Courageous Compassion for All
Grief and sadness at the end of life are unavoidable but the suffering caused by fear and lack of knowledge is not. The culture of taboo and denial we have built around death often leaves us feeling isolated and powerless.
Courageous compassion is the power to show up and connect with the dying and the bereaved. Courageous compassion is making informed choices and, when the time comes, it is the practice of letting go with love.
morternity / mor·ter·ni·ty / mȯr-ˈtər-nə-tē
Relating to the condition of dying or the time surrounding death.
To be death literate is to be able to sit with the idea of death and understand it as integral to the nature of life. There are gifts in being able to see an end point of something clearly. It helps us reflect on what we want to do before we get there and to recognize what we have already achieved. We re-examine our priorities and perhaps find new goals and directions. To become familiar with the fact of your own mortality is life affirming and even life changing.
When we become death literate, we learn how to be a helpful and empathetic presence for someone who is dying or working through grief and bereavement. Providing this care is the hallmark of our humanity.
To be death literate is also to understand the physical impact our earthly farewells have on our planet. We need to make better choices about after death care and disposition that result in better outcomes for the environment.
Death is a sacred mystery yet with planning, understanding and support, it need not be a fearful one.
About the Morternity Project
Dying is a spiritual event that offers priceless gifts to all who are witness to its unfolding. Dying is also a physical process and some practical understanding of that is needed if we are to connect with the meaning of the moment.
Too many of us don’t make a plan, or learn about our options until it is too late. Too often, I answer questions when death is imminent or has already occurred. The defaults and conventions that grind into gear often feel alien and impersonal.
The culture around end-of-life is changing. There are many wonderful people giving generously of themselves to make human and earth friendly options widely available.
The Morternity project is dedicated to all of you, those with questions and those working on the answers.
Beth Riungu
Founder, Writer & End-of-Life Doula
“We’re all just walking each other home.”
— Ram Dass