eschaton.