A deeply honest story of one woman's relationship with death 💀 🌌

Death, her old friend. Apotheosis — Costa Rica May 20th - 25th, 2018 Between the mountainous rainforest and pristine beaches of Costa Rica... the first HighExistence retreat ever. 5 days of peak experiences to awaken the divine within you. Do you feel called? [Apply now.]( Death. It's coming for all of us, but how often do we think about it? In this deeply honest and beautifully written piece, a woman reflects on how her relationship with death has changed over time. On an unassuming trip to visit some hot springs in Colorado, the author and her friend suddenly found themselves lost, on treacherous mountain roads, in the middle of a whiteout blizzard, fearing for their lives. Today marks exactly six years to the day since her near-death experience occurred, and since many of us are in the middle of cold winters right now, this story of snow and ice should be all the more visceral. You'll be swept up in her vivid account of their near-death experience, her poignant reflections on depression and the fragility of life, and the moving conclusion to her story. The author clearly poured a lot of her heart into these words. We hope you appreciate them. [Merrily the Mount Snow Flies — A Tale of Life, Death, and Cosmic Wonder]( "Tap, tap, tap, Death tips his cap, the call of the quiet banshee bird. Death’s invitation is so often a chaotic, cacophonous thing, yet this gentle fall of frozen cherry blossoms made a lovesick song out of even his shrillest cry." [Read More]( Carl Jung once observed, “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” We created [30 Challenges to Enlightenment]( to help you do this. To become the strongest, wisest, and most honest expression of yourself. As you know, taking action is hard and scary. It’s much easier to cling to what you know, to what is stable and comfortable. And yet, on some level, you realize that the treasure you seek cannot be found in your familiar routine. You’re reading this because you want something more: Adventure. Authenticity. Confidence. Purpose. Enlightenment. Whatever it is you’re seeking, your well-worn patterns can’t get you there. They can only bring more of the same. And that’s why we created this epic course: to break you out of your old patterns—to give you room to become a stronger, wiser, more heroic version of yourself. One of the most powerful aspects of this course is that it is divided into six unique quests, which are based on the stages of enlightenment described in the Zen tradition. The quests form a natural progression toward self-actualization and spiritual realization, providing meaningful direction to your journey. This is just one element which sets it apart from everything else out there. Each quest provides another stepping stone to increasingly liberating perspectives, greater awareness, and more enlightened states of being. Our aim was to create a kind of “PhD in self-development.” The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche understood the utility of temporary challenges as well as anyone, and he was one of our greatest inspirations in building this course. Nietzsche recognized that in order to become stronger and wiser, it was necessary to overcome yourself—to leave behind your established ways and paradigms. Nietzsche thought we should engage in perpetual self-conquering, regularly transcending our current conditioning to become something more. In pursuit of this end, he developed the idea of a “gymnastics of the will”—a practice of undertaking temporary experiments of willpower, with the intention of strengthening, mastering, refining, and deepening our being. Friedrich Nietzsche understood that our conditioning runs deep. Even if you admit that you want to change your life, it’s damn difficult to override your habitual programming. The solution to this problem, for Nietzsche, was to regularly attempt a variety of life experiments—experiments that would push one to act contrary to one’s conditioning. If we could just make a habit of attempting life-transforming challenges, Nietzsche thought we would unearth our own greatness, that which lies beneath our conditioning, and become resilient masters of life. However, we’ll let you in on a sad secret: Most of you won’t accept the challenge. Even though you perceive this grand opportunity, most of you will find an excuse. And you will find reasons to believe this excuse. As Nietzsche proclaimed, self-mastery and greatness are reserved for the very few. Most are destined to spend their lives doing what is easy, procrastinating on what they truly desire. However... Some of you are different. Some embrace what is difficult. The rarest of souls delight in challenging their limitations and becoming doers, not mere dreamers. And they are rewarded. They unearth the hidden jewels of human existence. Are you such a person? Will you accept the challenge? [I ACCEPT]( Copyright © 2018 HighExistence, All rights reserved. You signed up to receive the top 5 top-voted posts daily from HE Our mailing address is: HighExistence 40 E. Main St. #1137Newark, DE 19711 [Add us to your address book](//highexistence.us9.list-manage.com/vcard?u=dd9bd4972680a66763ae32a9e&id=9298f81796) Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](