About The Art of Death Midwifery

Allow me to tell you a little bit about the path of service I call “The Art of Death Midwifery.” It is a very profound and intimate way of communing with the dying. A technique that developed over the 16 years I’ve been honored to serve the dying. One inspired by my experience in both paid and volunteer positions with hospices, AIDS organizations, home health care services and the palliative care unit of Norfolk General Hospital. It also flows from my more than 25 years in the performing arts as a professional dancer, singer, actress, choreographer, director and teacher.

Over the years, the desire to create a more sacred, reverent, dignified and transformational environment for the dying became a passion. While all forms of serving the dying are important and deserving respect, I felt drawn to go deeper into the bond we create with those we serve. To not only companion and support them, but to also become conscious conduits for Divine Love to flow. To allow Divine Healing, in the perfect form for that individual to be made manifest. To guide those who are making the transition from this life into the next with great care and consciousness, assuring them that they are safe, they are surrounded by love and that they are never alone.

“The Art of Death Midwifery” honors all spiritual traditions and philosophies. It offers acceptance and unconditional love to each person served. It is an art and like all arts, there is a technique and discipline required. Like all arts, once the technique and discipline is learned, it will be performed in a unique way based on the individual talents, skills, abilities and sensitivities of each practitioner.

Becoming a pure, strong, clear, vibrant conduit demands a great deal of self work. We are the instruments through which the Divine plays. Death Midwives must be willing to do the difficult work of looking inward; facing our shadows and all that will surface while communing deeply with the dying. We must be able to face not only our own mortality but also those we love most dearly. We must become comfortable in the liminal space between this world and the next. This is the space where those we serve reside. To do all this takes much work and dedication.

In order to commune with the dying, death midwives must become adept at reaching various levels of consciousness with ease in order to match the level of consciousness of those we serve. If we make that connection, we can literally swim in the stream of those who are dying and communicate with them, whether they are “responsive” or not.

In “The Art of Death Midwifery” we learn a two part technique and discipline called “The Process” and “The Practice.” In “The Process,” we learn a type of spiritual warm up, not unlike the warm ups that dancers, singers or musicians do, with the focus on easily traveling through beta, alpha, theta and even delta states of consciousness at will. In “The Practice” we learn how to create sacred space for the one we serve, open our selves to being conduits, connect deeply in consciousness with that person and direct our undivided, loving attention upon that person for long sustained periods of time. We learn the importance of music and voice in creating that sacred space. We learn to recognize and act upon inspiration received from the one we serve.

The time has come to treat death with the respect it deserves. Those who are dying are on the precipice of one of the most mysterious and transformative of transitions. It need not be one of fear, anxiety, loneliness and confusion. Instead, it should be honored and entered into with great consciousness.

I believe we are on the verge of a tremendous shifting in consciousness about many things. How we enter into death is one of them. It is my intention to have Death Midwives trained and ready to be of service as the shift begins.

The “Art of Death Midwifery” is not a path for everyone, nor should it be. There are many beautiful ways to serve and support the dying. However, should you feel called to explore this path further, I invite you to visit our web site at www.deathmidwifery.com for more information. You may also email me at info@deathmidwifery.com or call 757.450.8668.