Steve Irwin's Sudden Passing

This afternoon, my 7 and 8 year old children lit a candle for Steve Irwin's spirit as a way to send love to his family, and the three of us sat and talked about what we really liked about him - his zest for life, his passions, his courage and respect for animals - and how special it was for him to die today doing what he loved, being out in the wild, taking life by the throat, so to speak.

If it's true what happened shortly after the moment of death, what he would have immediately seen would have been a tunnel of light and a pull towards it, with a sudden memory of this beckoning light as being his 'real' home, and a sense of gathering excitement (as emotional ties dissolve to a soft murmur) and an instinctive rush towards family, friends, pets and some of the animals he has no doubt worked with as a child and young adult - waiting for him on the other side.

He would also have had the feeling of sending lingering love backwards to those left behind, with a strong knowing that, if they had unresolved agreements that they would meet again, that much of life,its dramas and pettiness of daily living was irrelevant, and that he was here to open his heart, love, be loved, and impact others with his gleeful, boyish excitement that would often reawaken our own childlike wonder hidden underneath serious, responsible adulthood. A boy at heart, his 'job' may well have been to wake us up again, to stir enthusiasm up in others - and I am sure he would have chosen a way to pass on that would have felt fairly unusual (it's very rare to die from contact with a stingray), at home in Australia, creative and definitely involved in his work.

Blue soothing energy can be sent towards his family today, as you are wrapping each one up in soft baby blankets, trusting that his children will have known well ahead of their incarnation into the Irwin family - this event, its timing and the subsequent gifts of insight, strength and skill that will be gained from this eventually.

Enthusiasm and delight are spiritual qualities. This was a man who was clearly working with vortex energy - activating the Light within him, working closely with nature, aligned to his life purpose - clear and bright. We will miss his bouncy Tigger-ish jubilance in his khaki shorts, but if there's one way to honour his passing, it might be to do something fearless or childlike this week. Blow bubbles, go to Corin Park and ride a little car down the longest track in the southern hemisphere; jump on a trampoline, say something you've always wanted to say to someone dear, be brave.

So, light a candle or send some soothing calmness to his wife Terri, 8 year old Bindi - already clever at handling snakes and becoming a connoisseur of fear, and Bob, 3. Their relationship with their husband and dad continues. Steve will still be there, hovering for many years around them - and I hope at least the children will have direct contact with him within the next 48 hours, as is usual.

As Elisabeth Kubler-Ross said, "it's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth -- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, we will then begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had."