Labyrinth Readers Course Begins This Saturday November 19, 2022

Posted on November 16, 2022 by webmaven
Hello Everyone!
“Just as a midwife assists birth, the reader of The American Book of the Dead assists voyagers who have passed into the macro-dimensions to attain liberation or to achieve a conscious and deliberate rebirth on re-entry into the human dimension.”
— from The American Book of the Dead  by E.J. Gold
The Labyrinth Readers Society is offering a course in the use of the American Book of the Dead as a tool for the labyrinth reader.

The course consists of approximately 12 group meetings (1.5 hours per week), study materials and homework assignments. After the fourth or fifth meeting, we will begin a full 49-day reading cycle, reading twice a day.

Lesson 1 begins this Saturday 19th November at 1pm. The course fee is $125 for the 12 weeks. A reduced rate is available for past participants. Contact the Institute if you are in need of a scholarship.
Look here for registration and details on the full course:https://labyrinthreaderssociety.com/beingareader/lrc/
See you soon,
Labyrinth Readers Society

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Excellent Gentle Tai Chi Qigong Meditation Workout

Posted on April 3, 2022 by webmaven

Here is a very good 15 minute video for a basic but comprehensive Qi Gong workout. To actually do Tai Chi (ie the yang style long form) properly takes years of practice and may be too difficult/exacting for most westerners. The tai chi qigong series shown below is a perfect solution for daily practice. You can get a free manual with the movements described here: https://taichi18.com/

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Expected Death

Posted on February 4, 2022 by webmaven
Expected Death ~ When someone dies, the first thing to do is nothing. Don’t run out and call the nurse. Don’t pick up the phone. Take a deep breath and be present to the magnitude of the moment.

There’s a grace to being at the bedside of someone you love as they make their transition out of this world. At the moment they take their last breath, there’s an incredible sacredness in the space. The veil between the worlds opens.

We’re so unprepared and untrained in how to deal with death that sometimes a kind of panic response kicks in. “They’re dead!”

We knew they were going to die, so their being dead is not a surprise. It’s not a problem to be solved. It’s very sad, but it’s not cause to panic.

If anything, their death is cause to take a deep breath, to stop, and be really present to what’s happening. If you’re at home, maybe put on the kettle and make a cup of tea.

Sit at the bedside and just be present to the experience in the room. What’s happening for you? What might be happening for them? What other presences are here that might be supporting them on their way? Tune into all the beauty and magic.

Pausing gives your soul a chance to adjust, because no matter how prepared we are, a death is still a shock. If we kick right into “do” mode, and call 911, or call the hospice, we never get a chance to absorb the enormity of the event.

Give yourself five minutes or 10 minutes, or 15 minutes just to be. You’ll never get that time back again if you don’t take it now.

After that, do the smallest thing you can. Call the one person who needs to be called. Engage whatever systems need to be engaged, but engage them at the very most minimal level. Move really, really, really, slowly, because this is a period where it’s easy for body and soul to get separated.

Our bodies can gallop forwards, but sometimes our souls haven’t caught up. If you have an opportunity to be quiet and be present, take it. Accept and acclimatize and adjust to what’s happening. Then, as the train starts rolling, and all the things that happen after a death kick in, you’ll be better prepared.

You won’t get a chance to catch your breath later on. You need to do it now.

Being present in the moments after death is an incredible gift to yourself, it’s a gift to the people you’re with, and it’s a gift to the person who’s just died. They’re just a hair’s breath away. They’re just starting their new journey in the world without a body. If you keep a calm space around their body, and in the room, they’re launched in a more beautiful way. It’s a service to both sides of the veil.

Credit for the beautiful words ~ Sarah Kerr, Ritual Healing Practitioner and Death Doula , Death doula
Beautiful art by Columbus Community Deathcare

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Art of Dying and Living: An Exploration of Life, Death, and the Afterlife February 23 – 27, 2022

Posted on December 24, 2021 by webmaven

THIS looks like it’s going to be a GREAT workshop! Many of the presenters are true pioneers who have been working in this field for 20+ years. From the website:

It is our pleasure to invite you to join us in our online conference and practice retreat, The Art of Dying and Living.

This is THUS | Menla’s new incarnation of a powerfully transformative event Tibet House US launched with the New York Open Center 20 years ago, which introduced thousands to the profound exploration of the realities of death and dying as the doorway to living ever more vibrantly in the precious moments of life. Over these five days, renowned presenters will share visions and lead practices drawn from spiritual wisdom, scientific insight, and time-tested experiential methods of dealing with death and dying that immeasurably enrich the lives of those facing death, as well as those facing bereavement.

Join us to explore ancient and modern understandings of the art of dying and living through the lenses of different traditions, including Tibetan and Zen Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Judaic, and Shamanic.

Study the nature of death as part of life.  Teachings and practices will be weaved throughout the conference to help us contemplate our own life and death more fully. Experts from the field of care giving and bereavement will bring support to those who are caring for those at the end of life or grieving for a loved one.

Dr. Eben Alexander, Sierra Campbell, Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Terri Daniel, Joan Halifax, Andrew Holecek, Lucy Kalanithi, Jussara Korngold, Simcha Raphael, Richard Martini, Dr. Gabor Maté, Frank Ostaseski, Mingyur Rinpoche, Therese Schroeder-Sheker, Robert Thurman, Alberto Villoldo, Henry Fersko-Weiss, and Dr. Jessica Zitter.

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Kwan Sai Hung The Wandering Taoist

Posted on September 27, 2021 by webmaven

Despite many of the workshops and “certification” classes that you see these days, Tai Chi cannot be learned in a weekend…or mastered in a year. It takes years of practice with a real teacher to REALLY learn the form because Tai Chi is very advanced and was originally meant for retired fighters who had mastery of their particular arts. Qigong is a much more accessible practice for most Americans.

It’s rare that we have here in the Hudson Valley region an authentic martial arts based Tai Chi and Qigong teacher, still intructing at 101 years young. If you get the chance please avail yourself of his skills, you absolutely won’t regret it. See biography and a website here: Wandering Taoist Arts

Kwan teaches on Tuesdays at Mountain View Studio, Woodstock:  Qi Gong 5:30 – 6:30  Tai Qi 6:30 – 7:30 Cost is $20 per class.



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Thank you for the reminder Death Cafe

Posted on September 7, 2021 by webmaven

Death Cafe on facebook

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