23 Comments
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Emily Barker's avatar

Yes! We need a community of death workers working together. This is something that makes the work possible for so many more of us. I tried creating this years ago but lacked direction. Maybe I’ll revisit this soon. Thank you.

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Lisa Marie's avatar

Ahh yes! Would love to have you involved in the convo :)

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Emily Barker's avatar

I would love that too. There is a great need for education on EOL options from Palliative and Hospice Care to funeral and burial options and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

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Lisa Marie's avatar

1000%! And so many attempting to go out and do this work without others to navigate it with. Would be super curious to hear what you tried in the past ❤️

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Emily Barker's avatar

I’m prepping for a talk on the 5 Wishes and DNR’s with members of a psycho-social rehabilitation center. Before that I’ve volunteered for hospice. I work 9-5 and haven’t felt like I can give death work the attention it deserves. Perhaps the upcoming talk will give me a boost.

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Lisa Marie's avatar

The balance of trying to work and live life while also showing up in your community for this 😅 I’m with you ❤️ yeah I imagine giving that talk will give a boost of inspiration.

I’m trying to remind myself that this work is lifelong and often slower than my mind wants 😵‍💫

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Michelle Hogle Acciavatti's avatar

So excited to see someone else trying to build the networks we need! Hoping I’ll be able to join you

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Lisa Marie's avatar

Ahh yes I would love that!!

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Montoya Miller's avatar

It feels so timely that this popped up on my Substack. I’ve been sitting with becoming a death doula for 5 years. The call has gotten louder and louder this year.

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Lisa Marie's avatar

Honored to have you here!! 💖 would love to hear how any of what i’ve shared moves things for you

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Addie Gengenbach's avatar

I feel so drawn to death work, but don’t know where to start. I have birth worker friends and it feels similar. Where there’s a desire to support people ushering in new life and exiting life, but it’s such a deeply vulnerable and personal area in life, and a thing that’s hidden away from the rest of society that it feels difficult to find an entry point.

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Lisa Marie's avatar

Absolutely, Addie. I feel you in this. It is also a truly mysterious path that taps us when it's time to start following the breadcrumbs. I took a year before beginning any type of training, etc. It was a slow process, but there are many ways to begin before taking a training. I'll drop a link to a starter kit I put together for folks interested in this path. <3 https://theleap.co/creator/belovedgateway/webinar/becoming-a-death-doula-starter-kit

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kenz's avatar

I’ve been thinking a lot more of this: the importance of finding our grief practice so that we can embrace our grief in this increasingly grieving world. Thank you for creating the space and intention for this.

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Lisa Marie's avatar

Yesss, thank you for being here and reflecting that! 🤍 feeling and alchemizing our grief in these times, over and over again is ESSENTIAL.

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kenz's avatar

Yes! We’ve become so detached from befriending and embracing our grief, yet it’s such a fundamental part of nature. It’s comforting to be part of a community with a shared commitment to finding our way back to a symbiotic relationship with ourselves, each other, and the non-human natural world.

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Lisa Marie's avatar

So beautifully said. Honored to have you here! <3

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subconscious alchemy's avatar

really excited to see the evolution of this. I'm not a death worker, but I do want to change my relationship with death and face my fear of it. this sounds like a good start

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Lisa Marie's avatar

Yes, so happy to have you here. Your desire to lean into that makes you a death worker in my eyes. Even in our personal and internal orientation to all of this, it can create shifts when we give it attention and love. <3 I am having a gathering for folks to explore this on Thursday! Would love to have you. https://theleap.co/@belovedgateway/webinar/living-into-death-work-live-workshop

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arte.'s avatar

Subscribed <3

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Lisa Marie's avatar

Ah so grateful to have you here! 🥰

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Ian Brokenshire's avatar

Thanks for what you are doing, Lisa. My little community in NE Tasmania could benefit from this work too.

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Lisa Marie's avatar

Thank you, Ian! I am bringing this connection online, too, so keep an eye out. I have got a gathering next week if you want to plug in. <3

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Jan 24
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Lisa Marie's avatar

Ahh, thank you for helping weave the web! <3 & for always seeing me!

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