Death isn’t the end. At least, not according to Hermeticism and other Western esoteric traditions. Instead, death is a transition: a deeply symbolic and potentially conscious passage from one state of being to another.
Another way of looking at it is the final initiation we all undertake, whether we like it or not. This is the primary goal of most esoteric practices: to understand the superseding realms beyond the material; the astral, the etheric, and the mental.
This is partly why the Tree of Life is so important; it gives us a map of the cosmos, both in a macro and micro sense, a path to work with, to show us where we’re going and how it all connects. Just don’t confuse the map with the territory; they’re very different things.
If you’ve ever wondered how to prepare spiritually for death in a meaningful way, this guide will walk you through a structured Hermetic approach to doing just that.
What Does It Mean to Die Properly?
In Mark Stavish’s Between the Gates, “dying properly” doesn’t mean avoiding death: it means meeting it consciously. Taking steps to know what’s coming and prepare for it through ritual practice and meditation exercises.
By getting comfortable and adept at lucid dreaming and astral projection while you’re alive, you will better understand the death process and what happens when the physical body dies.
The book is a treasure-trove of knowledge, actionable guides, and practical tips for beginners starting on the path of return. If you even have a passing interest in lucid dreaming or astral projection, Between The Gates is essential reading.
Throughout the book, Stavish covers an array of Hermetic practices that, when practiced with focus and will, can:
- Lessen the fear of death
- Allow a person to become familiar with the symbolic and energetic process of dying
- Learn to guide consciousness at the moment of death
The goal here is simple: we all die, so you might as well learn how to do it properly. From Tibet to India to ancient Egypt, the art of dying has always been closely linked with the dreams and the body of light (sometimes called the rainbow body in the east). And that means we have plenty of information to work with in helping us ascend from the material plane in style.
Practices vary by culture, but the main takeaways and key points are always the same: you have a physical body and an etheric body, and when you die you experience two deaths: the first relates to your material body, the death process we all know, and that is followed by the second death; the death of the etheric body.
It is this second process, The Second Death, that concerns much of the work you’ll undertake in your esoteric studies. The development of the body of light allows for a more conscious, proactive second death where you have more control and are more present in the process, giving you options that aren’t available to the uninitiated.
The Hermetic View of Death: Elemental Dissolution
In Hermeticism, the body is a temple composed of elemental forces. At death, these elements dissolve in a sacred, ordered sequence:
- Earth into Water – Sensation of physical heaviness fading; wavering light begins.
- Water into Fire – Perception of colored smoke or heat.
- Fire into Air – Flashes of inner light, identity shifts.
- Air into Spirit (Akasha) – Encounter with luminous flame; the soul prepares to depart.
Practitioners rehearse these dissolutions to stay centered during the real event. Practically speaking, this can be done through visualization or pathworking using alchemical symbols and/or the Tree of Life.
Core Practices: How to Prepare for a Conscious Death
1. Daily Meditation and Heart Focus
- Begin with foundational techniques like the Middle Pillar Ritual or Rose Cross Ritual to anchor your energy.
- Focus on the heart center as the seat of consciousness and gateway for the soul’s exit.
2. Visualizing Elemental Dissolution
- Use meditation to imagine the elements dissolving one by one.
- Stay present and calm as each layer fades—this is rehearsal for death.
3. Build the Body of Light
- Through visualization, prayer, and ritual, construct an inner vehicle for your consciousness.
- This “Body of Light” becomes the subtle form that carries you into the next state of being.
- Practice “Rising on the Planes” to gain control and familiarity with non-physical states.
🕯️ Why It Matters: In Hermeticism, the Body of Light is not symbolic. It’s the real container for consciousness post-death.
4. Devotional and Ritual Support
- For those who struggle with deep meditation, focus on devotional practices—prayers to your chosen deity, teacher, or spiritual ideal.
- Direct your intent to exit via the crown center, ideally into a spiritual realm or divine presence.
5. Affirmative Prayer
- Daily invocations like “I am the Resurrection and the Life” serve as affirmations of spiritual identity and continuity.
- These create internal alignment and prepare the soul to move fearlessly forward.
At the Time of Death: What To Do
Most people have no interest in esoteric subjects, the majority think it’s just superstitious nonsense. And that’s perfectly okay; not everybody is ready to be initiated. But when we die, regardless of your belief system, we’re all initiated into the next phase of existence.
This is the path of return for all of us; we came from the source, according to all mainstream religions and spiritual belief systems, and we return back to the source upon death. The process can be rather complicated, though, which is why the Egyptians placed so much emphasis on it.
If you fear something, the best way to overcome that fear is through knowledge.
Hermeticism and other esoteric practices give you the tools to not only understand but also experience the death process first hand, safely and from the comfort of your alive and well body.
Anyone that has had a lucid dream or a successful astral projection knows that death isn’t the end; it’s just a veil, something to be lifted and moved past. The practices are designed to be empowering, not scary.
They’re designed to give you control over your god-given, latent powers and capabilities.
Faith is a commendable tool, and you should have it in spades. But practical experience is the quickest way to remove any modicum of doubt you might have about the true nature of reality, your role it in, and how your consciousness evolves and transcends this realm when you die.
If you have a working idea of how the levels of reality work, how the material plane affects the etheric plane, how your body’s energy centers work, and their role in how you travel and traverse the planes of existence, you’ll have a broader understanding not only of yourself but also where you came from and, ultimately, where you’re going.
The Basic Tenets of Conscious Dying
- Withdraw inward: Focus attention at the heart or crown.
- Remember the dissolution sequence: Let go layer by layer.
- Invoke your guides or deities: Use prayer or visualization to guide your exit.
- Exit through the crown: Intend to rise upward, not scatter outward.
🌌 Hermetic Insight: Conscious dying is the ultimate alchemical act—transmuting the base material of life into the gold of spirit.
Astral Temples & Dream Work
Dreams provide us a glimpse of what’s to come. By keeping a detailed dream journal and practicing dream yoga, you will quickly start to develop better dream memory and this is the first step in a wider understanding of the death process.
Part of the reason you cannot consciously remember your dreams after you wake is because the content is too abstract; it takes place on higher realms, places your physical, material-focused mind isn’t tooled to deal with.
As you get better at dream yoga, you’ll be able to download information from the astral and etheric realms and use it to your advantage on the physical plane. Jung understood this, and so too do most practitioners of western esotericism.
Through simple training exercises and a bit of work, you can quickly develop the skills required to start lucid dreaming and, beyond this, things like astral projection and, for the truly advanced adepts, rising on the planes.
- Create astral temples in your imagination where you can rehearse spiritual transition.
- Use lucid dreams to explore symbolic death and rebirth experiences.
- Sleep becomes your training ground for the afterlife.
Why This Approach Is Hermetic
Hermeticism teaches that the divine is within, and death is not separation—it’s transformation. By dying properly, you align your microcosm with the macrocosm. As above, so below. As within, so without.
To deepen your understanding of Hermetic principles that shape this view, start here:
👉 Hermeticism Explained
And for deeper study, we recommend:
📘 Between The Gates – Mark Stavish
📘 Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius
📘 Initiation into Hermetics: The Path of the True Adept
