Death Cafe write-ups
Death Café 92119- San Carlos, was fully attended on Saturday, March 22, 2014, from 11:00 a.m. until about 1:15 p.m. The group encompassed a wide geographical area, with some attendees traveling over 100 miles to join.
Lively discussion ensued with rarely a quiet interlude. Three people expressed interest in facilitating a Death Café in their area.
o Gratitude to have a safe environment to bring up topics related to death and dying and not be “shut down.”
o Being able to openly talk about one’s “OWN” mortality.
o To listen to others ideas on the topic.
o To touch on ...
Death Cafe, Brisbane, Queensland Write up
Posted by Beth OBrien on April 4, 2014, 3:24 p.m. 2 comments
We have a wonderful and diverse discussion tonight. We spoke about the new Threshold Choir in the city of Brisbane who sing as volunteers to people who are dying. We had some people who were foreign nationals now working in Australia who asked about how Australian funerals happen. The interesting topic of roadside memorials, usually crosses, were important to families and friends, and how in different countries differing symbols were used to display.
One of our attendees is a researcher working on the topic of visual art around funerals, so that brought up the topic of selfies, pictures of dead people, videos at funeral ceremonies.
We talked about ...
Death Cafe Ukiah Write up
Posted by Death Cafe Ukiah on April 2, 2014, 9:53 p.m.
Here we are in 2015 and our January cafe will be Saturday 1/3.
Same place: Ukiah Senior Center
Same time: 2-4PM
Death Cafe Roseville CA Write up
Posted by Cindie Wilding on April 2, 2014, 12:28 p.m.
I was so delighted to host my first Death Cafe in Roseville, at Mimi's Cafe. Six souls showed up to drink tea, eat one of the three desserts I brought, and talk about death and dying. We had a chocolate flourless cake, coffee cake, and vegan cookies so all culinary tastes were accomodated. One participant came all the way from Paso Robles. Our conversation flowed around our early experiences of death, our current dealings with death of loved ones and experiences we have had with those who have passed sending us messages in some form. The time flew by and I know there was probably much more ...
Death Cafe in Whitefish, Montana Write up
Posted by nancyreecejones on April 1, 2014, 9:04 p.m.
As with the first two Whitefish Death Cafes, this evening was filled with lively discussions covering a range of topics including the fear of death, what comprises a full life, detachment vs. attachment, surrender vs. control, and healing into death. We had 12 participants: 7 of us were returnees and 5 were newbies. The conversation was stimulating, thought-provoking, and thoughtful with everyone respecting the observations and opinions of others. Looking forward to the next one!
Death Cafe Nevada Write up
Posted by Paula Schneider on April 1, 2014, 6:12 p.m.
This was our fifth Death Cafe in Carson City, Nevada, USA. We are customarily enjoying about 8-12 attendees and have requested feedback from each of them. Our evaluations have been most positive. People seem to enjoy the intimate environment of a small group meeting in the historical district of Carson City. We meet in the rectory of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, a small Victorian style home built by the brother of Mark Twain. It is said that Mr. Twain used to visit the home frequently. Our plan is to continue offering people the opportunity to explore end-of-life issues in a safe, confidential environment approximately once every two ...
Death Cafe Wellington NZ Write up
Posted by Sophia Tara on March 31, 2014, 1:48 p.m.
DEATH CAFE WELLINGTON NZ LAUNCH 30 March 1pm-3pm:
So we launched the very 1st Death Cafe in Wellington and only the 2nd ever held in NZ. We opened the Death Cafe by creating a sacred space with an indigenous Maori Song-Blessing and a one minute 'silence of presence' - we closed with a one minute 'silence of gratitude'. The beautiful church venue was perfect for such a sacred sharing space, with its stained glass windows, pipe organ, acoustic architecture and baptismal font with paua shell inlay. It also afforded quietness and privacy from the public.
We had quality rather than quantity, with a small group of five wonderful kindred ...
Death Cafe - Sydney Write up
Posted by April Lewis on March 25, 2014, 10:24 p.m.
I eagerly registered for the first Death Cafe Sydney get together, I had heard of other Death Cafes and I wanted to be a participant. I wanted to support the idea of an open, community based discussion of death in general: mine, friends, family, strangers in a warm and accepting group. As a previous volunteer with a palliative care organisation I had many opportunities to discuss the impending death of patients with both themselves and their carers and friends, and I was happy to share my experiences with others, so a Death Cafe seemed the ideal forum. I believe the topic of death should be more openly discussed ...
Death Cafe at The Tallet was held in the Bedroom of facilitator - Emily.
Emily decided to host the Death Cafe in her bedroom to reflect the private nature of death and talking about death. As she stated: "I wouldn't normally lead a stranger straight to my bedroom".
She swapped her bed for tables and 12 of us sat, rather tightly, in one group.
We drank berry tea and ate 'coffin cake' - cakes containing skeletons made from candy canes.
The discussion began with Emily talking about her reasons for hosting the death cafe. She talked about losing her step-father last year, the result of which had caused a ...
Death Cafe Millerton, NY
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Death Cafe - Millerton at Irving Farm Coffee House. A dozen of us made up tonight's community. Many familiar faces and several new friends were welcomed. Each guest had their own reasons for attending.
Suzanne O'Brien, our facilitator, greeted everyone and gave a brief overview/background about the Death Cafe.
Our hope for the Death Cafe Millerton, NY is
- to create a cozy, safe and inviting space that encourages people to get to know each other and share their thoughts and feelings about the end of life.
- to offer small intimate table groups that allow everyone an opportunity to ...
Death Cafe Philadelphia - Main Line Version Write up
Posted by Rachel Zeldin on March 23, 2014, 5:25 p.m.
Three months into the year and Death Café Philadelphia, hosted by Rachel Zeldin of Funerals360 and Simcha Raphael of DA’AT Institute, has already hosted four Death Café Philadelphia Events.
January 14, 2014 – Elderly Activists Death Café
On January 14, the Elderly Activists had Death Café Philadelphia facilitator, Simcha Raphael, come in to facilitate a Death Café for their group. Approximately 20-25 self-selected individuals focused on “Positive Aging” attended and engaged in a productive, open, and warm conversation over lunch.
January 20, 2014 – Death Café Philadelphia at Cosi Rittenhouse
Death Café Philadelphia returned once again to Cosi Rittenhouse to continue the “fun, interesting, surprising, and life affirming” conversations ...
Stockport's Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Liz Thompson on March 21, 2014, 2:39 a.m.
We welcomed a new member at the Death cafe at this meeting and talked about a range of subjects from advanced decision making. Attitudes to death now and in times gone by. The sanitisation of death in today's society. Family pressures, the law on ending life. Services available in other countries that are not avialable in the UK.
It was a lovely meeting and we as a group are getting to know each other. We agreed that we wopuld hold the meetings quarterly and I will post the dates on the site. we hope to see you at the next meeting, bye for now, Liz Thompson.
Invito a partecipare al Death Cafe, conversazione aperta sulla morte e sul morire Write up
Posted by Elisabetta Lucchi on March 19, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
“Then Almitra spoke, saying, "We would ask now of Death."
And he said:
You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one”.
Khalil Gibran (The Prophet)
There were 5 participants at the 9th Death Café here in Verona which took place at Elisabetta ...
Death Cafe Capalaba, Brisbane Write up
Posted by Beth OBrien on March 19, 2014, 2:48 a.m.
Our first meeting for Capalaba was in our local community room at the Council Library. It was lovely to see social workers and palliative care nurses attend from our local hospital and other members of our community. It was very interesting to hear from the hospital team and how families are still quiet on the topic of end of life planning. Their team also discussed the need for a hospice in our area and the need for more palliative care beds for the communtiy. We were grateful for their attendance and interest. A startling piece of data that they shared was the 74% of people surveyed wished to ...
Death Cafe, Brisbane, Queensland Write up
Posted by Beth OBrien on March 19, 2014, 2:41 a.m.
Our first meeting for Victoria Point on a weekend day full of sunshine. The topics were diverse, but there seems to be a common theme in FAQ about "what do I when my loved one dies at home?'. Also a younger friend had just heard the news of his Grandfather's death and asked for guidance about what to expect as he had never attended a funeral. We discussed advanced health directives, vitamins that helped you relax, funeral companies, and amongst the great information we had an opportunity for a laugh. With good coffee supplied by Espresso Bar team and good company, we had an enjoyable afternoon.