Perth Death Cafe May 2014
A write up of Perth Death Cafe
Nine of us gathered around a table in the light and warmth of the Bodhi Tree Café and Bookshop in Mt Hawthorn, ready to experience our very first session for the Perth Death Café.
Most of us had experienced the death of friends and family members. We were grateful for the opportunity to share our stories of loss and to listen intently to the stories of others present. While we talked, shared, listened to and supported each other, we gained a deeper understanding of the power of such stories and the very real sense that we are not alone in what can seem, in the darkest moments, to be a very personal and private journey. And that fear is more manageable when it’s out in the open.
As we told our stories it became easier for me to look beyond my own reticence to talk about death in a public place. Yes, it is still a taboo subject in our culture, but it is a very necessary conversation and is one that we need to have, with our loved ones, our friends, and with relative strangers, in open forums such as this one.
We brought different genders, religions, ages and cultural backgrounds to the conversation, but we were all talking about the same outcome. Death is as significant a part of our journeys as birth and I’m grateful to Vicki Barry, the facilitator, for opening this space and for holding it in safety for all of us.
I’m already looking forward to our next conversation at the Bodhi Tree.
Maarten van der Wall (participant and supporter)
Comments
Reading the article in today's paper on your get together was so excited. What a fantastic idea. When is the next meeting. I am not a Facebook follower
Posted by Kaye Wedd