Meditation for the Dead

When you start this meditation, keep in mind that you’re not doing it to feel alive, or relax, or avoid decomposing. You should simply experience whatever is going on in your corpse. From moment to moment.

Gently focus your full attention on your breathing. Maybe you can find a hint of a breeze going past your nose. Maybe you can feel a slight twitching in your solar plexus. Or in your stomach. It may just be maggots, or bubbling pustulence, but that’s okay. Focus on that reminder of breath wherever you find it. Feel whatever is happening, without prejudice, without fear. From breath to breath.

During the meditation you may find that your focus slips away from your breathing. Perhaps your mind travels back to when you were alive. Perhaps you’re contemplating revenge for your murder. Or how to haunt your mother-in-law. That’s perfectly natural. The dead mind likes to wander. And remember: They are just thoughts, and you can let them go when you want to.

Now try to expand your focus outward from your breath to your entire corpse. Perhaps you can imagine that your breath is a flow of energy spreading from your solar plexus. All the way down to your feet. And all the way to your scalp. Let your attention spread out with every breath. Notice what is happening in your feet. In your legs. Your knees. Your arms. Never mind if some of your limbs have fallen off. That’s perfectly natural. Just focus your attention on whatever happens. From moment to moment.

Maybe you’ll find your muscles twitching. Maybe your fingers will clench. That’s okay. Nothing you experience is wrong.

Perhaps you’ll find an urge to stretch your arms towards the sky and bang the lid above you. Turn your full attention to the feeling in your hands, your knuckles, your arms. Feel them break through the rotting wood. Feel your breath flow through your corpse as your fingers claw the earth away.

If your attention slips away from your breath, it’s perfectly natural. You may wonder what it’s like to walk the earth again. What has happened in your neighborhood lately. If the love of your life is seeing someone else. That’s okay. You can always refocus your attention on your breathing. And on digging.

Maybe you feel the fresh air. For now, experience how the wind feels on your face. Your arms. Perhaps you can climb out of your grave. Feel the wind on your legs. Knees. Feet. And feel whatever is going on in your corpse. From moment to moment.

Now shift your focus from your body to your brain. Perhaps you can picture the wind passing in through your nose and mouth. Feel it drift into your head. Feel your brain. It may have maggots squirming around, but that’s okay. There are always new brains to be had nearby.

Try saying it out loud. Brains. Brains!

If you want to shamble across the graveyard, it’s okay. Try repeating this meditation as you shuffle along. You will have more company as you leave the graveyard and explore the neighborhood. More and more. From moment to moment.