Choosing a Meaningful urn
An urn is a ritual object, and the more the rituals around a death reflect the person who’s died, the more meaningful, and the more soul-healing those rituals are.
Rituals Help Us Contain Our Grief
Grief is an energy, and it has a watery-ness to it. We know the feeling of overwhelming grief; it can feel like being flooded, we get more than we can handle, we drown in it.
Portraits of Death
What does a dead person look like?German photographer Walter Schels and his partner, journalist Beate Lakotta, documented people before and after their death. The work reveals much about dying – and about living.
It’s OK to be Angry Around a Death
Anger around a death is natural, and it’s powerful to allow anger into a grieving space, and to learn tools for moving it, and skills for meeting it effectively.
Grief is an Expression of Love
“I’m doing really well!” “I’m staying strong.” “I’m staying positive.” is often code for, “I’m not letting myself be sad. I’m not crying, I’m not allowing myself to grieve.”
The Heartbreak of My Cat’s Sudden Death
My beloved cat, Luna, was killed by a car. The shock and grief were enormous, and here’s the story of her death and our ritual responses to it.
A Yogic Perspective on Death and Dying
This interview explores a yogic perspective on the different types of death, how to prepare for death, and
the journey the soul takes as we leave the physical body.
Healing Does Not Require Curing
We are not our bodies. We’re our souls. Our souls live in our bodies. Our souls can experience healing whether we’re in our bodies or not.
What the Purpose of Death?
Perhaps one of the purposes of death is that it helps us release love. Big loss and big grief show us how much we really love each other.
A Ritual after Miscarriage
Marnie wanted to find peace with the miscarriages, and to clear the family field of any blockages they may have created. She and her husband wanted a clean, clear, welcoming space into which to invite another child.
What To Do With Someone’s Ashes?
In the heightened emotion around a death, not having to make decisions about disposition can be a relief. It might also leave things hanging, ritually speaking.
The Grace of Deathbed Visitations
Just as it does at a birth, the veil between the worlds thins during a death, and the other side of the river can become more visible.
The Problem with a Happy Funeral
The problem with trying to have a happy funeral is, that when someone we love dies, we aren’t happy, we’re sad. There can be parts of a funeral that have happiness. But when someone we care about dies, the normal and natural
Shaman, Priestess, Mystic, Scapegoat
This wide-ranging interview explores the difference between The Priest/ess, The Shaman, and The Psychopomp as archetypes.
My Teachers: Betsy Bergstrom
Betsy’s no-nonsense approach to the relationship between the worlds keeps her grounded in this reality and the others.
Digging my Father’s Grave
There’s something deeply cathartic about passing the shovel from hand to hand, and carving out a spot for the one we love.
Saying Goodbye to Bill
We’ve been vigiling with him since mid afternoon. All six of us are gathered around his bed, singing, crying, telling stories, chatting, and holding his hand.
James William “Bill” Kerr
b. Jan 24 1936 in Coleman AB. d. April 5 2017 in Nelson BC. m. Sheila Alice Smith, Feb 21 1965 in Calgary AB.