Tea with cookies (Photo – W.K.).
In just a few short weeks, Death Café will have its debut in Pasadena.
By M. Burbank
Before any feelings of fear take you away, keep reading… and let your curiosity draw you in.
The most accurate description of Death Café comes from its creator Jon Underwood who says, “At a Death Café people, often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death. Our objective is ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives’”.
When Pasadena hosts its first Death Café on May 5th, strangers and friends will gather to drink tea, eat cookies, and discuss death. Maggie Yenoki, a Hospice Chaplain, will host the event and lead the 12 guests present in a group-directed discussion of death with no agenda, no objectives, and only one theme: Death and Dying. Maggie believes that there are not enough opportunities for open-hearted conversation about end-of-life issues where meaningful exchange can take place.
Following within the guidelines and agreement with the original Death Café, this event in Pasadena will be a gathering held in an accessible, respectful, and confidential space where all participants will agree to be present without intention of leading people to any conclusion, product, or course of action. Maggie states, “We will gather with one intent, to discuss death in order to enhance life.”
If you would like to attend Death Cafe Pasadena, you can sign up here.
Pasadena Death Café will take place at Throop Church – Fireside room. It will be offered without fee, but donations will be welcomed to cover room rental and refreshment costs.
Due to the overwhelming popularity of the Death Cafe Pasadena,
a second Death Cafe has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 3rd.
These events are limited to 12 persons to keep them small and intimate.
Please click on this link to sign up and reserve your spot today:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b4aafa729abfa7-june1
I attend the Death Cafe in Belfast, Maine … a 45 minute drive from my home in Downeast Maine… much longer and more treacherous this past winter. My first visit was as the guest of a friend who lives a half hour past me. This says a lot about the group to me as we continue to travel monthly to the meetings.
It is indeed confidential and while an individual has mention religion in context to their belief, those who had different beliefs did not seem uncomfortable. Everyone has been free to talk and be respected.
The topics of interest in Maine have been green cemeteries, personal questions and comments about their medical team responses and medical power of attorney… so many diverse questions that the time flew by.
A truly interesting group with a disconcerting name… well worth the experience.
Just wondering how much religion is a part of the Death Cafe, as I see every sign-off from Ms. Yenoki contains the word “blessings.” I always associate that word with organized religion and I’m very non-secular. Thank you.
Ooops. I meant to say that I’m a believer in secularism; also, I am an aetheist, so religious undertones or overtones are not appealing to me. Thank you.
Hello Stephanie,
Thank you for your comments. There is no intention within my use of the word “blessings” beyond the wish for well-being (similar to ‘Namaste’, or ‘May you be free of suffering’). I often use that word as a closing because I appreciate the secular way it expresses compassion.
I am a person of deep faith in our interdependence, our interconnectedness, and in the sacredness of each one of our individual experiences of birth, life, and death, My position as a Death Cafe facilitator will be open and welcoming to all, no matter what way they choose to live their individual lives. Mutual respect for all at our table is an important value we will honor as we gather.
I hope you will choose to join us in the future. Our current Death Cafe is full, but we will be holding others in the near future. Stay tuned!
Take good care,
Maggie Yenoki
I signed up for this event and there were only four others listed as attending at that time. I see the event is full now, but my name is not on the list??
Thanks,
Diane Ropp
Oh, Dear Diane, I am sorry that the signupgenius did not work when you tried to use it. Because there is such a huge response to this article, I am considering hosting another Death Cafe very soon. Please email me at: soultender.maggie@gmail.com and put “Death Cafe #2” in the subject line… I will be certain to reply to you as soon as the next Death Cafe is scheduled. Blessings, Maggie
This Death Cafe filled within just a few hours. I do hope you won’t be disappointed. Keeping them small preserves their intimacy and privacy. We will be holding these gatherings every month at Throop’s Fireside Room in Pasadena, so please know you can sign up for the next opportunity to come to Death Cafe soon… Blessings, Maggie Yenoki