Death Cafe Wellington: Taking Death Out of the Closet & Fear Out of Death
Details
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We launched the 1st ever Death Cafe in Wellington on 30 March 2014 and the 1st ever Public Death Cafe held in Aotearoa-New Zealand.
We meet at the Trinity Union Church, 11 Hall Avenue (off Hall Street), Newtown, Wellington to exchange conversations about Life & Death, to ponder, wonder and celebrate the Art of Living and Dying in compassionate community. Come on down and share your thoughts, anxieties, fears, stories, and enjoy an afternoon conversing and mingling with like-spirited warm-hearted people. Let's take death gently out of the closet and make a friend, not a foe, of this inevitable companion to us all!
Death Cafe allows people to talk about death and grief, but also sparks those conversations about life. These conversations will be free from ideology. A Death Cafe principle is not to lead participants towards any conclusion about life, death or life after death, apart from their own thoughts. Our conversations will be respectful to all. These conversations will be compassionate and empathic in supporting everyone to express themselves in a non-judgemental safe environment and sacred space.
Death Cafe is an open forum for the public to discuss any issues surrounding life and death. The goal is to encourage people to feel comfortable with the topic of death and dying. From the day we are born, we know not when this hour may be our last. We never know when death will come to any of us, so taking time to ponder and to be heard, to be prepared and have knowledge to make individual unique choices of our desired exit, is a blessed gift to ourselves and loved ones.
Calling all Explorers of Life & Death Who wants to think about death? Not many people, but we do. It's part of the cycle of life. Society doesn't make it easy to talk about death. The key is getting over our death anxieties and to enrich the quality of our lives. What do we want to do with our lives? What do we want to accomplish most? How do we want to be remembered? Such questions encourage us to face our own mortality and to live each day more fully.
We welcome everyone regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, faith, creed, sexual orientation, disability, socio-economic class, or any other humanade condition. We are creating a sacred space where people can come to experience connection to one another in sharing their fears about death, and their stories about life. It is a celebration to living and dying as a natural cycle of existence.
Tea and Cake are served to sweeten the shared conversations. Come join us.
A Koha per person will help us with cost of venue, resources, refreshments, and received with heart-felt gratitude :)
Venue:
Trinity Union Church
11 Hall Avenue (off Hall Street)
Newtown, Wellington, New Zealand
Instructions for the Trinity Union Church venue:
Pedestrian and car access through Hall Avenue (off Hall Street), just up the road from Pita Pit opposite Newtown School, next block down from Wellington Hospital going south. Look up Hall Street and you'll see “Hall Avenue” clearly marked with a white signpost. Plenty of free car parks at the church. If you’re catching a bus from the city, get off at the Wellington Hospital bus stop and walk to Hall Street – Hall Avenue is off that. Here is a google map https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=100+Riddiford+Street,+Newtown,+Wellington,+nz
Your Death Cafe facilitator
Sophia is an experienced Compassionate Nonviolent Communication (NVC) trainer and Empathy teacher. She has facilitated Death Cafes and workshops over the years on Grief and Mourning, Guilt and Shame, Anger and Depression, to help mitigate the changing landscape of life's trials, tribulations and unexpressed grief. This personal and/or family loss may be due to the death of a beloved family member, friend or colleague, or a cherished pet.
RSVP on this page or contact Sophia: sophiatara8@gmail.com
Website: Death Cafe Wellington (http://sophiatara.com/event/death-cafe-wellington-taking-death-out-of-the-closet-fear-out-of-death/)
Facebook:
Death Cafe Wellington New Zealand
Group Facebook Page:
Death Cafe New Zealand (https://www.facebook.com/groups/death.cafe.nz/)
Twitter:
Death Cafe Wellington NZ (https://twitter.com/DeathCafeWelly)
Life is a Song. Death is a hymn. Let your voice be heard. ~ Sophia Tara
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