Cardinals are beautiful birds. In my eyes, they seem regal and majestic. For the past 13 years, they have seemed to find me. Or maybe, it's the inverse and I seemed  to have found them. Nearly every day I have a “meet cute” with one of them whether it be in my backyard, flying past my car while driving or on a morning walk or evening stroll around the neighborhood.

My paternal grandmother had a lovely and quite extensive porcelain collection of cardinals displayed on a table outside of her kitchen.  As a little girl, I remember looking at each one with awe and wondered why she loved them so. Now, as an adult, I suspect they meant more to her much like they do for me.  

Some say cardinals carry messages from our loved ones that passed on. Maybe, they are offering a glimpse into the invisible? 

My grandmother passed away recently at the wise age of 96 years old. That day while driving home, I asked her for a sign that she was at peace. Outside my home, I was greeted by a symphony of chirps that I gratefully know all too well.  Looking up, there were four perfect male cardinals in the trees. Over the next few days, a female and male were sat on the telephone wire in my backyard. Even as I type this, I’m listening to a single cardinal chirping. 

My teacher, Grand Master Nan Lu speaks a lot about the invisible and intuitive mind- what is behind the reality that we see with the rational mind.  He teaches that above all; there are no accidents. 

For me, the vibrant red color of the cardinal symbolizes the Fire Element in the Five Element framework of Chinese Medicine. The Heart and its energetic frequency belongs to the Fire element and perfectly enough, matches the frequency of the summertime season that we currently entered upon.  Sitting quietly thinking about the Heart energy, brings a rush of feelings that I recognize as love. Times I felt love, observed love. Those I love. Those that love me. The gifts of love that Nature and God have given to us. 

I’m reminded of my grandmother’s face that would light up, as the expression goes, every single time she saw me throughout my life. Even in the end, when it was hard for her to speak to me, she was still able to beam with that light. I know she still felt it and so did I; pure, simple … Love.
 
May those that have gone before us fly free in the love that we shared together.  

Exactly 5 years ago my grandmother passed away.  She was the MOST positive woman I have ever known.  She was the BRAVEST person I have ever known. She was my mother’s best friend. She was my second mother.  I’ll NEVER, in all my life, EVER, forget how she looked at me. She and I saw deep within each other, communicated without words. She had this intense and undisturbed faith.  She knew things about death that I did not, or could not understand…until now.

My grandmother was born in 1925. Individuals of her generation relied heavily on prayer and faith to get through difficult situations. Many times when I had a question concerning death and dying, particularly her death, she would offer a very comforting answer that was clearly rooted in her strong faith. If I pressed the issue and wondered why she believed such a way, she would dismiss me with a matter of fact, “because that is what I know; that is what I believe.” I respected her answer and held a great reverence for it. She was confident. I wanted to be like her.

The practice of Chinese Medicine truly explores the concept of the mind and of the spirit, two ideas that in my opinion bridge the gap between the physical and the spiritual/emotional aspects of a person. And death, again in my opinion, is about the same thing.

In some of these texts, the “mind” indicates the activity of thinking, consciousness, insight, and memory.

The “spirit” in some classical texts states that it is comprised of five physiological aspects that are each housed in a yin organ system:

• The Mind (Shen) housed in the Heart.
• The Ethereal Soul (Hun) housed in the Liver.
• The Corporeal Soul (Po) housed in the Lungs.
• The Intellect (Yi) housed in the Spleen.
• The Will Power (Zhi) housed in the Kidneys.

As of late, I became very interested in both the Ethereal Soul and the Corporeal Soul theories hoping that it would provide some assistance for me in dealing with my grandmother’s death.

My grandmother’s mind was extremely strong and was in complete harmony with her Ethereal Soul seen through her calm vision, insight, and wisdom. The Ethereal Soul (Hun) is thought to be the link between the individual mind and that of the universal mind (our dreams/ideas/spiritual life). Interestingly, it is not attached to the body and leaves the body during death.  Alternatively, the Corporeal Soul (Po) is attached to the body and goes down to the earth with it at death. It is experienced in our sensations of touch, hearing, and sight. Our breath is closely linked to our Corporeal Soul as well, hence residing in the Lungs.   It is stated that meditation quiets the Corporeal Soul, in turn opening the Ethereal Soul with the Universal Mind. I was a witness to the strength of my grandmother’s Corporeal Soul – amazingly strong, to her last breath.

After she passed, I knew that I witnessed something special and was given a gift. I knew that her strong convictions in life (Mind) lead to the completely balanced passing of her Corporeal Soul (Po) to earth and her Ethereal Soul (Hun) to the universe. I already can feel her presence within me, in my somatic self, in my Corporeal Soul. I know that she will visit my Ethereal Soul often and that her legacy now lives on throughout me. Her peace is now mine. Her death is now my life.