Depicting Death

Would You Want to Know If the End Was Near?

Death is a mystery that both intrigues and terrifies us. Some people seem to have an unexplainable sense about its approach, almost as if they can glimpse the unknown. My mother is one of those rare people. Known for her quiet, powerful psychic gifts, she’s deeply Catholic and cautious about using these abilities. Yet, her experiences are remarkable—often surprising even me.

Some of you might have heard her stories, but here's one that stands out.

One day, while walking past a police station, she felt a sudden pull. She stopped, looked over at the station's entrance, and walked in. Inside, she found herself drawn to the wall of missing persons’ photos. She later told me that some of the photos began to shimmer—a sign to her that those people were still alive. The photos that didn’t shimmer, she knew those individuals had died. Her intuition extends to loved ones, too; sometimes, she dreams of a black cross, which she knows means the approaching death of a family member.

Recently, she called me out of the blue and shared a vivid dream she'd had about her brother-in-law. In the dream, he told her he was “finished with this life” and ready to “go home.” She instantly knew his time was near. The family was skeptical, but two weeks later, he passed away.

These stories when I get told them takes me back and reminds me of an elderly man I met in Australia 30 years ago when I first began exploring spirituality. He claimed to see numbers above people's heads, representing the time they had left. Different colours indicated the time to death. For example: a blue "8" might mean eight years, while an orange "8" might mean eight weeks, and black, eight days.

When I hear these death stories, none of them frighten me at all. Death doesn’t frighten me; maybe it's because I often communicate with those who’ve passed and feel at the most ease at cemeteries. What does intrigue me, though, is other people’s reactions and fear of death and how it drives their actions. During COVID, I was fascinated—and sometimes baffled—by the lengths people went to, driven by the anxiety and fear of death that may or may not have been approaching.

I am often asked if I have inherited some of this “depicting death” myself and I say “partly” though my experiences have been fewer. Once, I saw the energy field of a woman with breast cancer and noticed a gap around her chest area. I knew her time was limited down to less than a week before she left this existence. My mother’s ability has only sharpened with age, and maybe mine will, too, as I continue on my journey.

So, as we explore this subject, we now ask “what then is a healthy way to look at death?” Let’s look to Socrates for his insight. Socrates once said, "Death may be the greatest of all human blessings," what he was suggesting was that death might offer us more than we realise. To Socrates, death wasn’t an end but potentially a release from earthly suffering or a passage to deeper truths. He saw it as a natural step rather than something to dread. In his trial, he described two possible outcomes: either an eternal, peaceful sleep, or a passage to another realm where he might meet the souls of other wise beings. Either way, he viewed it as something positive.

What Socrates was doing was challenging us to examine our fear of death, implying that fearing it might stem from not truly understanding it or welcoming its wisdom. To him, the mysteries of death could bring clarity, peace, or a higher state of wisdom. I know when either my mother or I deal with death there is always a higher level of wisdom and spiritual energy at the back of it all.

If death is indeed a great mystery, one that might even be a blessing, as Socrates believed—then perhaps our relationship with it deserves contemplation. Imagine the freedom in living without the weight of fearing the end, embracing life fully, and finding meaning in each moment.

Maybe the real question isn't so much about knowing when we’ll die, but about how we live knowing we will. Whether we would want to know the end or not, the truth remains that each of us has a finite time here. So, perhaps the greatest gift we can give ourselves is to live in a way that, whenever the end does come, we feel ready—unafraid, fulfilled, and at peace with the life we’ve led.

Would you live differently, knowing the end was near? Or will you start living differently, knowing that it is inevitable?

Until next time.

Many blessings

Rachel x

About Me:

I am a spiritual warrior and modern-day mystic, blending fierce leadership and profound spirituality to guide others toward courageous, authentic lives. With roots in humble beginnings and a career spanning from the military to corporate leadership, I now serve as a reverend and spiritual director, inspired by the strength and devotion of figures like Joan of Arc. My mission is to bridge ancient wisdom with modern insight, empowering others to discover divine purpose, balance the sacred feminine and masculine, and embrace lives filled with integrity, compassion, and transformation. Learn more about my work at www.rachelwotten.com.?

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