The New Book of the Dead is written specifically for Westerners. It is a detailed guide for dealing with death and bereavement in all its forms: natural and violent, children and old people. It describes rites of preparation - such as the ritual cutting of the silver cord, and the blessing and license to depart, saying goodbye and letting go of the physical realm. This is not a book of sorrow and foreboding, but teaches us how to accept and even welcome death, as a great teacher, the last great mystery and culminating experience of life.