Deepen your spiritual understanding of the internal journey of the dying and the adventurous after-death journey to come
• Describes the Celtic rituals of honoring death and dying and offers prayers, meditations, and blessings for the time of transition
• Offers reflective questions and exercises to explore your beliefs, attitudes, and fears around your own death
• Includes the sacred meditation of traveling with the dead as offered by an anam-áire or Celtic soul carer
THE CELTS BELIEVED in the transmigration of the soul, in the magical rhythm of life with a particular order of coming and going for each soul. As they celebrated every new stage of their lives with a ritual, they also honoured the passing of a soul--the death of the physical body.
In her decades of work with the dying, Phyllida Anam-Áire has revived the ancient Celtic tradition of watching with the dying and traveling with the soul after death. Integrating the wisdom of her Celtic ancestors with modern knowledge of the death process, she shows how a peaceful transition for the leaving person is possible and how this process can be consciously supported by relatives or friends.
Reflective exercises and meditations help us become aware of our beliefs and fears around dying and acknowledge our own death as a natural transformation, allowing our essence to move on into love. Once we come to terms with our own mortality, we will find it easier to assist family and friends in their last hours in this life. Rituals, prayers, and blessings in this guide offer compassionate support for the one transitioning and for those left behind. Phyllida also shares the sacred meditation of traveling with the dead as held by a Celtic Anam-Áire, or soul carer. In addition, she addresses many practical questions around the care for the dying and their environment during and after the process, stressing the importance of silence.
A practical yet soulful guidebook, A Celtic Book of Dying deepens our spiritual understanding of the internal journey of the dying and the adventurous afterdeath journey still to embark on. Dying is the most natural step we will ever take.
By:
Phyllida Anam-Áire
Imprint: Findhorn Press
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: 2nd Edition, Revised and Updated Edition
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 15mm
Weight: 383g
ISBN: 9781644112984
ISBN 10: 1644112981
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 15 June 2022
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Glossary of Gaelic Words and Expressions Introduction How I Met with the Teachings -- My Own Story: In Grief Did My Mother Conceive Me ---Brigit, Stirrer of the Cauldron PART ONE Death and Dying in the Celtic Tradition Opening the Heart to Death -- Life Is Not Threatened by the Loss of Form --Never-Ending Life --Death as Mystery in the Celtic Tradition -- A Time for Change -- Death, the Great Catalyst -- A New Language --The Áite, or Passages of Birth and Death -- The Áite of Birth --The Áite of Death PART TWO Dealing with Your Personal Death and Dying Process Natural Transformation as Death Approaches -- The Paths Home -- Slip Away --After the Death of the Body --How Can We Live and Die Consciously? -- Celtic Festivals of Transformation -- Death Is Simply the Next Step -- Lessons in Tough Love -- Learning to Receive Love PART THREE Helping a Dying Person and Their Relatives How Can We Help a Dying Person Make a Happy Transition? -- “I Am Afraid of Pain” --The Stages of Releasing into Healing --The Power of Music: Medicine for the Heart --The Work of an Anam-Áire -- The Service of a Traveller with the Dead --Care of the Environment When a Person Is Dying -- How Can We Best Support the Dying? -- Guidelines for Helping the Dying -- Technology Can Help People Suffering Alone in Hospital -- Sacred Ritual of Watching with the Dead --- Blessing the Body -- Disposing of Water and Bedclothes -- Burial of Rings --Letting Go of the Past -- Distant Help for the Dying through Imaging and Meditation -- Prayers for the Dead -- Do What Is Natural -- The Ethics of Assisting Another in Their Desire to Die PART FOUR Being With the Bereaved Supporting Bereaved People -- The Golden Breath of Love -- Sacred Ritual for Bereaved People -- Other Rituals Celebrating Transitions in Life PART FIVE Lessons from the Heart of Nature Nature Is Our Guide -- The Seasons Are Our Teachers PART SIX Stories from the Heart of Death “Do This for Each Other Often -- Don’t Wait until You Die” -- Fear Versus Love Appendix The Alchemy of Love -- The Court of Love Overview of Exercises and Practices Index Acknowledgements About the Author
Phyllida Anam-Aire, a former Irish nun, writer, and therapist, who trained with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, has worked extensively with the sick and dying. She offers Conscious Living, Conscious Dying retreats and gives talks to nurses and palliative care workers. The author of The Last Ecstasy of Life, Phyllida lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Reviews for A Celtic Book of Dying: The Path of Love in the Time of Transition
Drawing upon both Celtic and Christian traditions, The Last Ecstasy of Life: Celtic Mysteries of Death and Dying is a metaphysical exploration of death as a transition of the soul's boundaries. Thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds, The Last Ecstasy of Life offers insights on how to help those who are dying, learning to accept death as preparation for what lies beyond, sample Celtic blessings and poems, and much more. The Last Ecstasy of Life is a comforting browse and resource for anyone going through the difficult process of saying goodbye to a loved one, or confronting their own final days. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this book is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99). * Midwest Book Review *
