Facing Mortality: A Stoic Death Meditation

The Stoic Handbook by Jon Brooks

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In this episode, we delve into the profound Stoic philosophy surrounding death. Join us for a guided meditation that will help you confront and accept mortality, diminish the fear of death, and find peace in the natural cycle of life and death.
Learn to focus on what truly matters and live a life of tranquility and resilience.

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding the Stoic Perspective on Death
  • Confronting mortality and its inevitability
  • Quotes from Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca
• Exercise: Sit with Your Fear of Death
  • Addressing the root cause of anxieties
  • Reflecting on the impact of death on your life's story
• Visualizing Your Life
  • Contemplating the transient nature of personal details and experiences
• Imagining Different Timeframes
  • Considering your actions with ten years, one year, and one day left to live
• Visualizing Your Own Death
  • Contemplating decay and the state of non-existence before birth
• Filling Your Heart with Love
  • Practicing compassion and reflecting on love
• Combining Compassion with Contemplation
  • Balancing anxiety work with love and compassion

Quotes Highlighted in the Episode:

• "Some things are within our power, while others are not." – Epictetus
• "You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." – Marcus Aurelius
• "He who fears death will never do anything worthy of a living man." – Seneca
• "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters." – Epictetus
• "Consider that before long you will be nobody and nowhere, nor will anything which you now behold exist, nor one of those who are now alive." – Marcus Aurelius
• "Death is a release from all suffering." – Seneca
• "When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love." – Marcus Aurelius
• "Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens." – Epictetus

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