Importance of Death Rituals

Posted on February 16, 2023 by webmaven

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Cultivating Everyday Compassion Pema Chodron

Posted on February 5, 2023 by webmaven
“These days, many of us feel anxiety and gloom when we look around or read the news. This is natural and understandable, but at the same time it’s important to find ways to cultivate optimism. As it says in an aspiration that I recite often, “in relating to the future of humanity, I will be optimistic and courageous.” Without having some sense of optimism, it’s easy to fall into some passive or defeatist attitude. Why try to do anything to improve the future if it’s hopeless anyway? But according to the teachings on karma, the future is unwritten. What we do now does matter, not just to ourselves but to everyone who is part of this interconnection that we call Mother Earth. Even smiling at someone once can have tremendous ripple effect that goes out and out- who knows how far? If this is the case, then think of how much we can affect the world by enthusiastically training in opening our hearts and minds, day after day.”
From Pema’s book “Welcoming the Unwelcome” pg. 144
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Online Course: Study the Tibetan Book of the Dead

Posted on November 17, 2022 by webmaven
I was interested but skeptical of  a video course seen in my Facebook feed entitled: The Tibetan Book of the Dead:Decoding an Ancient Masterwork  but I signed up on a whim. Half way into it I am deeply impressed with the breadth of knowledge and enthusiasm of the presenter  and would HIGHLY recommend this course!! The participant’s questions and Q&A sessions are also excellent, I really can’t say enough about this course.You purchasethe course (I paid $40) and then have access to watch and listen as you please, it consists of four 2.5 hour modules and 2 shorter meditations.
clear light buddhaDeath (letting go) is something you can practice now.
The Book of the Dead is fundamentally a meditation manual, and this course presents the central practices that underlie the book, and that prepare you for your final journey.Breathtaking in its profundity, bewildering in its complexity, and applicable to anything that ends, this classic tome will become your companion after this course, and guide you through life’s most challenging moments with confidence and grace.Study with esteemed scholar-practitioner Andrew Holecek. Please contact the website or  find the link to the course on facebook if you need a scholarship or discount!
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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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