birthingthedying-blog

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It may be raining, but there’s a rainbow above you.

Eagles, “Desperado” (via wnq-music)

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An amazing children's book that introduces death and the process of grieving, beautifully.

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Absolutely beautiful...

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I was driving through Deep Cove, Vancouver with a friend in late January and we came across this lovely sign in memory of an old resident.

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Teacher: What are you passionate about? Me: Dead people.

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Meet the death doulas: the women who stay by your side to the end

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Every living thing must grow. It can’t stand still. It must grow or perish // Ayn Rand.

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One of the most morbid traditions of the Victorian Era definitely has to be that of memento mori photography. Professional photography was extremely expensive back in that era meaning that many families only got photographs of their loved ones after they had perished. Photographers often attempted to make the subjects of the photographs appear to still be alive, whether by sticking their eyes open or propping them in an upright position. In this day and age such practice would be seen as extremely bizarre and taboo but during this era, it was very normal but still very creepy. Regardless of the fact that these images are extremely creepy, the sentiment was there as they served as mementos of their loved ones who had passed. 

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This weeks read on DEATH: The Art Of Living And Dying by Osho. Why are we afraid of death? What is acceptance in the face of cancer? How do I decide whose advice to take? How to relax in the certainty of death? Ought we to tell someone when they are dying or not? Is the theory of reincarnation true? What is happening around the dying? How best to support a dying person? My young daughter is asking about death: what do I tell her? How can I celebrate death as you suggest?

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In Hinduism, death applies only to the physical body; there is no death of the soul. The Hindu culture has quite a beautiful way of unveiling that the body is just a shell, an empty vessel once the soul is gone. After one has died the surviving family members are responsible for the cremation of the body, as well as the preparations. This process allows a moment of closure and clarity. For a living being to witness a body change chemical form in front of their eyes, pushes acceptance that the "person" is not returning. This is very different than the American culture, which is much more clean cut and sterile. If we throw a white sheet over the body, then it's no longer there...right? 

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Two Years

Peter, I wrote this the night I found out you died. I intended to read it at your funeral, but emotions held me back. I sit here two years later ready to share:

“You battled mental pain as well as physical. It puts my mind at ease to know that you beat the race we all as humans on this earth are trying to accomplish…to reach pure bliss. You are now in peace, no longer battling the voices in your head or the physical pain of cancer. You were an amazing kind soul who now gets to live on in our hearts and travel to places unknown.”

2.19.14

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Evelyn McHale, jumped from the Empire State Building’s 86th floor observatory to her death where she lays atop a limousine. Declared “The Most Beautiful Suicide” by Time Magazine, 1947.