The annual Transitus gathering is an opportunity to network and discuss death, dying, grief and the continuity of consciousness
Due to the popularity of this annual event, it does need to remain by invitation only. It is specifically is for those who work or who want to work (either in a personal, voluntary or professional capacity) holistically in the fields of death, dying, grief and/or the continuity of consciousness, those who are passionate about these subjects. If you know of someone who fits this description and is keen to come then do please contact Judith and we will do our utmost to include them.

Please bring information about your work to display (or any other info. that may be of interest) and, if you can, plan to arrive in time to put it out and to mingle a little before we go upstairs to open formally at 10am. Tea break will be at 11.30am (spring water is available at all times).Venue: Bowden House, Totnes, TQ9 7PW. Suggested donation £25. For further information contact Judith pidgeonhouse@btintenet.com or Carmella carmella@SolaceAlchemy.com Tel. 01803 867005

Venue: 20 Heber Road, London NW2 6AA. Near Willesden Green Underground Station on the Jubilee line, Cricklewood Railway Station, or buses C11, 16. 32, 189, 316, 226, 460, 260. Parking in the street will cost you £1, ask for it at the house on arrival. Booking: Advance booking only. Please send a cheque made out to the Natural Death Centre to: Rosie Inman-Cook, The NDC, In the Hill House, Watley Lane, Twyford, Winchester, SO21 1QX or phone 01962 712690 with your card details, or you can make an electronic 'donation' via the NDC website: www.naturaldeath.org.uk

This event is part of an attempt by a Local Educational Charitable Trust to raise funds for a new play based around this subject. FREE ENTRY - Donations welcome Just come along. Venue the Exchange (Chiverick Room). Time 7pm

This event is part of an attempt by a Local Educational Charitable Trust to raise funds for a new play based around this subject. FREE ENTRY - Donations welcome Just come along. Venue the Exchange (Darknoll Room). Time 7pm

Our theme for exploration this year is 'As above: so below'. We will play with the question "Where on Earth is Heaven?" and for this playtime we ask you to bring an item to symbolise yourself and a coloured scarf or piece of fabric if you have them. There will be plenty of time for networking with each other and also a time devoted to Transitus Festival Days – both the inspiring past event at Sturminster Newton and future possibilities.

As before, please bring information about your work to display (or any other info. that may be of interest) and, if you can, plan to arrive in time to put it out and to mingle a little before we go upstairs to open formally at 10am. Tea break will be at 11.30am (spring water is available at all times).

We highly recommend that you book now if you are sure you want to come because the event is popular. Also, it might be wise to book your 'Hearty Soup' with Carmella at the same time to avoid forgetting. The vegetarian soup, cooked by the lovely Lynda, will be wheat, soya, and gluten-free but please tell Carmella if you want special bread.

The annual Transitus gathering is an opportunity to network and discuss death, dying, grief and the continuity of consciousness
Due to the popularity of this annual event, it does need to remain by invitation only. It is specifically is for those who work or who want to work (either in a personal, voluntary or professional capacity) holistically in the fields of death, dying, grief and/or the continuity of consciousness, those who are passionate about these subjects. If you know of someone who fits this description and is keen to come then do please contact Judith and we will do our utmost to include them.

Please bring information about your work to display (or any other info. that may be of interest) and, if you can, plan to arrive in time to put it out and to mingle a little before we go upstairs to open formally at 10am. Tea break will be at 11.30am (spring water is available at all times).Venue: Bowden House, Totnes, TQ9 7PW. Suggested donation £25. For further information contact Judith pidgeonhouse@btintenet.com or Carmella carmella@SolaceAlchemy.com Tel. 01803 867005

Facing the fear of dying was one of the most important initiatives in the ancient wisdom schools of the world and continues today in indigenous groups, realising that we cannot be fully alive until we have done so. Death is the one certain event we will encounter as some point in our life yet it is the one for which we are least prepared until faced with it for ourselves or for a loved one. Not knowing is a human condition that we often find difficult in its sense of powerlessness. This workshop aims to change this. Whether you are facing a life-threatening illness which makes death real or want to reap the benefits of accepting the inevitability of death before such a time, Christianne will help to make this a turning point in our life; giving us a framework upon which to build. We may learn to heal the pain and transform our life as we ask, in Christianne's gentle care: What is life all about? What am I here for? Who am I?

Christianne Heal is a psychotherapist and healer in private practice in London and Cambridge. She has worked in a University Counselling Service and a GP's surgery and was one of three directors of The Natural Death Centre. For details of the content of the day, please contact Christianne on: 01223 861709. Venue: Cadogan Room at The Sloane Club, Lower Sloane Street , Chelsea , London SW1W 8BS. Time from 10 am to 5 pm. £60. Concessions £35. A delicious lunch can be bought at the club or there are restaurants and a pub. nearby. Teas and coffees will be supplied.

To book, please ring Judith on 01258 475125 telling her also if you would like to book lunch at the club (costs around £17). This is only possible, as Judith is a club member unless you yourself are one also. We would love to welcome you all to this beautiful setting in the very heart of Chelsea. The nearest tube station is Sloane Square , only a very short walk from the club. Buses 11, 137, 211, 360 & 452 also stop almost outside the door. The room where we are gathering is down the stairs to the left of Reception.

The aim of the seminar is to provide a platform for learning, discussing and sharing of these very common, but often unacknowledged, phenomena. It will consider how these phenomena, such as end-of-life experiences, nearing death awareness, death coincidences, profound dreams, deathbed visions and after-death communications, might be helpfully used to support the dying and the bereaved. The speakers will present their research and bring to the seminar the combined fruits of their professional experience. The 30 minute talks should stimulate and inspire; at the end the audience will be invited to discuss what they have heard and share their own experiences.

Josefine Speyer will chair the event and facilitate the one hour discussion forum at the end of the afternoon. She also created the event, on behalf of the Natural Death Centre's educational programme. Tea and coffee will be provided.

Venue: Friends Meeting House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ (nearest station: Euston or Euston Square). Cost £23 (£15 concs) Time: 1.30pm-5pm

Do we exist beyond the physical? Is birth really the beginning to be celebrated and death the end to be mourned? What happens when we die? Where are my lost loved ones? How can I answer friends/clients/patients in grief? SHOW ME THE EVIDENCE THAT LIFE CONTINUES! Bring your BIG questions and an open mind. Venue: Chalice Well, Glastonbury. Time: 10am-5pm Cost £45

A play of poignant humour, love, death and grief, which is at its hardest to bear because it begins before a loved one dies.

Willows have been around long before humans - thousands of years ago willow was used in the construction of trackways across the Somerset Levels. We will be using willow, which has been grown on the Somerset Levels where basketmakers have been weaving baskets for thousands of years. It is even used to make artists' charcoal and to reinforce riverbanks. We will construct the baby's crib around a wooden base and weave the crib in different colours of willow using age-old techniques and learning some interesting jargon. Cost: £85 including all materials, light lunch and refreshments.

Last year the Department of Health issued a new policy document entitled End of Life Care Strategy with the aim of improving quality
and freedom of choice for those approaching death. This first Transitus Festival is concerned with all the issues surrounding the end of life, but it seeks to address these questions in a wide context, based on cutting-edge developments and research on all aspects of death and what lies beyond. Whether your special interest is in caring for the dying, funeral celebration, disposal of the body or afterlife research, the Transitus Festival aims to redefine your understanding of the event that all of us will have to face.
Festival programme
10.30 Exhibitions open, 11.00 Festival Opening by Carmella B'Hahn, author of Benjaya's Gifts and Mourning has Broken.
11.30 Keynote Lecture by internationally renowned neuropsychiatrist, Dr Peter Fenwick: The Art of Dying is based on his recent book bearing the same title. Dr Fenwick is Britain's leading clinical authority on near-death experiences and holds appointments at the Maudsley Hospital, the John Radcliffe Hospital, and the Broadmoor Special Hospital for Violent Offenders.
12.30-3.30 Talks & Workshops A choice of ten short talks and workshops on caring for the dying, soul midwifery, green
funerals, imaginative celebrations and afterlife research (For details see website: www.martinsey.org.uk/transitus
4.00 PLAY: Colder than Here. In a review of the London West End production, John Peter wrote in The Sunday Times:
'Laura Wade's play is a 90-minute masterpiece, a jewel, dark but translucent. It is a play of love, death and grief that is hardest to
bear, because it begins before the loved one dies.'
5.30 After-Play Discussion (20 minutes)
6.00 Meditation For friends and loved ones in the afterlife
6.30 Close (Exhibitions close at 4.30)

There will also be mini workshops, displays and demonstrations, talks, a play, music and brochure and publicity opportunities for everyone in Transitus. This will be a not-for-profit-making venture, as a service to the public, in line with the ethos of Transitus.

The annual Transitus gathering is an opportunity to network and discuss death, dying, grief and the continuity of consciousness
Due to the popularity of this annual event, it does need to remain by invitation only. It is specifically is for those who work or who want to work (either in a personal, voluntary or professional capacity) holistically in the fields of death, dying, grief and/or the continuity of consciousness, those who are passionate about these subjects and interested in serving the Transitus aims below. If you know of someone who fits this description and is keen to come then do please contact Judith (details on invite) and we will do our utmost to include them.

The agreed aims of Transitus
1. To create an expanding network of those working holistically in the fields of death, dying, grief, and the continuity of consciousness.
2. To raise awareness about the ever-increasing information and changing attitudes towards these subjects and to help release fears (of others and our own).
3. To disseminate information to each other and the public about the services available in this area via a Resource List and Transitus website.

There will be plenty of time for networking with each other and also discussion time. Again, there will be an opportunity for everyone to share with the large group for about 3-4 minutes, which will be interspersed with long networking sessions to connect more deeply with those whose work interests us. Hopefully, we will leave with more useful connections and plans to forward the aims of Transitus . You might like to think in advance about what would be most useful and interesting to share with the group.

Please bring information about your work to display (or any other info. that may be of interest) and, if you can, plan to arrive in time to put it out and to mingle a little before we go upstairs to open formally at 10am. Tea break will be at 11.30am (spring water is available at all times).Venue: Bowden House, Totnes, TQ9 7PW

Willows have been around long before humans - thousands of years ago willow was used in the construction of trackways across the Somerset Levels. "To wear the willow" was a phrase applied to the wearing of mourning, especially for a sweetheart or bride - as in Maddy Prior's song All Around My Hat I Will Wear The Green Willow .

We will be using willow, which has been grown on the Somerset Levels where basketmakers have been weaving baskets for thousands of years. It is even used to make artists' charcoal and to reinforce riverbanks. We will construct the coffin around a wooden base and weave the sides and lid in different colours of willow using age-old techniques and learning some interesting jargon

As our body ages, we naturally become much more aware of our own mortality. Hence, confronting death arises as a major initiation on our journey towards eldership. However, because the culture finds the subject of dying taboo, we often shrink from examining our own fears and expectations. Yet, life and death are inextricably intertwined and, as Michael Grossi claims, the extent to which we confront death determines the extent to which we are fully alive.

This applies equally to confronting the ‘little deaths' of the ego which are required in order to inhabit more fully the many mansions of our soul. For as Jung says, “only that which can destroy itself is truly alive”. Surrendering to the dissolution of outmoded patterns which no longer serve the larger whole releases us more abundantly into life.

In this workshop we will explore:
•  our personal and cultural attitudes towards death and how they affect our vitality
•  the dysfunctional complexes which may be preventing us from fully embracing our wholeness
•  the role the “inferior” function plays in our journey towards individuated eldership and what anima mundi (the world soul) may be asking of us in our capacity as elder.

Venue: Sedlescombe Village Hall, Sdelscombe, TN33 0PF, E Sussex
Cost: £85
Contact: By emailing sundialcentre@talktalk.net or tel: 01424 870031

Friday evening registration begins at 6.30pm with a prompt 7.00pm start, ending at 9.30pm & Saturday begins at 9.30am ending at 5.00pm

Death is an unavoidable aspect of human existence, though mystery and fear often surround it. To those dedicated to living a spiritual life, death is understood as a beginning, not an end. At the time of death, the soul begins its liberation from its encasement in form. Death therefore frees the soul from the limitations of incarnated existence. Yet there are few who know death as a great adventure, and who truly understand the transformational processes that occur at the time of death. In this workshop, we shall consider the nature of death as understood in the ancient Perennial Philosophy, how physical death is always followed by a "second death", the experience of Devachan after the death process is complete, how the soul evolves as a result of the death experience, the role of the "permanent atoms" in the reincarnation process, and methods of living as a preparation for death.

For over 20 years, William Meader has been a student and teacher of Esoteric Psychology. Central to his teaching is an exploration of the many facets of spiritual psychology as conveyed within a theosophical framework, and an amalgamation of subjects central to a progressive spirituality. His passion is to teach people the deeper implications of modern spiritual development, and the means to express the soul more effectively in the outer world. William's work is international in scope, and has gained widespread recognition. In addition to his spiritual interests, William has an advanced degree in the behavioral sciences, and several years experience as a psychology professor in California. Much of this work is centered upon the transpersonal aspects of human consciousness. With a university degree in Business Management, he also has experience as a business educator, offering a variety of staff development seminars and workshops to the business community. William regularly teaches and lectures in the United States, Europe, Canada, and New Zealand. He currently lives in Oregon.
Cost: £30 Times: 1100 - 1630
Registration and coffee from 1045. Please bring lunch to share.
For further details and to reserve a place, please contact Carol Duncan tel: 01243 576634 or email: carol.duncan@dsl.pipex.com
William will also be offering Esoteric Astrological Consultations
Please contact Carol for further information
Hamblin Hall, Bosham House, Main Road, Bosham Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8PJ Tel. 01243 572109

• This workshop offers the unique opportunity to consider what it might take to prepare for dying, considering your own needs and those of people close to you. What can be done? How does one broach the subject when someone is very ill and dying? How can a person have a good death? The workshop day is aimed at professionals working in the field and other mortals.
  
  Topics covered include:
  
  How do elders teach the next generation the art of dying?
  Creative ways of preparing for dying
  The advantages of planning ahead, including making a Living Will, discussing funeral wishes and making, what we call, a death plan.
  How to talk about dying with adults and children
  The creative use of ritual and other ways of creating a sacred space for dying
  Deathbed visions, a natural phenomenon which can be talked about

Josefine Speyer is a psychotherapist, co-founder of the Natural Death Centre (1991) and of the Befriending Network, (1994) co-editor of The Natural Death Handbook (2003), Supervisor for Brent Bereavement Service. She offers talks and workshops on various aspects of dying, death and bereavement in London and elsewhere.

Susan Morris is a senior palliative care nurse who has worked with dying patients and their families for over twenty years. She has been a trustee of the Befriending Network in London, of The Natural Death Centre and is a contributor to the Natural Death Handbook.

"Thank you for the workshop. I really enjoyed it and feel I gained lots from the day with you. I think what the day highlighted for me is the need to sit in a circle and share our stories in this area as sometimes it feels quite a lonely path I walk." Wendy

Time: 10.30 - 17.00.
Venue: 20 Heber Road, London, NW2 6AA
Cost: £55 before 1 April 08, £60 thereafter

For more information and to book, please contact Josefine Speyer at: 020 8208 0670 or email: josefine@josefinespeyer.com
Advance booking only.