Death Cafe write-ups
Low Country Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Jan Schreiber on Dec. 5, 2017, 2:59 p.m. 1 comment
Apparently, a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon didn’t keep people away! With over 17 participants, 11 were first-timers. Possibly, because it was scheduled at the beginning of the (sometimes difficult) holidays or because the venue, Bridge To Avalon, “is a “spiritual center & collaborative environment for the healing arts” ...either way, people arrived ready to share. And share they did!
It was a deeply emotional afternoon, with discussion relating to profound loss, resistive acceptance, deep sorrow & rage.
Comments included: ok to be angry, thankful for the conversation, healing, expanded perspective/compassion, very uplifting, less prompting from the facilitator, meet more often please!
Am hoping to schedule the next Low ...
Chambana Death Cafe November 25, 2017 Write up
Posted by Sherry Gilles on Dec. 4, 2017, 10:40 a.m.
We met in the basement of the Urbana Library and had a good conversation. Four attendees were new. We served coffee and cake and it was well-received.
Conversation topics were: history of death through the ages, home versus funeral home funerals, and unscrupulous behavior by family members at the time of or after death.
One woman discussed that her Mom gave her post it notes to mark items she would like to have after her mother died.
Another person said she had a similar experience with colored dots. Every sibling marked what they wanted and, if two or more people claimed something, they had to work it out ...
This second Death Cafe of the year at the Annville Free Library was another intimate setting that attracted 10 people who didn't know one another before today.
Following the two hour conversation with cake, coffee, tea and chocolates, the mutual trust and, yes, friendship was special.
Everyone was so glad they came and they'll look for the next one.
Monmouth County Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Beth Almerini on Dec. 1, 2017, 11:09 a.m.
As usual, we had a wonderful meeting with very interesting conversation. Those attending included a member of clergy, two death doulas, a pet bereavement specialist, a nurse, and others from all walks of life. Some of the topics were how the lack of community and connections contribute to difficulties around death and dying, the ethical issues around suicide and assistance in dying, and how realizing the inevitability of death can help make life so much more full and meaningful. Looking forward to December's meeting!
Swindon Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Sue Holden on Nov. 30, 2017, 7:28 a.m.
We looked at whether the original meaning and celebration of Halloween has been lost in the commercialism of our present world. There followed a very interesting discussion of our ancestors and how pagans view death dying and living.
As usual, last week's Death Cafe in Saskatoon was fantastic!
But don’t take my word for it. When asked to choose three words that best describe their experience at Death Café Saskatoon, here are the words people chose: connection, meaningful, community-building, welcoming, lively, freeing, honest, open, safe, comfortable, fascinating, informative, riveting, perspective-challenging, cathartic, enlightening, enriching, genuine, kind, practical, bonding, engaging, healing, compassion, emotional, warm, loving, reassuring, heart-opening, unifying, illuminating, thought-provoking, inspiring, interesting, friendly, refreshing, real, needed, eye-opening, important and FUN!
There were approximately 55 people in attendance, ranging in age from about 20 to 85. With such a large number, participants were seated at tables in ...
Death Cafe Iowa Write up
Posted by DeathCafeIowa on Nov. 27, 2017, 10:54 a.m.
November’s Death Café was small but mighty. While we only had 4 participants, they were all part of our regular group so we were all comfortable with one another and that help lead to a deeper conversation.
Our topics varied widely. We talked about the idea of a celebration of life and the need for those left behind to feel open to mourn the loss of someone they love. We talked about veterans, the struggles they come back to in civilian life, and the ever increasing suicide rate for their population. We talked about grieving over the loss of things and the things people say to try ...
Death Cafe Bristol Write up
Posted by MaryTutaev on Nov. 25, 2017, 2:59 a.m. 1 comment
A Lively group of people came to our November meeting, new and old members, all ages keen to discuss and share ideas and feelings about death and life...conversation ranged from the practical to the metaphysical, people really listening and responding to each other, sometimes moments of reflection sometimes wonderful laughter as we puzzled and shared all kinds of responses and feelings about death. Gorgeous cake was consumed as were tangerines, chocolate coins and pulling of crackers....the meetings are always interesting and a real sense of camaraderie was experienced.....looking forward to our next meeting in February 2018!
Seit zwei Jahren wächst das Linzer Death Cafe kontinuierlich, was zwar sehr erfreulich ist, aber es stellt uns auch vor gewissen Herausforderungen. Ein wirklich persönliches Gespräch mit mehr als 15 oder 16 Leute ist einfach schwierig. Da wir seit dem Sommer regelmässig über 30 Teilnehmer_innen haben, haben wir schon mehrmals versucht, uns in zwei Gruppen aufzuteilen, aber da sind die Gruppen so groß, dass es akustisch anstrengend ist.
Heute haben wir zum ersten mal ein Kaffeehaus Model mit ca. 8 kleineren Tischen ausprobiert. Im Großen und Ganzen hat es funktioniert, aber wir möchten das Model noch ein bisschen verbessern.
Nächstes mal ...
Death Cafe Atlanta Write up
Posted by Lisa Oliver on Nov. 19, 2017, 5:43 p.m. 1 comment
This was the first Death Cafe in SW Atlanta. Our group of 6 consisted of 4 females (2@65+, 1@40's, 1@18) and 2 males (1@53, 1@23). I gave the demographics of the group because this cross section of ages provided a lively discussion, plenty of stories and some thoughtful, insightful comments.
A lot of laughter too!
The cake provided a lot of laughter ~ can you believe I actually paid a bakery to make this cake :-)
Death Cafe Porto Alegre Write up
Posted by Death Cafe Porto Alegre on Nov. 19, 2017, 3:18 p.m.
É sobre a morte, sobre seus medos, sua leveza, sua diversão .. Sobre o fenômeno natural tememos, mas vamos ter que enfrentá-lo algum dia...
Vem com a gente para participar da leveza em falar ela!
We had a great evening at Tellus THREE SIXTY. Really good conversations covering a broad array of topics at three separate tables.
Everyone echoed that the people they met were so interesting and the discussions were quite compelling.
We pretty much agreed we should hold another Death Cafe at Tellus THREE SIXTY ... and the folks there agreed.
We're looking an another in January, 2018.
Eighteen people came out in October. Most were new attendees and the mean age was about 45. It was a very special night, as Death Cafes seem to be. People voiced coming for a variety of reasons including: to help them get motivated to get their affairs in order, for the opportunity to learn and understand, for the chance to share their experiences, and to help themselves come to terms with their limited time. They left expressing gratitude for the experience, for the real and raw content, and for the privilege to bear witness to others. Someone said they were surprised at how comfortable it was and another ...
Death Cafe Tameside Write up
Posted by Andrea Wren, Funeral Celebrant on Nov. 16, 2017, 5:13 a.m.
This event was a great success. About ten people attended, and lots of interesting discussions took place. Thanks to everyone who came, and hopefully the next one that shall be held in January will be just as good!
Death Cafe in NYC Write up
Posted by Oreet Ashery on Nov. 13, 2017, 10:44 a.m.
The meeting was at the iconic LGBT Community Centre building in Manhattan. We met at the brilliant bookshop called Bureau of General Services- Queer Division, where a freshly baked Pumpkin Bundt Cake With Maple Brown-glaze was served. The discussion was very deep and moved from cosmic speculations to suffering, beauty and superpowers to reincarnations, the AIDS crisis and activism today, all in the context of death. It was a rich conversation that combined spirituality, activism, cosmology, art, poetry and literature. Being in a building that holds an important value in the context of the AIDs ...