Caregiver Support, Stress Management, Holistic Death and Dying, Mindful Caregiving,

Lightly – Aldous Huxley

Posted on November 5, 2024 by webmaven

It’s dark because you are trying too hard.

Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly.

Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply.

Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.

I was so preposterously serious in those days, such a humorless little prig.

Lightly, lightly – it’s the best advice ever given me.

When it comes to dying even. Nothing ponderous, or portentous, or emphatic.

No rhetoric, no tremolos,

no self conscious persona putting on its celebrated imitation of Christ or Little Nell.

And of course, no theology, no metaphysics.

Just the fact of dying and the fact of the clear light.

So throw away your baggage and go forward.

There are quicksands all about you, sucking at your feet,

trying to suck you down into fear and self-pity and despair.

That’s why you must walk so lightly.

Lightly my darling,

on tiptoes and no luggage,

not even a sponge bag,

completely unencumbered.

— Aldous Huxley, Island

Posted in caregiver stress, Death, death and dying, end of life, funeral | Tagged death and dying, mindfulness, spiritual caregiving, stress relief | Comments Off

Labyrinth Readers Course starting in November

Posted on October 29, 2024 by webmaven

Labyrinth Readers Course
Free Introductory Meeting
Sunday, 17th November at 1pm

“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.

Come along to a free introductory meeting on Sunday 17th November at 1pm to learn about the course.

The course consists of approximately 13 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.

If you decide to continue with the course, Lesson 1 begins on Saturday 24th November at 1pm. The course fee is $125 for the 12 weeks. A reduced rate is available for past participants. If you are in need of a scholarship, please contact the Institute.

For details see : https://labyrinthreaderssociety.com/beingareader/lrc/

Readers Altar

Posted in labyrinth readers society, labyrinth reading, prayers for the dying, tibetan book of the dead, tibetan buddhism, tonglen | Tagged american book of the dead, death and dying, end of life care, funeral, spiritual caregiving, tibetan book of the dead, tibetan buddhism | Comments Off

The Funeral of Death

Posted on September 12, 2024 by webmaven

Nisargadatta and the funeral of death

From Gautam Sachdeva: I found echoes of Maharaj in Eckhart Tolles book A New Earth, wherein he says, “When forms that you had identified with, that gave you your sense of self, collapse or are taken away, it can lead to a collapse of the ego, since ego is identification with form. When there is nothing to identify with anymore, who are you? When forms around you die or death approaches, your sense of Beingness, of I Am, is freed from its entanglement with form: Spirit is released from its imprisonment in matter. You realize your essential identity as formless, as an all-Pervasive presence, of Being prior to all forms, all identifications. You realize your true identity as consciousness itself, rather than what consciousness had identified with. That’s the peace of God. The ultimate truth of who you are is not I am this or that, but I Am.”

Posted in advaita vedanta, Death, death and dying, end of life, vedanta, yoga | Tagged buddhism, death and dying, end of life care, funeral, spiritual caregiving, yoga | Comments Off

GeriPal – Excellent Podcasts!

Posted on July 17, 2024 by webmaven

GeriPal is an excellent source of clinical knowledge. Wide ranging topics, many of which at first glance seem that they could be a bit dry, are presented in an interesting lively way. The podcasts, like this one about end of life Doulas, which I found especially interesting, are definitely worth checking out, and along with the Medbridge site provide a terrific knowledge base of continuing education resources. GeriPal

Posted in care giving, care giving, care giving, death and dying, end of life care, hospice | Tagged aging, bereavement, caregiving, death and dying, doula, hospice, palliative care | Comments Off

An Educational Resource for Clinicians

Posted on May 5, 2024 by webmaven

Since I have started working in Hospice care I have used Medbridge.com extensively in my work, especially for continuaing ed. I’ve always been impressed with the quality of the programs and resources. If you don’t already know about it, it’s well worth a look!

Posted in care giving, end of life care, hospice | Tagged caregiving, nursing, occupational therapy, oncology nursing, palliative care, physical therapy, speech therapy | Comments Off

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course starts soon!

Posted on March 18, 2024 by webmaven

Experience the original 8-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program developed at the Stress Reduction Clinic at UMass Medical Center by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Spring 2024 Registration is open now, course starts next week! I believe it is offered at least twice a year, so don’t stress if you miss this round 🙂

Posted in death and dying, hospice, mindfulness | Tagged death and dying, end of life care, holistic health, meditation, mindfulness, stress relief | Comments Off

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