Death Cafe write-ups
City of Roses Death Cafe Portland OR Write up
Posted by nomenoyou1 on Jan. 7, 2025, 3:42 p.m.
Our final City of Roses Death Cafe of 2024 had 19 participants divided between three tables.
One table discussed the challenges of living with a terminal cancer diagnosis including deciding whether the benefits of life extending maintenance chemotherapy outweighed the physical consequences (quantity or quality of life?), the difficulty of discussing one's diagnosis and its implications with family and friends, and responding to hurtful, but well-intentioned responses ("I had a friend who had that cancer and they . . . ") We also discussed living with grief when a sibling dies. Stephen Jenkinson's Die Wise was came up more than once.
Another table’s discussion centered a lot about feelings ...
Death Cafe North Canterbury Write up
Posted by Death Cafe North Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand on Jan. 2, 2025, 8:02 p.m.
Today was a small group of 4, and no co-facilitator – I was flying solo! I was pleased to see a few people who returned for more Death Café as we delved deeper into some familiar topics such as how to handle grief and the compounding grief of dealing with the health system. It was a tender chat and a memorable meeting, and the last of 2024.
Death Café dates for 2025:
Kaiapoi:
February 16th
May 18th
September 21st
Rangiora:
March 23rd
June 29th
October 26th
Amberley
April 27th
July 20th
November 23rd
Stay well, Liz
Death Cafe Iowa Write up
Posted by DeathCafeIowa on Dec. 19, 2024, 11:47 a.m.
Our most recent Death Café was held December 17th and had 4 people in attendance. We touched on a handful of topics, beginning with alternatives for final disposition. This included having one’s cremated remains turned into a reef ball (a concrete structure that’s used to bury cremated remains in the ocean), having them sent to outer space in a rocket, and various other places and spaces one can use to store and scatter cremated remains. We also touched on the concept of making a preplan and the benefits that come from doing so. We ended the conversation with the importance of talking to children about ...
Austin Death Cafe: Conversations on Change, Loss, and Renewal Write up
Posted by Lauren Terry on Dec. 14, 2024, 1:59 a.m.
Come together for an evening of open dialogue and reflection at SquareRüt Kava Bar, a safe third space where connection and understanding thrive. This Death Cafe invites you to explore universal themes of change, loss, grief, and renewal in a supportive and welcoming space.
This gathering is hosted by:
✨ @emotion.l.contagion (Lauren) – A Trauma-Informed Reiki Master Practitioner offering a grounded and compassionate perspective.
Death Cafe Park Ridge Qld Australia Write up
Posted by Kate Leotta on Dec. 6, 2024, 2:16 a.m.
A small gathering but full of rich discussion that went on for sometime.
After attendees dove into a lucky dip of icebreaker questions in the living, dying, death space, conversation flowed:
Cremation/Body Disposition in Japanese, Philippine and other cultures.
Being laid to rest on country or other ancestral lands.
The pros and cons of VAD, also organ donation.
The issues with prolonging life, medical models, funeral models.
Death is a human event not just a medical and profit driven one.
Talk of living wakes, living to the full after a terminal diagnosis, dying at home, vigils, rituals, home funerals.
Having choice and control for dying and death ...
Death Cafe Whangarei Write up
Posted by Jo Moselen on Dec. 4, 2024, 2:53 p.m.
We were a small group of three plus the two organisers, this made for a relaxed and intimate conversation which included planning for a funeral, changes to the assisted dying bill, fear around dying, embalming, colonisation and funeral practices. The attendees were all people who had been to Death Cafes before.
The feedback was encouraging - one comment being "it feels so freeing each time to talk about death"
The venue, a room in the local library worked well.
Knaresborough Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Richard Cyster on Dec. 3, 2024, 3:27 a.m.
This is the first Death Cafe I've organoised so I was a little nervous. However, I needn't have worried. Seven people turned up, including two who'd seen it advertised on the Death Cafe website. We had a wide-ranging conversation over tea/coffee (and cake!) which encompassed a range of subjects including visits to Dignitas, funerals, cremation or burial and the possibility of donating your body to medical science. We will meet again at the end of January 2025.
Our October Death Café saw us exploring the notion of consciousness and life after death. What is consciousness? What happens to us when we go? One attendee responded, “The ego becomes cosmically expanded”. What does that mean for us?
And what of human-caused suffering, such as that experienced because of war? How do we reconcile where we live in a safe and civil society with the suffering of others, for example, oppressed peoples? Why does God allow this? But is it God, or ‘life’ which is challenging us? How do we reconcile science and spirituality when trying to understand death and dying and the suffering of others?
As ...
Our final Death Café for the year was one of celebration and reflection and like all those which had taken place each month, was filled with a mixture of laughter, curiosity and deep and meaningful conversation.
Each month the Death Café brought people together from diverse backgrounds with just as diverse life experiences, and each month we explored our thoughts and feelings and shared stories about our relationship with our mortality in a warm, open and respectful space.
How do we get to the place of being able to accept our mortality? This was a question asked by one of the attendees. And my question in response is ...
Swanage Death Cafe Write up
Posted by peterneall on Nov. 30, 2024, 5:19 a.m.
THe fourth Swanage Death Cafe was as interesting, intriguing and informative as the previous three.
There were nine of us, four who had been at least once before, and five newbies.
The fact that Parliament was voting on an Assisted Dying bill as we spoke gave the event an added poignancy and at the closing check in everyone said 'lets do it again - so we will in the coming year.
Discussion ranged from experiences of close ones dying, managing family deaths, planning for 'a good funeral', psychedelic healing and more.
Completion sheets emphasised feelingg welcome, being heard and experiencing truth.
Andthe home made cake again hit the mark!
Virtual Death Cafe Albany, CA USA PDT Write up
Posted by JimKirkpatrick on Nov. 27, 2024, 8:02 a.m.
Genevieve and Jim have been co hosting since 2022. The November Virtual Death Cafe welcomed 5 women and a man . We live in USA West, South, South East, North East, Midwest and Canada . After introductions, conversations flow including laughter, deep sharing, tears and deep listening. Thoughts, feelings and experiences related to life after life, loving the dying and dead, grief, and our own dying. Book titles shared and an invite to another favorite Death Cafe that meets in December. Genevieve and Jim will welcome all again 22nd of December.
This evening I attended my first Death Cafe gathering. I am so glad I did not come up with an excuse not to attend. It was warm, and welcoming. Interesting shared experiences. The time flew by.
Toni
Thirteen people attended the event in Blarney and it was a very positive experience. The host and facilitators were very encouraged by the turnout and the participation of people and would certainly be interested in hosting another Death Cafe!
How would you rate this event?
Average score 4.8
Excellent- I didn’t know what to expect; but would like a chance to consider the issues more deeply
Surprisingly optimistic and practical
Relaxed, welcoming space for sharing
Would you say that attending this event affected your feelings about death and/or life?
Yes, to be more positive
Not hugely but it will make me think more
Appreciate everyday ...
Peninsula Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Peninsula Death Cafe on Nov. 20, 2024, 3:17 a.m.
I didn't realize until a couple days before that my event was published on deathcafe.com. Since my event wasn't published early on deathcafe.com, very few people were able to see the event. Also, I didn't do much outreach either due to being busy and having a lack of network. Outside of deathcafe.com, I posted an event on Facebook only.
On the day of, I showed up, but no one attended (which I expected). I ended up reading. I took it as a learning experience to double check with the Death Cafe team to see if my event is published. This was a ...