Asheville is exploring a number of new forms of educating our communities through Death Literacy Sessions.

Death literacy embraces a soulful interplay both through inspiration, exploration, and education. It embraces new forms of bringing forth the new death positive movement which includes sacred passage doulas. The intention for death literacy is to expand the conversation by being provocative using the term death literacy. In Asheville we have been doing death cafés for six years and without fail challenged repeatedly on the use of the word death. Our culture continues to shrink away from end-of-life conversations. The benefits in using death literacy is that its power to expand modes of experiencing and thinking in fresh ways outside of what is currently available beyond advanced directive workshops, death cafés etc. The death literacy sessions have been well received and are pilot programs which can be replicated in our communities. Currently we have been focusing on the faith communities and are in conversation with hospice care institutions, retirement communities and nurse training schools. Additionally we find an interest with many care providers wanting new and fresh models for their staff and patient populations.

INTRODUCTION:

THE WEAVE AND DEATH LITERACY SESSIONS

These death literacy sessions are divided into three discrete sections. The most fundamental is that of death in the context of what is commonly known as the death trade. Or palliative care – hospice and end-of-life in our institutional settings. Second deals with the new positive death movement which empowers families and those in transition into a holism. It also looks at the current movements such as Death Café, home funerals and rituals, mainstream funeral care, legacy writing, green burials and end-of-life, death doulas. Finally the third deals with understanding matters of spirit – spiritual dimensions of the human condition and the question of life and death. It is important to understand that one can talk about "spiritual" matters without a theological vocabulary. The raw material is there and is explored through various landscapes of spiritual / contemplative care practices, poetry and other forms of food for the soul – all that is needed is to trust our own voice: asking the right questions can clarify and dispel tentativeness.

Death Literacy a definition:

The act of end-of-life (EOL) caregiving provides a deeply personal connection to death and dying and is a catalyst to developing death literacy, a new movement that embraces whole living and whole dying. In keeping with new public health approaches death literacy draws on a community development framework which suggests if a community is to develop its capacity to support the caring of those at EOL and a means of educating families to EOL options, a deeper kind of knowledge and experience, a sense of empowerment and supportive social structures will alter the current EOL experience as a spiritual encounter in everyday life, a whole life or holy life.These aspects are reflected in four features of death literacy–knowledge, skills, experiential learning, and social action. A fifth feature specific to faith communities is the inner calling of spirit, of prayer, contemplation, service and answering the call.

Literacy in the modern world, is one way of interpreting literacy. One more broad interpretation sees literacy as knowledge and competence in a specific area. The concept of literacy has evolved in meaning. The modern term's meaning has been expanded to include the ability to use language/words, numbers, images, computers, and other basic means to understand, communicate, gain useful knowledge, allow information to be useful knowledge.

Thirdmessenger is working closely with CDI to evaluate the potential to create modules that can be shared with our doula communities to help them develop their practice and support end-of-life work.

Asheville is also building community with its CDI end-of-life doula Commons meeting monthly to share ideas, explore expanding in creating a practice, discuss ongoing experiences in the service of our doula work and success stories in outreach efforts.

Come and join us or share your success stories with us!

This blog post was a gracious contribution made by Third Messenger uses the power of the manuscript of nature in narrative as in story telling as an opener to universal wisdom. In the story we learn to realize that it is one of the great bridges that connect the island of our Soul with the great continent of common life . Our stories are a collective of sorts and when incorporating contemplative imagery.Our experiences expand sensory boundaries through forms of ceremony as sonic / visual interplay. Interplay as sacred art becomes the stuff of celebration and wonder.

Have you been called to become a sacred passage end-of-life doula?

2020 Retreat Venues!

Asheville | Tampa | San Marcos

The Conscious Dying Institute is offering three retreat venues for 2020. Schedule a call with our program advisor to learn more about the details of these and other training opportunities available to guide you on your sacred path with North America's leading end-of-life doula certificate programs.