Green Funerals: The Ultimate in Recycling
Before industrial technology, we returned our dead to the earth directly through the transformative powers of Air, Fire, Water and Earth. We can still do that today.
Kathleen “Kay” Isobel (Hanson) Kerr
b. November 18 1919 in Saskatchewan. m. Jack Kerr. d. September 13 2015 in Blairmore, AB.
Keeping Someone’s Ashes in Your House
If you have someone’s ashes in your house, it’s probably for one of three reasons. First, you may be holding onto ashes because it’s the right thing for you to do.
My Teachers: Joanna Macy
Joanna’s embrace of deep time, in which past, present and future all exist together offers an important healing framework that reaches beyond the individualism and linear views of Western consciousness.
A Funeral Held 50 Years After the Death
When Annie was three, her mother and sister died together in childbirth. Fifty years later, the family system was still out of balance and Annie still struggled with her grief.
Honouring my Teachers: Ed Tick
Ed understands the power of ritual and the need for the whole community to come back into balance when there has been an injury to any of its members.
Saying Goodbye to a Dying Cat
Lisa and Marie are nine-year-old twins. Their mom, Molly, called me one day because Zoe, the family’s almost-20-year-old cat, was in her dying time and it was time to say goodbye.
Honouring my Teachers: Starhawk
Self-described witch, Starhawk has reclaimed and evolved the European pagan tradition using rituals, goddess teachings, and mythology.
A Community Support Circle
After his stroke, I held a series of rituals to help my Dad find peace with what had happened, and to bring the larger family and community system back into balance.
Nature-based Rituals for Living and Dying
In this early interview, when I was still calling myself a Death Midwife, I tell stories about clients I’ve worked with.
My Teachers: Michael Harner
Michael’s understanding of the role of sound and ritual to shift consciousness and connect with the healing powers of the cosmos shapes most of the work I do.
A Home Funeral for a Grandfather
We never left Richard that night. About two in the morning, we bathed and dressed his body. It was a beautiful, beautiful night. There was a chorus of frogs coming through the window, and moonlight.
A Euthanasia Ritual for a Beloved Dog
When King no longer responded to me, I knew I had to help him die with grace. “How do I do that?” I asked. Sarah knew and her compassion was as valuable as her knowledge.
A Good Death is a Ritual of Initiation
Here’s an audio recording of the paper for the 2017 Arts and Religion track of the American Academy of Religion conference. The topic was “A good death is a ritual of initiation for everyone involved.”
Loss of a Pet or Plant Friend
This episode is dedicated to Sarah’s deceased cat, Luna, and all those who are suffering grief over the death of a beloved animal, or tree friend, or natural landscape.
The Beauty of a Family Graveyard
All my mother’s ancestors are buried in the same small graveyard. There has been a steady trickle of family members join them around that tree over the last 80 years
Getting Unstuck, on CBC’s Tapestry
This interview, with me and my dad, explores his feelings about life and death from his new perspective, confined to a bed in a long-term care centre, after having had a major stroke.
Simba Kerr
1997 – 2012