Caregiver Revolution

Working with Transition: How to use the energy around crisis to solve the problems associated with change

This workshop is the latest offering by Paticia Elizabeth – Minister, terminal midwife, and author. Patricia has worked for over 30 years in midwifery and death & dying, having associated with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Reb Zalman Schacter, EJ Gold and Claudio Naranjo. She is a cancer survivor and is now working with the crisis management of transition. Her workshop will offer a hands-on, practical, approach. Patricia has done extensive work with the Tibetan, the Egyptian, and the American Book of the Dead. Co-director of the Labyrinth Readers Society, Patricia has given scores of workshops – spiritual midwifery, ministering to the dying, dream circle, art as healing, establishing sacred space and many others.

The 17^th International Congress on Palliative Care is gearing up to go on September 23-26, 2008 in Montréal, Canada. See http://www.pal2008.com/ for details!

The prayers, good thoughts or good wishes and Kirtan become helpful to the departed souls. They can be of invaluable assistance to the dead. Prayers for the dead form an integral part of most of the religions. The Catholic Church conducts prayers for the dead.

Prayer acts on the principle of a radio station and broadcasts the waves of good thoughts just as the radio station broadcasts waves of sound.

Prayer or Kirtan is a mighty force which helps the departed souls in their progress towards heaven and their quiet passage through the intermediate state.

The departed souls remain in a state of swoon or unconsciousness immediately after death. They cannot feel that they are detached from their previous gross material bodies. Prayers, Kirtan and good thoughts from the relatives and friends can give real solace to the departed souls. They create a potent vibration and an awakening in their stupefied condition of mind and bring back their veiled consciousness. The souls begin to realise that they are not really in their gross material bodies.

Then they endeavour to cross the borderland, a narrow river of ether, which is known as Vaitarani by the Hindus, Chinavat bridge by the Parsis and Sirat by the Muslims.

The weeping and mourning and the uncontrolled grief of their relatives give them pains and drag them down from their astral planes. This may seriously retard them on their way to the heaven-world. This produces serious injury to them. When they are sinking peacefully and when they are ready to have glorious awakening in heaven, they are aroused into vivid remembrance of the mundane life by the weeping and wailing of their friends and relatives. Their thoughts produce similar vibrations in their minds and produce acute pain and discomfort.

Therefore, relatives and friends should do Kirtan and prayers for the peace of the departed souls. Then only they can really help and comfort them. If ten or twelve persons sit together and do Kirtan and prayer, it will be decidedly more powerful and effective. Collective prayer and Kirtan exercise a tremendous influence.

* * *
From http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Sraaddha/id/9828

Hey….just started posting some video interviews and presentations. First up is Harmonics of Healing with Darrell Brann. See link on our home page or at www.youtube.com, user hospweb. Next will be an interview with Jerris Hogue about labyrinths and then we have a line up of others to say a few words. There’s lots of helpful material on youtube about how to get started. Our good friend nuubtv helped us a lot. Not to worry, our video skills are improving as we go!

Just received a very nice mailing, a call for candidates for the year long Metta Institute EOL program which consists of six residential intensives (3-7 days in length) around the SF Bay area starting January 2009 with extensive phone mentoring available as well. The program is primarily designed for those working in the EOL field but it looks like the leaders are willing to take this work in new directions, so those with creative and entrepreneurial interests are invited to apply as well. The emphasis of the program is reclaiming the spiritual dimension of dying.
“Dying is much more than a medical event. It is a unique opportunity for growth and transformation for all involved.”
This looks like a terrific program and the testimonials on the flyer show that it has transformed the work of those who have taken it. More information at:
www.mettainstitute.org