Tag: mystery of life

EOLPodcast

Ep. 312 The Wisdom of a Deathwalker for Living and Dying Well with Zenith Virago

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Learn the powerful lessons that come from a long career of service to others at the end of life.

My guest Zenith Virago is a respected pioneer and acknowledged expert in the fields of holistic death and dying. With over 20 years of experience she provides comfort, information and guidance to assist people through the natural and the sacred, the inner and outer journeying as they come to the transition at the end of life. She is the subject of the documentary film “Zen and the Art of Dying” and the co-author of the book The Intimacy of Death and Dying. Zen shares the lessons she has learned over the years from life and death and what it means to be a “Deathwalker.” Learn more at the website:

www.naturaldeathcarecentre.org

Get the book here.

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Zen first became interested in working with dying and death
  • What has changed in death care over the past few decades since she began her work
  • Why each death worker must do their own work in coming to terms with mortality
  • The importance of being able to sit with the mystery of death and not knowing how to fix things
  • Why every death has an “equation” that is unique and needs to be understood
  • How sadness can become grief or joy and both are acceptable reactions to death
  • The one question to ask each person on their deathbed
  • Dying as an “inside job” and tools for preparing for it
  • Why dying well is one of the greatest gifts you can give your loved ones

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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest supporters Elaine MacDonald and Bruce Wadd! Your contributions make all the difference.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 287 Giving Voice to Grief Through Poetry with Bruce Sterling

kwyattmd

Learn how writing poetry helped Bruce express his grief and find a connection with others.

My guest Bruce Sterling is a writer and poet who earned a degree in psychology and worked in the technology sector for decades. As he compiled his first book of poetry he recognized that a significant number of his verses focused on his grief after the death of both of his parents in a tragic auto accident. Because these poems seem to touch others deeply as well he has published his first poetry book Not Enough: Musings on Grief and is currently writing a second book Stories of Grief and Hope. In this conversation he talks about grief, poetry, lessons learned and connecting with others through our shared experiences of pain. Learn more at Bruce’s website:

www.brucesterlingllc.com

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • Bruce’s journey of grief and poetry
  • How the organization of his poetry book reflects his personal process with grief
  • After a sudden traumatic death, shock happens first, grief begins later
  • How Bruce’s process for writing poems includes surrender
  • Why poetry is a good medium for expressing the pain of grief
  • Grief as a tool for acknowledging previously repressed emotions
  • How poetry makes space for the mystery and the unknown

“It wasn’t my parents’ death, but the miracles that came next, that took tragedy and loss and turned it heavenward. I can’t look at all these gifts and synchronicities and think that life is anything less than miraculous; tragic, certainly; wondrous, at times; meaningful, hopefully; but miraculous, even when we’re not looking.”

Bruce Sterling – Stories of Grief and Hope

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!

EOLPodcast

Bonus Episode: The Little Moments of Grace – A Story

kwyattmd

For this Thanksgiving holiday enjoy a brief story about Grace and how it meets us where we are!

Listen here:

The Little Moments of Grace

Featured Poem: Being Home by Gunilla Norris

Many times today I will cross over a threshold. 
I hope I will catch a few of those times.
I need to remember that my life is, in fact,
a continuous series of thresholds: 
from one moment to the next,
from one thought to the next,
from one action to the next.
Help me appreciate how awesome this is. 
How many are the chances to be really alive. 
Help me cross into the present moment – into wonder, into Your grace: 
the “now-place,” where we all are, unfolding moment by moment. 
End of Life, EOLPodcast

Ep. 226 The Afterlife of Billy Fingers and Learning About Life and Death with Annie Kagan

kwyattmd

Learn how Annie Kagan received after-death communications from her brother that showed her how to navigate life with joy and love.

My guest Annie Kagan is a singer/songwriter and former chiropractor who began receiving communications from her brother Billy shortly after his death. Even though Billy had lived a troubled and colorful life he revealed to Annie that he had tapped into great spiritual wisdom in the afterlife and wanted to write a book with her. She shares her story and Billy’s wisdom in this interview as we discuss the book The Afterlife of Billy Fingers: How My Bad-Boy Brother Proved To Me There’s Life After Death. Learn more at the website:

www.afterlifeofbillyfingers.com

Get the book here.

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Billy provided Annie with proof of his contact
  • Annie’s journey through grief and guilt as guided by Billy
  • How Annie’s life was changed through Billy’s messages
  • How Annie’s intense meditation practice prepared her to receive communication with Billy
  • Tips for enhancing afterlife communication with a loved one
    • Speak as though they can hear you
    • Trust your own inner knowing
    • Trust the signs you see
  • Why it is important to accept the mystery of life and death and how the medical system denies mystery
  • Billy’s lessons for life and why we have to train ourselves to focus on loving the life we have
  • Why we shouldn’t fear grief or try to avoid it

See life through your own eyes not through the lens of another.

– Billy fingers

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest Patrons: Michelle Scott and Marjorie Williams; your contributions make all the difference!