Autumn Equinox And End-Of-Life Workshop

NikiAnne Feinberg — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 15:48:32 +0000

As we pass through the autumn equinox, we can see the seasonal change in our Appalachian forest home. Bees are feasting on the goldenrod flowers, sumac leaves are turning red, and acorns are falling.

At autumn equinox, we celebrate our harvests of squash and corn, and also the ways we have grown individually and as a community. We make corn dollies, exchange our harvests, and have a feast. The next morning, we gather early to sing up the sun.

We also start preparing for the time of death. My friend and SOIL co-founder, Lee Warren, says:

As we move toward a land-based life, we start to see that death is inherent in everything we do. We respect death and decay in the composting process, in the cycles of giving death to animals, or in the cycles of the seasons changing. As we get more familiar with those cycles, we turn towards the idea that human death can be sacred also, an important and even meaningful part of our lives.

Because we’re a residential community at Earthaven, we have the opportunity to get to know each other over a long period of time. When our friend and elder, Kimchi, entered her dying process, she had a community of people who could really honor her decisions and support her. It was such a gift that she let us in close, let us be of service, and hold and support her as she declined and died. We were able to care for the body at home and have a home funeral as well. It was one of the most profound experiences of my life — there’s some portal that opens into whatever we want to call it, the source or spirit world or the great beyond.

We easily share these stories of the meaningful end-of-life home care and death care, including home burials, but rarely share some of the other stories. Stories of the ones who didn’t have their affairs in order before they passed and had not shared their after-death wishes with their family, creating conflict and stress, and thwarting their dreams for how their life savings would benefit future generations.

Now, I am on a mission to encourage all of our community members to prepare their end-of-life papers. Creating clear end-of-life paperwork is important for all stages of life and health. Written documents help loved ones know what to expect, guide our own inner and outer processes and, when the time comes, allow us to turn our attention to the mystery and magic inherent in the dying process.

We offer you a sacred journey to contemplate your end-of-life intentions and prepare the appropriate documents. Lee is leading a five-week online workshop on Conscious Living, Conscious Dying — Preparing for the End of Life starting November 12. This workshop emerged through our own experiences, help from our mentors, wisdom from the dying, and a synthesis of the celebrations and challenges.

Many people have good intentions for getting their end-of-life papers together. I hope that you will take this opportunity to complete this sacred work in a guided, supportive group process.

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We Learned So Much From Death

NikiAnne Feinberg — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 17:14:41 +0000

It’s hard to convey just how much we have learned from the deaths of a few of our beloved community members.

Over a two-year period from spring 2016 to spring 2018 we had six deaths in our community.

These beloveds all had home funerals and home burials. And several of them died at home after being tended to by our fellow villagers.

A few of the take-aways:

A good death is possible. In fact, it’s actually accessible.
The dying give a tremendous gift to the living before, during, and after their death.
Death brings the community together in a way nothing else does.

Our experiences were so profoundly positive, including learning to grieve our losses, that we’re offering some of our wisdom to you in July through a two-part, eight-hour workshop called End of Life Planning & Paperwork: Honoring Your Life and Your Loved Ones.

Have you thought about your death?
Are you able to talk about your death or the deaths of your loved ones?
Have you considered what you would like if you become injured or so ill that you can’t speak for yourself?
Have you thought about your wishes once you are gone?
Have you shared these desires with the people closest to you?

This workshop is a beautiful way to invest in yourself and your circle of family and friends. In fact, it may very well change your life.

Here’s what some past participants have to say about this workshop:

“This workshop offers a bounty of resources, including the participants who lend support, education and direction. It’s truly a beautiful unfolding of community in process! I feel so much more well-equipped to address the issues of approaching my end-of-life.” — Benita Silver, LCMHC

“I highly recommend this workshop to absolutely everyone. And ASAP too! None of us can know when the moment will come that we must leave our body (and life as we know it) behind forever. Being as prepared as we can be for such creates more grace and ease in one’s living.” — 2020 Workshop Participant

“The workshop was comprehensive and impressive in regard to the content shared. The workshop was as thorough as it was spacious. I highly recommend this.” — Dr David Nygaard

“I was surprised at how quickly the time went, and I felt completely engaged throughout. This workshop was organized, informative, motivating — and most of all, human.” — Kitty Schaller

We hope you’ll consider joining us in July for this heart opening, playful, important, and inspiring journey. The workshop has a sliding scale from $96 to $170.

As an incentive, we are offering our newsletter subscribers a 50% discount for this two-part workshop, making the workshop as low as $48!

To receive the discount, use coupon code ELP-EBird when you register. The discount is available through June 22.

Find more information about the workshop and register on our website.

Interview with the workshop instructor Lee Warren

The post We Learned So Much From Death appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

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Autumn Equinox And End-Of-Life Workshop

We Learned So Much From Death