Typically, when people personify or represent death in art or literature, they use scary imagery or imagery that is in some way frightening or repulsive. In reality however, death has all of the opposite qualities, and is extremely alluring, soft, tempting, and seductive in how it feels, operates, & takes hold of a person. This is why the female body & the yoni are the agent of death, and this is shown by Yama the god of restraint, death, & the dharma ruling over Bharani nakshatra, which is associated with the restrictive corrosive power of the Yoni (entrapping a being into a mortal form). Death is not something that happens all at once. Even if we end up dying in some kind of accident or have a sudden violent end that cuts our life short immediately, we still dug that hole for ourselves shovel-by-shovel, & manifest those dirt walls that become our tomb with all of our own actions that culminate in that particular fate. Death is something that happens little-by-little, on a daily basis, through each and every decision we make. When we allow our bad habits to seduce us because we enjoy them, this is death pulling us a little more under her influence. When we have sex in a way that does not preserve our vital energy, we are falling under her influence bit-by-bit, orgasm-by-orgasm until she swallows us whole. Death and decay occur all around us and within us at all times unless we understand how to perform activities that resist this natural flow and inertia, which consumes everything & everyone around us with the passion & zeal of a woman in her sexual prime, awaiting her male lover. In Thelemic Cosmology, it's found that the concept that that "death" is like a voracious prostitute (Babalon) copulating and attempting to consume any & all lifeforms into her yoni that she is able to, out of love. This is not done for any particular reason other than that absorbing & assimilating other lifeforms produces the particular sexual pleasure that most women unconsciously understand, & that drives female sexual nature in particular.
Most people experience death "while living" when they have an orgasm and the vital energy leaves their body. The element of surrender, abandonment to a kind of shameless pleasure, and peculiar blotting out of the ego that are associated with the orgasm are all qualities that are experienced when a person at the end of their life is overcome by & absorbed into the "yin field" of darkness, which is the "cosmic yoni" of the Great Goddess, who then ensnares and restrains us into a new body or form. In this way, we can see that the typical scary or frightening imagery surrounding death is meant to warn people of the inevitable consequences of surrounding to and indulging in sensual vice. Until an individual is able to transcend the force of time and decay thorough controlling their vital energy to the point where they are immune to the seductive pull of death, we are in a constant battle against this force that will be the ruin of our attempt at achieving self-realization, if we do not attempt with all of our willpower to complete the great work. This is why new initiates are often shown Saturnine imagery such as hourglasses, scythes, skulls, etc. when they are undergoing the neophyte ceremony, which attempts to impress upon their unconscious mind that they must work very hard to overcome their inevitable death and make the best of their previous karmic momentum. This is also why the Pentacle (symbol of the personal spiritual universe of the spiritual seeker) is often made of beeswax, as the diligence and regularity that bees display in their work are necessary qualities that the aspirant must internalize to succeed at accomplishing the "great work" . Our triumph over time and death occurs from the constant exercise of our personal "will", which then causes a kind of permanent crystallization of our soul that grants immortality, as it is immune to death and decay. This is why, especially for men that in regards to spiritual matters, it is always resorting to passivity to one's circumstance in life-- or towards the various feminine forces that attempt to absorb and consume him through vices-- that indicate failure.
It is for this reason that a person must cultivate the qualities of "non-agitation" and the ability to see through illusions because, in reality, it is through this mechanism of deception that death has access to our energy in the first place. The only way out is through developing control over your mind, which should not be confused with asceticism or avoiding threatening "yin" things like women or alcohol, as this actually makes one more susceptible to them in the long run. The control of the mind can actually be obtained even easier when one utilizes these substances or engages in these activities in a controlled way, which is what Tantra or what people tend to think of as "left hand path" activities are really about. Through immersing themselves IN darkness and vice, they gradually purify themselves of all of their weakness, which is something many people approaching spirituality cannot understand in regards to vices. It must be obvious to a person (even instinctually) that if a person is going to engage in sex or use intoxicating substances, you must never even for a second surrender to them or "indulge" in them, as this is the essence of failure. When a person can engage in any and all activities with full control over themselves, this is what "self-realization" really is. These are the types of individuals who are said to mediate with crocodiles on the side of a river, or pick up and play with cobras. Their control over their internal Universe and all of its dangers gives them control over the external "dangerous" animals or substances. To the Adept, nothing is dangerous because they have conquered themselves-- and it is through ignorance and an inability to control yourself that death and danger enter.
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