My beloved and very brave mum passed away peacefully on Thursday 18th August 2011 at 7.42pm after a brief illness drawing three gentle breaths. She had a most serene and peaceful look. I noticed rapid eye movements a few hours before mum shed her mortal remains.Mum had been blind, deaf and mute for 7 years. Is REM common prior to death? What does it mean? After funeral services, the priest told us that mum passed away at a bad time. Pray, tell me when is it a good time to die? Blessings and joy..
—thiru, Malaysia
Dear Thiru,
We are very sorry to hear about your mother’s passing and we offer her, you, and your family our love and prayers.
I think her “most serene and peaceful look” is the answer to all your questions. It sounds as though her life was very challenging, especially towards the end, but she was at peace at last.
The REM (Rapid Eye Movement) almost always indicates that one is asleep and having a dream.
I have not heard that it is common close to death, but it is certainly common when we are asleep; so my guess is that she was simply resting and dreaming, as we all do when we are tired.
It is good that she wasn’t agitated or upset or holding on to this life, as often happens to people who are not yet ready to go.
I cannot imagine what the priest meant. Perhaps you should ask him. But the truth is that we all die at exactly the perfect time in accordance with God’s will, our own karma, and our planets’ astrological alignments – the same thing is true at the moment of birth.
All is in perfect accordance with what the soul needs to learn.
