Eihwaz
The Eihwaz Rune represents the yew tree, and some believe the rune to be a symbol of death, and to have a connection with the "World Tree" Yggdrasil.
The point at which the upper and lower worlds meet in Midgard...
I was sort of forced to ponder death for the past year. I've never truly been that close to death to completely immerse myself in the thought of after-death to truly try and understand it.
I've been able to see death up close and feel what it does. I've seen the pain it causes, physically and mentally, to the one dying and to those around them. I've seen a death that, I originally believed, was not glorious.
But I'm less afraid now than I ever was. I used to be crippled by the thought of losing someone close, and I've been very aware of my own mortality through my entire life. Maybe age changes us in that regard but I feel some kind of metaphysical bond to something beyond this world, and thats not by the act of time passing.
I've felt and conjured the notion of a different kind of energy. In a rush of unfettered emotion on a car ride home, I was able to pinpoint a comfortable view of death.
I also have realized the idea of glory in death. To see those around us rush to our aid, no matter how much pain we're in, how difficult things are - to see that we've reached out to those around us enough for them to love us that much...
That's a glorious death.
The connections we make, the "social contracts" we sign and the emotions exchanged between our persons will bind us together forever. I truly believe that the pain you feel and share, the struggles you face with others, the joy and elation, love, and everything in between pulls us closer than just the physical and emotional connections. As if some energy reaches in between us and holds us close, no matter how or when we return to being dust. Like a tree's roots and branches reaching toward the sun and beneath our feet, grasping every sort of energy it can. This is truly how we live forever.
Make connections, share your true feelings, build the energy between each other and after we return to the stars, we'll see each other in a new universe.
We'll see each other in eternity.