Memento Mori
Totenpass
At midnight on November the first, 2020 – the first of the Days of the Dead in Mexican tradition, the night after Halloween when, according to custom and poetic sentiment, the veils between the worlds are thinnest and magic is possible, I consecrated my newly-assembled totenpass amulet. As I write these words, I can still … Read moreTotenpass
Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene (2013)
A sobering New York Times essay by Roy Scranton: The human psyche naturally rebels against the idea of its end. Likewise, civilizations have throughout history marched blindly toward disaster, because humans are wired to believe that tomorrow will be much like today — it is unnatural for us to think that this way of life, … Read moreLearning How to Die in the Anthropocene (2013)
The Death Hangout
The Death Hangout is a podcast and life/business coaching company facilitated by Olivier Larvor and Keith Clarke: The Death Hangout is a very special and humanistic place (non-religious and non-political). We are a community of very like-minded people who believe death has a very useful function in our lives. And no, not just to wipe … Read moreThe Death Hangout
9 Ways You are Boring Yourself to Death
Memento mori/carpe diem perspective from Four Thousand Mondays.
Odyssey of the Dead (2019)
According to ceremonialist Daniel Lev Shkolnik: In the oldest story in existence, Gilgamesh crosses the sea of death in search of immortality. In Greek mythology, Charon ferries souls across the river Styx to Hades. In ancient Egypt, departed souls were thought to travel with Ra on the solar bark to reach the sacred field of … Read moreOdyssey of the Dead (2019)
Autumnal Equinox Memorial Altar 2020
I started creating this bookshelf altar during the day and evening of September 22, which was the Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. The altar features a colorful scattering of dead leaves gathered during my evening walks, a copper string of white lights, a mirror for self-reflection, an incense holder, a small jar of home-mixed … Read moreAutumnal Equinox Memorial Altar 2020
Living Fully Through Death Awareness
This talk was given at a local TEDxSnoIsleLibraries event and produced independently of the TED Conferences. Cultural anthropologist, Jennifer James, believes embracing the awareness of our mortality is a key to fully living. Jennifer’s lifetime of curiosity about beliefs, human behavior and the human spirit has roots in her childhood. That curiosity has underpinned her … Read moreLiving Fully Through Death Awareness