Among the phrases I hear most often in my work as a funeral celebrant is, “I don’t want anyone to be sad.” Among the most common sounds at a burial service: silence. Only rarely do I hear the bereaved cry out.
“Grief has become private, to be contained, controlled,” says Irish broadcaster Marie-Louise Muir in her BBC Radio documentary, Songs for the Dead, reflecting that her own daughters had never been to a wake, once considered the most Irish of traditions. “How very different in the time of keening, when women were paid to cry, sing, and wail over the dead, to publicly display, articulate, and channel the grief of a whole community.” Read More
Learning & conversation to honor Earth Day & National Health Care Decisions Day
Choose from events in Portland, Hood River & Goldendale, WA
Learn about Natural Burial, Family-Directed Funerals & Rituals of Remembrance, tour our region’s leading natural and conservation burial grounds, play a thought-provoking Conversation Game:
Hood River, OR & Goldendale, WA Events
Sat, April 1, 9am-1pm Natural Death Care Workshop, Hood River Library, REGISTER, share on FACEBOOK
Sat, April 1, 3-5pm, Conversation Game, Hood River Library, REGISTER, share on FACEBOOK
Emily with the skull she gifted her husband on their final Christmas (credit: Steve Duin, The Oregonian)
How a young widow honored her husband’s unusual wishes, and her quest to find other young, widowed parents
Nicaraguan-born Frank Omier was a gifted artist who lived and painted all over the world. His wife Emily thought she knew the perfect present to get him for Christmas. As she told The Oregonian, “I was going to get him an easel. He wanted a skull, instead.” Read More
We’re pleased to partner with a range of local hosts to offer Death Cafés at a variety of locations around town. There is no fee to attend (donations gratefully accepted) but registration is required for these upcoming Cafes:
Sun, March 5, 2-4pm PDX Death Café at First Unitarian Church
Click image to help sustain this work through a monthly pledge or one-time gift.
The Death Talk Project
The Death Talk Project organizes workshops, rituals, Death Cafes, a monthly movie night, and other events. Join us for useful, honest conversation about how we die, how we mourn, and how we care for and remember our dead.
Last Updated: April 1, 2017 by hollyjpruett 2 Comments
Keening: “To Publicly Display, Articulate & Channel the Grief of a Community”
Among the phrases I hear most often in my work as a funeral celebrant is, “I don’t want anyone to be sad.” Among the most common sounds at a burial service: silence. Only rarely do I hear the bereaved cry out.
“Grief has become private, to be contained, controlled,” says Irish broadcaster Marie-Louise Muir in her BBC Radio documentary, Songs for the Dead, reflecting that her own daughters had never been to a wake, once considered the most Irish of traditions. “How very different in the time of keening, when women were paid to cry, sing, and wail over the dead, to publicly display, articulate, and channel the grief of a whole community.” Read More
Last Updated: April 24, 2017 by hollyjpruett Leave a Comment
2017 Natural Death Care Symposium
Choose from events in Portland, Hood River & Goldendale, WA
Learn about Natural Burial, Family-Directed Funerals & Rituals of Remembrance, tour our region’s leading natural and conservation burial grounds, play a thought-provoking Conversation Game:
Hood River, OR & Goldendale, WA Events
Portland Events
Read what participants said about last year’s Natural Death Care Symposium.
Read More
Last Updated: February 2, 2017 by hollyjpruett Leave a Comment
Skeletons Out of the Closet: Body Farms & Final Wishes
How a young widow honored her husband’s unusual wishes, and her quest to find other young, widowed parents
Nicaraguan-born Frank Omier was a gifted artist who lived and painted all over the world. His wife Emily thought she knew the perfect present to get him for Christmas. As she told The Oregonian, “I was going to get him an easel. He wanted a skull, instead.” Read More
Jan 29 Workshop: Earth Altars for Troubled Times
Last Updated: February 2, 2017 by hollyjpruett Leave a Comment
Spaces still available!
Start the new year with MorningAltars founder Day Schildkret & Life-Cycle Celebrant Holly Pruett for a day of beauty-making to honor the darkest season and the grief of these troubled times.
Date: Sun., Jan. 29, 2017, 10am-4pm. Tickets via Eventbrite.
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Last Updated: January 24, 2017 by hollyjpruett 1 Comment
Upcoming PDX Death Cafes
Sun, March 5, 2-4pm PDX Death Café at First Unitarian Church
Sun, March 19, 2-4pm PDX Death Café at Pine St. Sangha
Read more about PDX Death Cafe.
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