THE BEAN SI

THE BEAN SI

In the Irish tradition, there is also a very interesting figure called the 'Bean Si'. Si is another word for fairies and Bean Si is the word for fairy woman. This is a spirit who cries for someone who is about to die. My father heard her crying one evening. Two days later a neighbour from a family for whom the Bean Si always cried died. In this, the Celtic Irish tradition recognizes that the eternal and the transient world are woven in and through each other. Very often at death, the inhabitants of the eternal world come out towards the visible world. It can take a person days or hours to die and then often preceding the moment of death that person might see their deceased mother, grandmother, grandfather or some relation, husband, wife or friend. When a person is close to death, the veil between this world and the eternal world is very thin. In some cases, the veil is actually removed for a moment, so that you can indeed be given a glimpse into the eternal world. Your friends, who now live in the eternal world, come to meet you, to bring you home. Usually, for people who are dying, to see their own friends gives them great strength, support and encouragement. This elevated perception shows the incredible energy that surrounds the moment of death. The Irish tradition shows great hospitality to the possibilities of this moment. When a person dies, holy water is sprinkled in a circle around the person. This helps to keep dark forces away and to keep the presence of light with the newly dead as they go on their final journey.

Sometimes people are very worried about dying. There is no need to be afraid. When the moment of your dying comes, you will be given everything that you need to make that journey in a graceful, elegant and trusting way.