Issue # 118 - November 2024

Nov. 8 - 10 - ONLINE

Transcendence Virtual Retreat Hosted by Brian Smith

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Nov. 1 - ONLINE

Messages from Spirit with Suzane Northrop and Thomas John

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Nov. 1-3, Cape Cod, MA

Cultivating Right Relationships with Linda Fitch

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Nov. 3 - Lake Oswego, OR. Honoring our Loved Ones

During the Holiday Season

FREE!

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Nov 7-10, Los Angeles, CA.

Death Doula Training

with Olivia Bareham

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SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday Jan. 18 - ONLINE

Our Winter Conference

Family Dynamics

at the Bedside and Beyond

See story below

After producing The Afterlife Conference (and its new iteration, The Conference on Death, Grief and Belief) for the past 15 years, I've been in a unique position to witness the proliferation of self-proclaimed spiritual teachers in our little corner of the culture. In my interview with Stephen Berkley (see article below), we lamented the popularity of online workshops that offer quickie "diplomas" in everything from aura reading to yoga teaching... some of them cost less than a hundred bucks! Now, so-called shamans, grief coaches, death guides, spiritual counselors and more can be found hanging their shingles without any academic education, professional mentorship or clinical supervision. This trend was predicted back in the 1970s by revered Buddhist master Chögyam Trungpa in his 1973 book, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. I'm so grateful that I read it when it first came out 50 years ago (!), because of how much it influenced my spiritual perspective. Please consider it for your next read!

Dr. Terri Daniel, CT, FFGT

Clinical Chaplaincy, End-of-Life Educator

Bereavement and Trauma Support

office@deathgriefandbelief.com

NEWS, ARTICLES AND EDUCATION

Talking to the Dead is Doctor-Recommended

Our latest Ask Doctor Death episode features filmmaker and mystical explorer Stephen Z. Berkley, whose award-winning documentary Life With Ghosts addresses a vast spectrum of topics related to death, interdimensional communication, mediumship and bereavement. Listen to the interview HERE, and then check out Stephen's just-published TED talk.

Top Five Deathbed Regrets

“Being proximate to the end of your life really allows you — pushes you — to be present because that’s all you have,” says Ungerleider, 44, host of the upcoming Before We Go podcast and founder of the nonprofit End Well Foundation. “That is true for all of us. This present moment is all we have.” READ MORE...

Hospice Care Needs Better Regulation

"The trouble began in the 1980s, when Medicare began paying certain hospice providers for care given to people with six months or less to live. Medicare pays a fixed amount to providers for each day that someone is enrolled in hospice, regardless of how much care they actually receive. With this turn of events, for-profit hospices began springing up to take advantage of the government contracts. Today nearly three quarters of hospice agencies operate on a for-profit basis. The sector has become so lucrative that in recent years private equity firms and publicly traded corporations have been snapping up previously nonprofit hospices at record rates.READ MORE...

(Editor's note... there is hope for change on the horizon. Read about it HERE).

Seeking Truth, Justice and Healing

in the New School Year

"For many families, September is back-to-school season. Teachers return to the classrooms, parents breathe a sigh of relief and kids head back to school. For Native American communities, though, the start of a new school year can also bring up memories of separation, pain and heartache inflicted on Indigenous children and families through what were called Indian boarding schools." READ MORE...

The Mystics

Would Like a Word

"There’s this idea the mystics were constantly living in a supernatural experience we can’t relate to, like levitating on a hillside and having ecstatic visions. You’ll find some of that, but what I want people to know is that most of their lives are very ordinary and very much relatable. They spent time caring for people they lived with — normal life things that don’t feel all that far removed from most of our experiences. They helped form what it looks like to have a faith that captivates you and feels energizing, not a to-do list or a set of obligations." READ MORE.

Another Type of Muslim Ban Hurts us All

"In 2017, our nation reeled from what came to be known as the “Muslim ban.” An executive order, signed by then-president Trump, barred or limited the entry of individuals from six Muslim-majority nations into the U.S.

This included grandmothers from Iran, nurses from Libya and refugees from Syria. Protests erupted over the dangers of such a discriminatory policy, along with its ineffectiveness at protecting our borders. As an American Muslim, I was deeply troubled by the policy and frightened for the future."

Earn a Master's Degree in Death Studies

Interested in adding to your professional credentials or taking a deeper dive into death and bereavement studies? Consider Marian University's thanatology program, which is 100% online and supported by a solid academic curriculum. An MS in thanatology prepares you for careers in chaplaincy, doula work, grief counseling, funeral direction, teaching, private practice and more. DETAILS HERE.

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