Where was I before I was born?

Where will I go when I die?

Are we dead before we are born?

When does life begin and end?

Does dying hurt?  

Children ask very reasonable – and often difficult-to-answer – questions about birth and death as they grapple with the enormity of being alive. If we give these questions space, they can bring our adult awareness to these two immutable and mysterious transitions, the transitions which bring us into the world and take us out.

We celebrate and mourn these shifts as humanity has done throughout time, each culture shaping its birth and death rituals in keeping with its core beliefs. In the global north, medicine plays a significant role in the ‘management’ of these (and much in between), whereas the availability of medical intervention in the global south is sparse. It might be said that these two extremes – too much too soon in the former; too little too late in the latter – do not serve individual journeys well.

The role of the caregiver for those giving birth, being born, dying, and grieving can be complex. It reaches beyond a professional skill set or a panoply of resources into the raw simplicity of being alongside someone when something big is happening.

There is quite a crossover with many of our events, and while these particular discussion points are being explored in Cutting the Cord, people may also find them being addressed in events such as Speed Dating With Death, The Rituals of Mourning, Breaking the Silence and Singing Our Hearts In. Booking links are found by clicking on the individual events and scrolling down. We look forward to seeing you there.