{"id":1653,"date":"2011-10-30T20:35:58","date_gmt":"2011-10-31T00:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/blissblog\/?p=1653"},"modified":"2011-10-30T20:38:27","modified_gmt":"2011-10-31T00:38:27","slug":"what-is-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/what-is-death.html","title":{"rendered":"What Is Death? Messages From The Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51tbUZ88qzL._AA160_.jpg\" alt=\"Product Details\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Such an interesting juxtaposition of a word that most people fear, with the rainbow colored images that are displayed on the cover of the latest offering of Renaissance Woman (former Miss World USA and human rights activist) Lexie Brockway Potamkin. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><em><strong>What is Death? Messages From the Heart<\/strong><\/em><\/span><span style=\"font-size: medium\">, is a healing balm for the wounds we humans experience when someone we love passes from this plane of existence. Three other books came before this one, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><em><strong>What is Spirit?, What is Peace? , What is Love? <\/strong><\/em><\/span><span style=\"font-size: medium\">setting the stage to tackle one of the most challenging subjects. Like death itself, the book poses more questions than it definitively answers. Well researched, with both scientifically objective and anecdotal evidence, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><strong>What is Death? <\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size: medium\">is a comforting guide to the Beyond and what precedes it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><br \/>\nPotamkin shares her own journey with death of loved ones; including her beloved parents and her 97 year old uncle. The death of her father when she was 19 helped to shape her world view and the impression of the ways in which she was to live her life. The descriptions are poignant and reflect, as well, my own experiences with so many of the passings of those in my life, including those of my husband (in December of 1998), my father, (in April of 2008) and my mother (in November of 2010).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium\">She describes the various spiritual, medical and societal views on death, and what follows, leaving room for ongoing dialogue. The door is then open for those from all walks of life, to offer their perspective on death. I am honored to be one of the contributors. (page 39)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Some examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201c <span style=\"font-size: medium\">I believe that death is freedom. Freedom from the physical body, which has been my vessel in this lifetime. A freedom like no other, where my soul can fly and soar!\u201d-Kristal Hardy, Caregiver<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-size: medium\">I have no idea what death is, but, to paraphrase Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart&#8217;s comment on pornography. \u201cI&#8217;ll know it when I see it.\u201d- Merna Popper, Writer, art dealer<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-size: medium\">I believe I am here to ascend spiritually., and that my sole purpose now is to bring more light, love and God&#8217;s guidance into my life.\u201d-Meredith Porte, Producer\/host, public television<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium\">She then asks readers to consider their own legacy and the mark they choose to make on the world. A guide for planning memorial services is included. As an interfaith minister, Potamkin has officiated at celebrations of life, honoring the one who has passed, even as their loss is grieved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The exquisite artwork that illuminates the pages, was created by Deborah Lieberman Fine. Their soft, muted shades without definition, are reflective of the idea of death itself. Uncertain what&#8217;s out there, they leave room for personal interpretation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><br \/>\nIn closing, Potamkin offers the reader the sense of healing that comes with a certainty, that even after the death of the body, love lives on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.whatisspirit.com\/\">www.whatisspirit.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 Such an interesting juxtaposition of a word that most people fear, with the rainbow colored images that are displayed on the cover of the latest offering of Renaissance Woman (former Miss World USA and human rights activist) Lexie Brockway Potamkin. What is Death? Messages From the Heart, is a healing balm for the wounds&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":233,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,13,41,19,3,22,4,54,17,10,38,29,37],"tags":[1006,1002,1003,1005,1004],"class_list":["post-1653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-attracting-what-you-desire","category-blissfull-thinking","category-death","category-empowerment","category-gratitude","category-healing","category-inspiration","category-interfaith","category-relationships","category-spirituality","category-transformation","category-women","category-writing","tag-deborah-lieberman-fine","tag-lexie-brockway-potamkin","tag-what-is-death-messages-from-the-heart","tag-what-is-love","tag-what-is-spirit-what-is-peace"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Is Death? Messages From The Heart - The Bliss Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/what-is-death.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Is Death? Messages From The Heart - The Bliss Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0 Such an interesting juxtaposition of a word that most people fear, with the rainbow colored images that are displayed on the cover of the latest offering of Renaissance Woman (former Miss World USA and human rights activist) Lexie Brockway Potamkin. What is Death? Messages From the Heart, is a healing balm for the wounds&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/what-is-death.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Bliss Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snuggleyoga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-10-31T00:35:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-10-31T00:38:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51tbUZ88qzL._AA160_.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EdieWeinstein1\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Is Death? 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She has also contributed to several anthologies and personal growth books. Edie has interviewed such notables as Ram Dass, Wayne Dyer, Debbie Ford, don Miguel Ruiz, don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. Marianne Williamson, Grover Washington, Jr. Noah Levine, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Weaver, Ben and Jerry and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She calls herself an Opti-mystic who sees the world through the eyes of possibility. 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