There’s something deeply cathartic about passing the shovel from hand to hand, and carving out a spot for the one we love. At some primal level, people know how important this task is, and the sign we’re finished is not that [Read more…]
Birth Midwifery and Death Midwifery
I can’t tell you how many people have told me they thought they’d invented the term Death Doula or Death Midwife. They were thinking about how poorly we meet death, and then about how we’re better at meeting birth, and [Read more…]
A Meditation on Grief and Gratitude
My friend Charis Curtis interviewed me for a class she teaches on Living your Life with Purpose. We talked about the relationship between grief and gratitude, and how those of us raised in the dominant culture don't get good training on [Read more…]
Energetic Tools for Being with Grief
I can get very emotional about lots of things, but I don’t cry much when I’m working with families. I’ve developed some really helpful practices that allow me to stay present, even in situations of intense grief. [Read more…]
Saying Goodbye to Bill
My dad, Bill Kerr, died on April 5th, 2017. Here are series of Facebook posts and photos from the days before and after his death, telling the story of my family’s experience. You can also read his obituary, and watch the video we showed at his funeral. [Read more…]
A Good Death is a Ritual of Initiation
I presented a paper at the American Academy of Religion conference (in their Arts and Religion track) on the topic “A good death is a ritual of initiation for everyone involved.” Here's a copy of the abstract and recording of the talk. [Read more…]
Interview on The Science of Magic
I was interviewed by Gwilda Wiyaka for her podcast The Science of Magic. We had a great conversation, about some of the more nuanced aspects of ritual facilitation, and the idea that magic is 'the art of changing consciousness at will.' [Read more…]
On Postponing the Funeral
The family needed the time to organize a big ceremony, but they also needed closure after this shocking event. There’s a shift in our souls that happens when someone we love dies, and for a while we’re in an in-between world [Read more…]
Why Funerals Don’t Make You Sad
My client is conflicted: part of her feels it’s important to have some sort of community event, but another part is so grief-stricken and heartbroken that she wants to call off the plans she’s begun to make for it. The idea of gathering with other [Read more…]
A Community Medicine Bundle
One of the primary ways to participate with the sacred living world is through ritual, and at the Community Healers' Council, we’re developing our own ritual practices to connect with the spirits of this land. [Read more…]