Conscious Life and Death

10/04/2025

I love this amazing chalk wall in Mount Vernon, WA. What do you want to do before you die?

09/25/2025

A “heeellllo wakeup” post from your local dorky Death Doula & End of life planner! I will die. You will die. Let’s make a plan! Write your eulogy out, what a good death means to you, think about what you want your funeral celebration to be, make a plan similar to a birth plan! I saw this trend of people posting about their husband‘s funerals & although the posts were slightly weird talking about pyrotechnics and giving away tshirts and things like that, I was still super excited and encouraging! That’s the type of thing I want people to think about and talk about! It took me about five posts before I caught on…I’m slow and I avoid all politics. I have not seen any televised funerals and I did not realize that this trend was not actually people thinking in advance about their loved one’s death….if anyone changes their mind and actually wants to talk about planning out their own celebration of life or their husbands. Let me know.

09/04/2025

Yes, you can transport your loved ones body in Washington state with a permit. You do not have to use a funeral home. It is a way to save a lot of money on a traditional or green burial. I see a lot of families choosing cremation for the cost, but there are other ways to save money while celebrating your loved ones life. Want to know more? send me a PM.

07/19/2025

This is what a “home” passing and body care can look like. The work that A Sacred Passing is doing is so important….offering people a place to die in peace.

07/09/2025

Words from my wise Aunt….”rest in the uknown space of what was and what is to be”

07/06/2025

Do you want to talk about different options for your body after you die? I can help you explore all of this and help you do the documents to make sure that your wishes are followed. It’s never too early to do this. Unfortunately, a lot of us don’t have a warning for when our time will come and it is a gift to our loved ones to be prepared. 

07/01/2025

“Lament, at its core, is about truth-telling. It’s the willingness to acknowledge that something is not right in the world, in our communities, in our own hearts. It holds space for grief, confusion, anger, powerlessness, and sorrow. It’s not about complaining, it’s not about wallowing, and it’s not about outrage. It’s about naming what’s real. Lament says: this hurts, this is wrong, and it matters.

When we allow ourselves to lament, we give ourselves permission to feel deeply, not just for our own losses, but for the pain of others. Lament interrupts numbness. It brings us back into relationship with reality. Unlike outrage, which can burn hot and fast, lament stays with the pain or injustice long enough to listen, to learn, and to carry it with care. It helps us move beyond reactions and into response.
……
In other words: when we forget how to name what’s broken, we stop imagining what could be healed. We stop believing that change is possible. We stop moving toward each other with courage and grace.

When we embrace only the light, we miss the full depth of what it means to be human. We disconnect from one another. We lose the ability to respond wisely in the face of pain. And we risk creating spiritual spaces that are shallow, spaces where people feel they have to hide the very things that most need to be seen.
If ever there was a time to listen deeply, to feel fully, to hold space for ourselves and others, it is now.

I invite you to join me in the spiritual practice of lament, not as a final word, but as a starting point. Not to stay in sorrow, but to honor it. Not to react to injustice with wild outrage, but to respond with compassion. Not to fix the world overnight, but to remain present to it with love.”

Written by:
Courtney Canfijn
Executive Director
Spiritual Life Center
https://www.spiritlifectr.org/

06/29/2025

Give the gift of preparation to yourself and your loved one. Get peace of mind knowing your end of life wishes are documented. Accidents happen and when they do we are not always able to express the desires we want for care. Do you want to be on a ventilator? Do you prioritize pain management over presence of mind? Who do you want to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to make them for yourself. Having to make medical decisions when your wishes are not known can be stressful and divisive for families. I offer free consultations to go over the many ways I can help you process and prepare for the end of life for yourself or a loved one. As an end of life planner, death doula, and spiritual care provider I can support you on the journey of life and during its inevitable end. End of life documents are only a small part of what I do. I can assist you in a identifying what a “good death” means to you, guide you in death meditation, completing the 5 tasks of the living to prepare for dying, processing a terminal diagnosis, supporting caregivers, non-medical respite, & much more. All it takes is a message to reach out you don’t have to face the difficult times in life alone.

06/20/2025

06/02/2025

This is a great and simple analogy. When we lose someone we love the grief from their absence in our life will never be “healed”. However in time every day little by little an almost unobservable growth in life and within yourself will take place.