Issue # 93 - September 2022

Sneak Peek at our Conference Videos 

For those who missed our July conference, we're offering a few sneak peeks at the video recordings of the conference presentations. This one is from our friend Brian Smith, talking about how traditional prayer practices and image of God can often be more harmful than helpful. Scroll to the bottom of this page for information on how to purchase the entire video package. 

Spiritual People Are Engaged Activists

Photo by Надя Кисільова/Unsplash/Creative Commons

"For years, spiritual practices such as yoga and meditation have been criticized as therapeutic self-help regimens that draw people inward and away from any kind of social, civic or political action. But two new academic studies are challenging that view. The studies analyze data from a 2020 survey of 3,609 adults conducted by the National Opinion Research Center on behalf of the Fetzer Institute. They found that people who do yoga, meditation or other spiritual practices are as likely as religious people to be civic-minded and politically engaged." READ MORE

Seth Andrews Reviews our Conference 

As most of you know, our conference this summer was designed to unite people from across the spiritual spectrum...from Atheism to Zoroastrianism.  Our keynote speakers were two of the top podcasters in the Atheist community, and we wondered how they would mesh with attendees (and other presenters) who are from a variety of different locations on that spectrum, including shamans, near-death experiencers and mystics of all kinds.

Seth  Andrews, one of the keynotes, is a deeply committed atheist who generally dismisses all things spiritual. But in a recent episode of his podcat, The Thinking Atheist, he gave our conference a rave review for its ability to break down walls and encourage conversation among people with diverse belief systems.   LISTEN HERE

Dreams and Visions of the Dying

We talk about our friend Christopher Kerr, MD a lot in this newsletter, because his research has contributed so much to hospice awareness. In this video, he shares stories from dying people and their families about the extraordinary mystical visions they've experienced. 

Misinformation and Ignorance About

Physician-Assisted Death

 Photo by Tyler Olson/Shutterstock

We've included this article because many of our subscribers are hospice workers, grief counselors and others who work closely with death and dying. This article got our attention because the author's ignorance about the topic was so stunning.

Physician-assisted death is NOT suicide, and should never be equated with it. In addition, the availability of end-of-life choices is a benefit to society, not an indicator of collapsing morals. The author practices an orthodox religion, and as often happens, he's using his religious views to condemn a valuable social innovation. He also condemns free thought in general by snidely referring to everyone who disagrees with his religous views as members of the "Church of Autonomy," positioning his own religion as superior. 

As card-carrying members of the Church of Autonomy, we strongly suggest that this author get some education about chronic illness, aging, depression and end-of-life care.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Is the Religious Right Trying to Overturn

Copyright Laws Too?

During a slightly adapted production of the hit musical Hamilton at The Door Church, the main character bowed his head, closed his eyes and gave his life to Jesus.

“What is a legacy?” the actor playing Hamilton said, according to a recording of the show obtained by Religion News Service. “It’s knowing you repented and accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ that sets men free.”

There was just one problem. The church did not have the rights to perform Hamilton or post videos from a performance online. READ MORE...   

Contribute to Our Newsletter!

If you would like to share an original story or article that is relevant to our subject matter, we'd be happy to consider it for publication. Submissions must meet this criteria: 

1. Located on a web page we can link to
2. No longer than 700 words
3. Well-written and well-organized
4. Include an image
5. Compelling, well-researched content (not just a commercial for your products or services)

Send to office@deathgriefandbelief.com with ARTICLE SUBMISSION in the subject line.

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

OCTOBER 14 - 16

JOIN US IN NEW YORK! 

Honoring Grief and Loss

Through Mindfulness and Sacred Ceremony

The Omega Institute

Rhinebeck, NY, Oct. 14 - 16

SIX CE CREDIT HOURS

FOR NURSES, SOCIAL WORKERS, PSYCHOLOGISTS AND MORE! 

If you are mourning the death of a loved one or a loss of any kind, including divorce, job loss, pet loss, health loss, or any major life transition, this workshop provides a rare emotional learning experience via interactive processes and sacred rituals for navigating the grief journey.

Participants will be led to deeper healing by moving toward internal transformation as opposed to focusing on external events. We do this through guided meditation and gentle body work, along with ritual and ceremony, which gives form to the formless and converts unseen healing energies into practical tools. Find comfort and support in an array of healing practices and multicultural traditions for working with grief, including yoga, meditation, art therapy, music therapy, and sacred ceremony. DETAILS HERE.

Online Holiday Season Grief Support Group

If you are mourning the death of a loved one or a loss of any kind (including divorce, job loss, pet loss or any major life transition), this twice-monthly online support group offers the opportunity to talk about your loss experience and learn from others in a safe, supportive setting facilitated by a professional grief and loss counselor. In these sessions, you will be introduced to specific tools and processes for getting through the holidays by honoring your grief rather than allowing it to devastate you.

Our meetings will be based on the principles taught in Dr. Daniel's popular GRIEF AS A MYSTICAL JOURNEY workshops, which are designed to help participants move toward internal transformation rather than focusing on external events. In addition to open discussion and sharing, each meeting will end with a therapeutic process, such as a guided meditation, mapping exercise or sacred ceremony for moving the “stuck” energy of grief out of our bodies and into a more spacious, more ventilated emotional landscape. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Looking for Credentials in End-of-Life Care

from an Accredited University?

Marian University offers accredited ONLINE thanatology programs that provide skills for working in multidisciplinary fields dedicated to death, grief and loss. Students with a variety of backgrounds will benefit from the courses taught by practitioners and research scholars with doctoral degrees who are recognized experts in the field.

Rigorous, intentional study is combined with online convenience to offer applicants from around the world an opportunity to elevate their understanding and expertise. There are two programs available.. a Master of Science in Thanatology, and a Graduate Certificate in Thanatology. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

CONFERENCE UPDATES

Videos from our 2022 Conference Now Available

Fourteen hours of exclusive content

not available to the general public!

If you didn't attend the conference (or even if you did), you can watch video recordings of all the presentations from the comfort of your own home. If you purchase the recordings, you'll receive links to videos of all the general sessions (except the pre-conference workshop). These links won't expire, so you can watch any time you like!

Contact us:

 office@deathgriefandbelief.com

971-236-1541