Traditions from across time and cultures convey to us that death is a journey. In Buddhism, the dead are accompanied for 49 days or 7 weeks of 7 days. Cross-culturally—from the Dogon of African to the medieval alchemists of Europe—7 is a number of completeness and perfection. In this provocative and powerful guide, Carolyn Cushing shares examples from her personal experience of how we can usher our loved ones to what she calls the Green Door at the end of the 49 days. Through love, daily accompaniment, and ritual, we can help our loved ones move into their next spiral of becoming as well as support personal and collective healing of we living.

Through story and poems, Carolyn Cushing shares how she learned to gather gifts from both the natural world and spiritual realm, plan a meaningful ritual, and use the occasion of the anniversary of a death as an opportunity to journey with—rather than away from—one who has died. Cushing’s realizations give way to wonder and gently awaken us to the idea that such mysterious accompaniment is possible for everybody. At the end, she teaches readers how to make an Eternity Box to hold special objects associated with our Beloved Dead.

Our relationships with those who have died do not have to end. When we listen and pay attention, synchronicities, both physical and spiritual, become wonderfully apparent and help us stay connected. Join Carolyn Cushing on her inspiring journey of discovery and communication in which she shares tools for keeping pathways of communication open between the living and the dead.

Pamphlet with Tarot images, link to tips for contemplative work with word and image, and 5 poems, including First Anniversary Prayers. Postage and handling included.