The Season of Summer

A Sacred Passing

Newsletter

A Slow Dance

A slow glide, a playful two-step, a knowing reach for the hand of your lead, a lean into your partner with deep faith, the wild trust of a twirl held by the solid boundary of percussion ... This feels like a slow dance, this work we are doing. Sometimes we get to pick the music, other times it's a tune given to us to improvise with. We have been able to make something really beautiful over the past decade of dancing, and we have the feeling that we have finally, finally found solid footing in the gift of a home from Sally Bailey. During my time with A Sacred Passing, my roles have varied, shifted, and grown with the organization, often becoming more clear. In this season of our growth, something has become clear to me as an individual and for us as an organization.

We are capable of amazing things.

Since the organization came to Seattle, we have dreamed into reality a death-care education that honors all the ways we can care for our people, and the shifting of the way we care for each other in more than death -- but also in our living.

We are capable of amazing things.

We have grown our offerings to hold those who need to talk, those looking for time to make art, and those needing be held in grief in ways that meet individual and collective needs.

We are capable of amazing things.

We have made magic from dust, and we now need to move into our next phase with that same energy. If you're reading this, you know Deathcare Education and Community Care are important to our whole health.

We are capable of amazing things

Together

We are capable of amazing things

This Month's Activities at A Place to Die

This July we buried Sally's cremains among the apple trees in the backyard

The back deck is set and ready for gatherings

A multigenerational space was important to Sally, as was keeping a playful energy in the space. Peep this creative outdoor kitchen donated to us by a community member. (There are wooden radishes!)

The living room is the perfect warm space to gather in conversation, for grief groups, and for small community-care workshops

Sally's Place

Lead Volunteer Roles

House Manager

This role will be the point person for the other house leads to connect, coordinate, and collaborate with, a role where you gotta show up (it's not a resume fluffer). This person

will be local to South Seattle with access to transportation to the home.

5-10 hours per week

Grounds Care Team

The lead of this team is responsible for organizing the yard-care schedule and events, and for growing in partnership with organizations to share grief-garden management.

5 hours per week

Residency Lead

The Residency Lead will be the point of contact for the residents of the home and a member of the application review team.

5 hours per week

coins and money growing plant for finance and banking_ saving money or interest increasing concept

Fundraising & Procurement

This person will work in collaboration to create and realize fundraising opportunities, events, and supply drives for A Sacred Passing Programming that takes place at Sally’s Place.

5-10 hours per week

Events Lead

The House Events Lead will work with the directors, leads, and other community members for scheduling, invoicing, and inventory of used materials for events.

5hours per week

Does any of these volunteer roles sound like a match for you? Please reach out!

volunteer@asacredpassing.or g

A Community Offering: Clinical Guidelines for

Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED)

Authors Hope Wechkin, MD; Robert Macauley, MD; Paul T. Menzel, PhD; Peter L Reagan, MD; Nancy Simmers, BS, BSN, RN; and Timothy E. Quill, MD, collaborated to write the first ever Clinical Guidelines for Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. The authors have made the guidelines free through OpenAccess (no subscription required).

Congratulations to you all,

and thank you for this community offering!

Access the Guidelines

A Sacred Passing will be offering a four-day

VSED Workshop starting the winter of 2024.

Registration opens October 1st

Upcoming Events

with A Sacred Passing

Grief and Care Under Capitalism: 1st & 3rd Wednesday of every month

Movement for Grievers: 3rd Thursday of every month

MAiD Grief Groups: 1st Sunday of every month

Past Students Zoom Meet-Up: 1st Monday of every month

Death Cafe and Art: 3rd Friday of every month

SEE CALENDAR

Community Spotlight

Floripondio

At Floripondio we provide culturally conscious death companionship for Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and all dying allies. Located out of what is now called the Bay Area, we work with the time-honored perspectives and practices of traditional healers. With deep listening and presence, we hold space for folks in times of transition. We are death positive. We see and celebrate death as a natural part of life and seek to eradicate the silence around death-related topics. We are committed to dismantling homophobia, racism, and marginalization in end-of-life care. We are end-of-life advocates. Your last wishes are our commitments.

We are Batul True Heart and Melissa Reyes. We are traditional healers, community herbalists, and death companions. We are Indigenous and Queer. We each bring over 20 years' experience working with various healing modalities, training with elders and mentors, exploring our own experiences of ancestral loss and reconnection, teaching, and holding ceremonial space for our community. We are committed to advocacy and supporting our people in understanding their options and feeling a sense of respect, honor, and dignity as they navigate this journey.

Although we know that death cannot be cured, we believe that when given the proper conditions, the end of life can be a healing experience for everyone involved.

Visit our website

Your donations help support our community in receiving the vital care, services, and education they deserve. 100% of donations go towards QTBIPOC in need of death-doula services and/or class tuition.

Donate here

Community Spotlight

Therapy Fund Foundation

BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month Events & Important Dates

Reclaiming Wellness Conference & Resource Fair was this past Friday, and A Sacred Passing was asked to be present as a resource to attendees. We were received with warmth, wonder, curiosity, and relief. There were many first-time meets for us and some longtime homies in the house for us to hug. We look forward to continuing to grow and support Black and Brown healthcare in a way that speaks to our whole-person health.

7/29 Health & Resource Fair @ Church By the Side of Road in Tukwila, 11am - 3pm

7/29 Blast Music Festival @ Seattle Center

7/29 Bella Smiles for Developmental Disabilities (3rd Annual Fundraiser) @ Rumba Notes 5 -11 pm

See event details