A Victorian Death – Then & Now
~ by Scott Hagerman
All Saints Westboro, will be the location of this year’s Community Deathcare Ottawa Annual Fall Expo. This year’s theme is “A Victorian Death – Then & Now”. Join us in Steacey Hall, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, on October 17th.
This experiential event is described as “a grassroots gathering organized by local death doulas, educators and advocates to foster open dialogue, green burial education, and community end-of-life planning.” It will include shrouding demonstrations, Victorian photography, “Telling of the Bees,” remembrance altars, home vigil demo, grief phone, mini death cafe, prize draw, refreshments and more.
On their website, you will find Community Deathcare Ottawa is described as “a collective of practitioners who hold a vision of family-led deathcare, we are working to reclaim the ways we used to tend to our loved ones and our communities – ways which were informed by the knowledge of our interdependence. Community Deathcare Ottawa’s main goal is to empower individuals and their families by promoting a holistic and community-centred approach to end-of-life care … Much like birth, the stages of dying and death call for support across all dimensions of being – physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual – and in ways which meet both our practical and creative needs. It can be overwhelming to navigate and understand the myriad of resources available, so we welcome you to reach out to us for guidance.”
Join us on October 17th, and learn how death and deathcare are a sacred part of life – for the family & community. How in our western society, grief and how we grieve can be a unique, and natural process.
You might even find out why, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, the Royal Beekeeper told the bees of both Buckingham Palace and Clarence House of the Queen’s death plus of the new King Charles III. He said to them, as he knocked on each hive: “The mistress is dead, but don’t you go. Your master will be a good master to you.”
