The Heartbreak of My Cat’s Sudden Death
My beloved cat, Luna, was killed by a car in January of 2019. The shock and grief were enormous, but I’ve eventually found some healing. Here’s the story of her death and our ritual responses to it.
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. At some primal level, people know how important this task is, and the sign we’re finished is not that
Saying Goodbye to Bill
My dad, Bill Kerr, died on April 5th, 2017. Here are series of Facebook posts and photos from the days before and after his death, telling the story of my family’s experience. You can also read his obituary, and watch the video we showed at his funeral.
A Healing Ritual for Abortion
Our goal in this ritual was not only to change the experience for this child, this couple, and those who care about and support them, but also to help build new healing patterns in the cultural field, so that all those who have, or will, go through
Supporting Twins to Connect Beyond Death
The brother had never been ritually conveyed to the Village of the Ancestors, and the sister hadn’t been helped to reconfigure their bond so she could relate to him as an ancestor, rather than a living sibling. He was, in a sense, still here, and
Helping Kids Witness Death
I recently did a euthanizing ceremony for Artie, a family’s beloved cat. The vet came to the house, so the whole family (including Panther, the other cat) could be part of it. It was both very sad, and very beautiful.
A Hospice Deathbed Ritual
Even the simplicity of an ordered participation can help stabilize things. When they washed his hands and face with warm water and lavender, when they spoke their goodbyes, and when they anointed his forehead
Home Deathcare: Tending to the body
In the few days between death and burial or cremation, families have the option to care for the bodies of their deceased loved ones at home. Caring for the bodies of our loved ones after they die can be a profound experience.
A Coffin Closing Ceremony
There’s a fine line between empowering families to take death back from all the forces in this culture that push it away, and offering stable guidance when their world has come completely undone. Sometimes what people most need is