Books of the dead : manuals for living and dying : with 148 illustrations, 16 in colour

The "art of dying" and the posthumous journey of the soul have been the subject of extensive literature and visualization in many cultures. "Dying before dying", or practice in dying, has been sought throughout human history, not just to overcome fear and give help at the moment of death, but actually to transfigure the quality of life. Stanislav Grof considers some of the most striking and important of the works known collectively as the "books of the dead": the ancient Egyptian funerary texts; the Tibetan Bardo Thodol; Maya and Aztec myths of death and rebirth. And from medieval Europe come the Christian visions of the soul's journeys, the danses macabres and dialogues with death, and meditational imagery of mortal decay that recalls Tibetan practices. The art of dying and the posthumous journey of the soul have been described and depicted in many cultures. 'Dying before dying', or practice in dying, has been sought throughout history, not just to overcome fear and give help at the moment of death, but to transfigure the quality of life. Stanislav Grof considers some of the most striking and important of the so-called 'books of the dead': ancient Egyptian funerary texts; the Tibetan Bardo Thodol; Maya and Aztec myths of the death and rebirth of the Hero Twins and the Plumed Serpent, Quetzalcoatl. From Europe come Christian visions of the soul's journey, the danses macabres, and imagery of mortal decay that recalls Tibetan practices. The 'books of the dead' are universally relevant as maps of a terrain that each of us will one day traverse. The art of dying and the posthumous journey of the soul have been the subject of extensive literature in many cultures. This book considers some of these most important works: the ancient Egyptian funerary texts; the Tibetan Bardo Thodol; and the Maya and Aztec myths of death and rebirth. Stanislav Grof. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 96).