Tag: spirituality and dying

EOLPodcast

Ep. 534 Sacred Dying: Honoring the Legacy of Megory Anderson with Jeremy Damec

kwyattmd

Learn about the beautiful contribution of Dr. Megory Anderson to the field of sacred death and dying and how her legacy lives on 7 years after her death.

My guest Jeremy Damec is a NEDA-certified death doula and a grief counselor who has also completed chaplaincy training and worked at a funeral home. He was a friend and mentee of Megory Anderson and knew her well during the years prior to her untimely and unexpected death in 2019. We discuss her pioneering contributions to end-of-life care and her book Sacred Dying along with our own stories of being inspired by Megory’s wisdom on the 7th anniversary since her death. Learn more about Jeremy’s work:

jeremydeathandgrief.com

deathandgriefworkercollective.com

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This episode includes:

  • Megory’s book Sacred Dying as a valuable resource for all death workers
  • How Jeremy got to know Megory Anderson
  • Jeremy’s experience sitting vigil with Megory before she died
  • How Jeremy still learns from Megory in his work
  • Honoring Megory as a pioneer in the sacred aspect of death and dying
  • What Jeremy has been inspired to create through the Death and Grief Worker Collective

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 latest patron Leslie Robinson! And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 499 Death as a Shift in Consciousness with Felicity Warner

kwyattmd

Learn about the value of viewing death through a spiritual lens rather than just as an ending of the physical body.

My guest Felicity Warner is the founder of Soul Midwives™ a global movement to teach holistic and spiritual end-of-life care. She has been working with death and dying for 35 years and her work is often used in hospitals, hospices, and care homes. She also teaches on the use of sacred oils at the end of life and will share that information today along with her insights about the five energetic stages of death. Felicity is also the author of The Soul Midwife’s Handbook, which will released later this year as an updated second edition and she is currently teaching a course on sacred oils for The Shift Network. Learn more at her website:

soulmidwives.co.uk

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This episode includes:

  • What is a “soul midwife” and how Felicity came to do this work
  • The five energetic stages of death and how they show up when people are dying
  • The role of sacred oils in supporting the dying
  • How death can be viewed as a shift in consciousness rather than an ending
  • How Western medicine is missing the emotional and spiritual perspective on life and death
  • What Felicity’s course on sacred oils will consist of
  • How we as deathcare workers can be more present to the emotional and spiritual needs of the dying

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 Char Yutzy, Emma Schade-Stylli, and Wendy Getchell-Lacey who also made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast, mortal wisdom, Spirituality

Ep. 284 The Hero’s Journey at the End of Life

kwyattmd

Learn what the Hero’s Journey can teach us about the dying process and how to support someone on that journey.

In this solo episode I share some thoughts about the archetypal Hero’s Journey, conceived by Joseph Campbell as a template for the transformative experiences of our own lives and those who are facing the end of life. Each of us has the opportunity to be a mentor for someone who is going through the ordeal of their own hero’s journey and this model can help us understand how to offer support and what is needed from us. Download a one page handout at the link below:

Heros-JourneyDownload

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This episode includes:

  • Why the archetypal Hero’s Journey applies to people at the end of life
  • Why things generally have to fall apart before transformation can occur
  • How dissolution of life’s equilibrium can lead to either transformation or regression
  • The importance of a mentor for people experiencing the sacred end-of-life journey
  • The most important tasks of the end-of-life hero’s journey
    • Reframing Suffering
    • Strengthening Connections
    • Finding Meaning
    • Facing Fear of Death
  • How unaddressed shadow issues can sabotage transformation at the end of life
  • The benefits of stories as tools for a mentor
  • How to utilize stories to assist with transformation

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, Grief, Spirituality

Ep. 269 Disenfranchised Grief and Sacred Rituals for Healing with Joél Simone Anthony

kwyattmd

Learn how to restore sacredness to grief and embrace those who are often excluded from the shared grief experience.

My guest Joél Simone Anthony is a licensed funeral director and sacred grief practitioner in Atlanta, Georgia. She utilizes spirituality that is deeply rooted in ancient wisdom in her work guiding families toward healing after a death has occurred. Joél is also a leader in the movement to expose and heal systemic racism in death care and teaches cultural competency courses for funeral professionals. Learn more about her work at her website:

www.thegravewoman.com

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This episode includes:

  • Joél’s calling to become a funeral director
  • How her upbringing exposed her to ancient African culture that informs her work today
  • Definition and examples of disenfranchised grief
  • How ignoring grief has emotional and mental health consequences
  • How COVID interferes with funeral rituals and ideas for creating a sense of community during a time of isolation
  • Simple rituals to help with grief
  • “The Grief Kit” as a tool for dealing with loss
  • How systemic racism in death care can occur due to a lack of education
  • Joél’s courses:
    • Shifting Deathcare: Tools for a New Paradigm (in collaboration with others)
    • Self Care for Death Professionals
    • Racism in Death Care
    • Cultural Competency for Funeral Professionals

Links mentioned in this episode:

  • Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
  • Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
  • Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

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!

End of Life, EOLPodcast, Spirituality

Ep. 211 Doorway Into Light: Showing Up for Death, Nourishing Life with Rev. Bodhi Be

kwyattmd

Learn about Bodhi’s training program for death doulas on Maui and how to restore the sacred aspect of dying.

PodcastBe

My guest Bodhi Be is an ordained Sufi minister, teacher, guide, funeral director, and bereavement counselor on the island of Maui. He is also the founder and director of the International Death Doula Certificate Training program, which is going on its 4th year. We talk about the sacred aspect of death and dying and the importance of death doulas. Learn more at his website:

www.doorwayintolight.org

Listen here:

 

This episode includes:

  • Bodhi’s long journey from becoming a hospice volunteer to mentoring death doulas
  • Why people need to wake up to plan the importance of planning and preparing for death
  • How hospice care has changed over the years
  • Why he started The Death Store and what it offers
  • How death doulas are changing the conversation about death and dying for the better
  • The International Death Doula training he offers annually
  • His future vision of a conservation burial ground and a guest house for the dying

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 Patreon.com/eolu, your contributions mean  everything to me!