A presentation by the author, Bhakta A. Lorenz, of her collection of short stories, with three reviews: “It’s a great read. On a subject that we all, sooner or later, get to deal with. ‘A Drop of Death’ dares us to think about the inevitable with humour, contemplation, humility, wonder, and courage.”
A Drop of Death
dancing your way to farewell
by Bhakta A. Lorenz – angielor@protonmail.com
233 pages
Independently published January 15, 2024
ISBN: 9798873687091
ASIN: B0CSGMJPB6
available as Paperback and Kindle: Amazon* worldwide
Customer Review: 5.0
Death is the greatest joke there is, it has never happened. It cannot happen in the very nature of things because life is eternal, existence is without end…
Become the tree you are seeing and become the clouds you are looking at. And slowly, slowly, you will start laughing at death.
– Osho
Humans have only two absolute things in common: We are all born, and we will all die, without exception. It is these two certainties that define our being. Then why is it so difficult, such a taboo to talk about death?
The stories in this collection are fiction, even if they contain kernels of truth that weave through the drama and inspire the protagonists. The only exception, the very last story recounts the author’s personal experience of an extra-ordinary death.
With each of these stories, we explore death from different angles, delving into the known and the unknown. We encounter the many ways of dying, be it old age, disease, accident, suicide, murder, or genocide. We experience profound feelings when confronted with death, whether it is fear, sadness, shame, guilt, denial, or relief.
We try to understand how to live when faced with death by looking at it through the filter of one’s life experience. As we share tears and laughter with the characters we encounter in these stories, we are encouraged to ask questions like: How can we accompany a loved one to their last breath? How do we survive the sudden loss of a child? How do we forgive a person who has committed suicide? And even, what would it take to murder one’s spouse?
In most cases, we cannot change the place or the cause of death. The only thing we can change is our attitude towards it. So, when death comes knocking, we are ready, and nothing is amiss. This idea is at the core of the stories in this collection.
But we have a problem: We cannot experience death and there is no trial run or do-over. Some people going through a near-death experience tell us about seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. It sounds beautiful, reassuring even, and for me, too good to be true. We may be given time to get used to the idea of dying when stricken with a deadly sickness, or we may die in an instant, gunned down by a car or a massive coronary. Either way, death always comes as an unknown.
So, how are we to adopt a healthy attitude towards something that will always be strange and therefore scary?
As children, we often have a healthy, natural interest in death, with fear raising its ugly head only later once we understand. Children approach death in a semi-scientific way. They look at dead animals, poke, squeeze and dissect them, to try and find the reason why moving and breathing has stopped. They are fascinated by death and its meaning. Hence the endless questions: Why doesn’t Grandma open her eyes when I poke her? Where did she go? Where is heaven and will she come back? What happens when you die? The list goes on and on before the inevitable final question: Will I die too?
Children have the ability to approach death with curiosity and speaking about it hasn’t become a taboo yet. It’s just different and sometimes even funny.
What if we adults could learn from children to let death become our guide to a life of curiosity and joy? What if we would welcome death with laughter in our heart and turn our life into lives worth living? Wouldn’t that be something?
Exploring our individual ways of dying might just teach us how to live.
Quote by Osho from The Book of Wisdom, Ch 22, Q 3
Reviews
There is only one thing we mortals can be guaranteed of in life: death. Until recently, humanity accepted the reality of death. The vast majority of people today, on the other hand, would rather avoid confronting this reality and instead bury it.
And here is a book published by Bhakta Lorenz that delves into death in a straightforward manner. She has written about some of the most beautiful, sad, and even macabre thoughts, as well as an array of strange and incredibly interesting personalities that are both startling and engaging.
Bhakta effortlessly adopts the character of the protagonist, and each story she tells is unique. It’s as if she’s drawing from a vast memory bank of prior lives, rich in detail and passion. Her characters convey a wide spectrum of genuine feelings, including ultimate gratitude for the fact that they are alive.
Relating those intense moments in life when everything changes abruptly, her characters face the inevitable with courage and optimism, but doubt persists until the fact of death can be embraced with deep understanding.
It’s a wonderful surprise that the final chapter is about her own extraordinary life, told with openness and panache.
Ma Anand Bhagawati
Bhakta Angelika Lorenz’s collection of short stories takes the reader on a journey through many of life’s transformative experiences: the loss of a pregnancy, a parent’s Alzheimer’s, the suicide of a bullied teen and aging out of the work system.
Her stories are poignant, tender, humorous and brutal. The themes of death, surrender and despair are experienced by her characters and the reader. Her writing is beautiful and delicate and paints a vivid picture that engulfs the reader.
This is a book that will touch one’s heart and soul. I highly recommend it.
Ma Prem Geeta
I love this book and highly recommend it. To anyone, really, but especially to those whose lives have been touched by close encounters with death and dying. The book is not morbid, rather a celebration of how we live in proximity to death, whether with a loved one, a friend, a lover, or one’s own musings.
The stories are diverse, sometimes funny, and the short story format allows a reader to skip around to passages that feel most relevant. The author’s bio reveals her own experimentation and discovery on the spiritual path, and one imagines some of the stories are based on real events or relationships.
It’s a great read. On a subject that we all, sooner or later, get to deal with. A Drop of Death dares us to think about the inevitable with humour, contemplation, humility, wonder, and courage.
Brian Gruber, Author
Born in 1957 in northern Germany, Bhakta Angelika Lorenz left her home country at a young age to explore Eastern thinking and spirituality. During her travels in India, she came across the spiritual master, Bhagwan Shree Rajnesh, later named Osho, with whom she stayed until his demise. He gave her the name Ma Satyo Bhakta, meaning ‘devotion to truth’.
Following her husband to Geneva, she started working as a Human Resources Consultant for international companies and private banks. Simultaneously to her profession in HR, she is trained in Psychodrama using Action Methods to coach HR Professionals.
Since 2020, Bhakta and her husband have retired to their adopted home country, Thailand, living on the quaint island of Koh Phangan. This collection of short stories, A Drop of Death, is her first book published independently.
While looking death in the face, Bhakta continues to live like Zorba the Buddha, with endless love, life, and laughter.
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