Death Cafe write-ups
Sept 2020
11 attendees from across Australia and internationally. Great discussions around demystifying death, the importance of increasing our community's death literacy; learning the art of celebrating life and that death is part of life. And an interesting two new themes - one on death related to domestic violence and the importance of counsellors being comfortable to talk about death; and also how to education financial planners who engage with persons who have been just diagnosed with a life limiting condition; or are nearing end of life and have a terminal diagnosis - and better understanding the range of emotions and choices that may influence how people save/spend ...
November 2020
A small intimate group of 6 of us - connecting virtually across 2 states of Australia. No international attendees this time. We spoke about euphemisms and that a few of us believed that using the words that the bereaved person was most comfortable about was 'good enough' with one example of how a family had told me (as their Funeral Celebrant) to please not use the word "died" but instead "passed away" in one section of the ceremony. They felt it was 'softer' and less raw for them. We had attendees who were pastoral care, support worker residential aged care, End of Life Doulas, pall care volunteers ...
Hello fellow mortals! Thank you to those who delved and dipped into our death discussions during the November 11th Death Café – Hillsborough (DC-H) Zoom call! Welcome to the SIX new folx (and welcome back to someone who hadn’t dropped in since 2018)! Zoom offers a different dynamic from meeting in person and allows people to participate from long distances (GA, MN, and OR this time). **Mark your calendars for the next DC-Hillsborough on January 13th, 6pm-8pm, via Zoom meeting. Look for a reminder I’ll email 2-3 days prior *which will include the Zoom link*. DC-H will not occur in December. SUMMARY: • Topics we discussed and shared ...
Tucson Online MST Friendly & Fearless Death Cafe Write up
Posted by TucsonFFDeathCafe on Nov. 8, 2020, 1:10 p.m.
As of today, October 27th, 2020, 69 out of every 100,000 people in the United States have died from Covid-19. Total deaths in the world are 1,161,422 (cnn.com). A few numbers on a page, many beautiful lives lived and lost. Rest in peace. It’s Halloween week 2020 and I mused months ago how dancing skeletons and these new facts of death might impact the holiday. Unknown. Stay Safe. I don’t want to fathom reporting something unimaginably scarier this time next year.
The two U.S. presidential candidates said recently regarding the pandemic, “…we’re learning to live with it,” and conversely ...
Tucson Online MST Friendly & Fearless Death Cafe Write up
Posted by TucsonFFDeathCafe on Nov. 8, 2020, 12:52 p.m.
A world-renowned wise person once said, “some people need an enemy.” When I heard that I played out Robin Hood scenes of shields, swords, bows and arrows and blood. In the fog of horses kicking up dirt in my head I was no closer to solid ground. I knew I’d never felt or behaved as if I needed an enemy. An even more stunning revelation was that I knew I couldn’t be an enemy. To the aggressors perhaps that’s a win as I’d be appreciating the dappled sunlight through the trees as I lay face up, run through with a scabbard, my life force ...
Tucson Online MST Friendly & Fearless Death Cafe Write up
Posted by TucsonFFDeathCafe on Nov. 8, 2020, 12:47 p.m.
The experience of having a parent die can jump start our thinking about our own mortality. At a recent Café an attendee mused, “it’s like a veil is gone, and you’re next.” We’ve talked a lot about how death related experiences in our youth either comfort us or leave us questioning. One woman discovered an entry in her departed mother’s diary recounting her own mother’s death, and realized that as a young teen she hadn’t been included in this major family event. Parents often struggle with whether to expose their children to death or not in an effort to protect them. Of ...
Tucson Online MSTFriendly & Fearless Death Cafe Write up
Posted by TucsonFFDeathCafe on Nov. 8, 2020, 12:12 p.m.
“If I go towards it (death), it’s incredible and informs my life.” “Anticipation is killing me... learning to embrace the whole thing from beginning to end…what I’ve learned, regrets, beauty, and being accountable to my friends. To go beyond who we’ve been, beyond fate.” Once I came up with these three words, “deliberate life completion,” I found freedom. Powerful statements from last week’s Café! Gratitude to all the bright embodied souls who visit our Tucson Café and share stories, struggles, and big life wisdom.
The dying wish is something of legend, of quest, a sacred trust. Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish was ...
Online Upminster Death Cafe GMT Write up
Posted by MortuaryGem on Nov. 4, 2020, 5:27 a.m.
Uncharacteristically for our Death Cafe, November saw us discuss some very intense subjects. However, we discussed them respectfully which was pleasing. We are still welcoming new attendees every time which is lovely, with many regulars or people returning also.
Death Cafe Whangarei No.11 Write up
Posted by Jo Moselen on Nov. 2, 2020, 7:27 p.m.
This Death Café was on the morning after an overnight deluge which caused widespread flooding and destruction, a group of 10 hardy folks braved the conditions to be there, with others not being able to make it due to road closures and unsafe conditions. Most had been to a Death Café before with a couple of new people. We began our conversation with why we had come along to a Death Café - a place to talk about death and dying, seeking information, interested in others ideas about what happens after death were some of what motivated people to come along. Our conversation then focused a lot on a ...
Death Cafe Iowa Online CST Write up
Posted by DeathCafeIowa on Oct. 23, 2020, 10:16 a.m.
For our October Death Café Iowa we met on Zoom. Buffy Peters and Becca Suvalsky from the Bereavement Professionals Group facilitated the group. In total there were 5 people in attendance, 2 men and 3 women, and participants ranged in ages and professions. We had individuals join from Minnesota, Canada, and Iowa. Death Café Iowa is officially international now J.
Several interesting topics were brought forward for discussion.
A few topics included:
Death experiences: Members discussed and shared personal stories of witnessing someone die. Everyone’s death experience is so different. One member shared about the program, No One Dies Alone (NODA). Several hospitals have this program in ...
Hello everyone,
**Mark your calendars for the next DC-Hillsborough November 11th, 6pm-8pm, via Zoom meeting. For those looking ahead and whomever may wish to know this now, DC-H will not occur in December and will resume in January (the 13th).
Thank you for your patience in awaiting this summary; some of these need more preparation time. For two reasons I re-read the guidelines on https://deathcafe.com/ for hosting and facilitating a DC. One is because DC-Hillsborough just celebrated two years and I thought it responsible to continue ensuring my facilitation skills stay on par (at last year’s 1st anniversary, I asked for DC.com evaluation forms ...
Online Death Cafe CDT with Cori Levin & Kate Cavett [CDT] Write up
Posted by Kate@KateCavett.com on Oct. 20, 2020, 5:04 p.m. 1 comment
We’ll discuss how death is showing up in each of our lives, from birth, through spring, summer, fall, winter, to end-of-life.
Our café is not a place for coaching or advice but simply to listen and share. Cori Levin and Kate Cavett, both End of Life Doulas, will be facilitating the conversation. Our purpose is to increase awareness of our relationship with death. Talking about death in an open and vulnerable way and sharing uncomfortable things in a safe space. This event is open to the public, there are no fees. We welcome your authentic curiosity, vulnerability, your wiliness to explore conversations around death.
Join Zoom Meeting ...
Online Death Cafe (July)
Evaluation Summary
Evaluations: 3 submitted
Attendees: 1 facilitator, 10 attendees
Our July Death Cafe continued to be a global experience with some of our participants bringing experiences from around the world.
This was our seventh Death Cafe (our fourth time doing it online using Zoom) and signifies two years since our first one in Liverpool in July 2018. Similar numbers to June meant we split into two groups, and I spent some time in both groups. We kept the same format as previous groups, having a break part way through.
Thank you to those who fed back from this Death Cafe (full details below ...
Four people attended this Death Cafe.One person hadn't been before. The topics we discussed were wide ranging from cot death, death during pregnacy, the Euthenasia Law, prefered method of disposition of remains, writting ones biography for one's children after death and so on. I find that when the group is small people talk more intimately and describe their personal experiences more.
