Care for the Dead and Dying
Teachings and Practices for Conscious Transitions
8 Tuesdays beginning April 28
12pm Vancouver | 3pm New York | 21:00 Rome
About the Course
Like any initiation, the skillful care and presence of loved ones – before, during, and after death – can make all the difference for the one departing from this incarnation. Participants of this self-paced course will learn an inclusive framework and tangible skills for soul-level support of loved ones through the major transformation and change that is death of the body.
About the Course
Like any initiation, the skillful care and presence of loved ones – before, during, and after death – can make all the difference for the one departing from this incarnation. Participants of this self-paced course will learn an inclusive framework and tangible skills for soul-level support of loved ones through the major transformation and change that is death of the body.
Death is not a singular moment but a rite of passage that unfolds over weeks, months, or even years
– Daniel Foor

Four recorded lessons, each approximately 90 minutes in duration
Two guided, experiential practices accompanying each lesson
Carefully curated resources to accompany lessons

Lifetime access to all course materials

Access to a dedicated community discussion space
Course Curriculum
Lesson One: The Soul, Death, and What Follows
- Explore cross-cultural teachings on death, dying, and the soul
- Reflect on your own mortality and essential preparations for death
- Consider the perspective of death as a rite of passage for the soul
- Practice accessing guidance and inner knowing on the topic of death
Lesson Two: Tending at the End of Life
- Learn ways to apply key cross-cultural teachings on preparing to die
- Consider ritual practices intended to clear the way for the next reality
- Reflect on personal blocks to embodying presence with the dying
- Practice honoring both what continues and what ends after death
Lesson Three: Supporting at the Time of Death
- Release conditioning that views the time of death as a singular moment
- Explore important teachings on consciously meeting the time of death
- Reflect on personal assumptions about the body, soul, and time of death
- Practice dual awareness of body and soul in live presence with others
Lesson Four: Postmortem Care for the Soul
- Explore cross-cultural views on the period of roughly one year after death
- Learn tangible and inclusive ritual skills to assist the recently deceased
- Consider personal and cultural implications of conscious death practices
- Practice partnering with guidance to call in support for one who has died
Lesson One: The Soul, Death, and What Follows
- Explore cross-cultural teachings on death, dying, and the soul
- Reflect on your own mortality and essential preparations for death
- Consider the perspective of death as a rite of passage for the soul
- Practice accessing guidance and inner knowing on the topic of death
Lesson Two: Tending at the End of Life
- Learn ways to apply key cross-cultural teachings on preparing to die
- Consider ritual practices intended to clear the way for the next reality
- Reflect on personal blocks to embodying presence with the dying
- Practice honoring both what continues and what ends after death
Lesson Three: Supporting at the Time of Death
- Release conditioning that views the time of death as a singular moment
- Explore important teachings on consciously meeting the time of death
- Reflect on personal assumptions about the body, soul, and time of death
- Practice dual awareness of body and soul in live presence with others
Lesson Four: Postmortem Care for the Soul
- Explore cross-cultural views on the period of roughly one year after death
- Learn tangible and inclusive ritual skills to assist the recently deceased
- Consider personal and cultural implications of conscious death practices
- Practice partnering with guidance to call in support for one who has died
Register for Care for the Dead and Dying
3 and 6 month payment plans available at checkout at 0% interest.
Supporter
-
This rate helps us make our work accessible to those with modest means and applies if you have investments, a retirement plan, and/or access to economic abundance.
Standard
-
Our standard rate allows us to sustain our work. This typically applies if you’re employed in the Global North, and you’re able to provide for your needs in a consistent way.
Reduced
-
This rate applies if you’re relatively less economically advantaged in the ways listed under “standard rate” or that cost is simply out of reach for you financially.
This short course deepens one's understanding of the various meanings of death. While it is an ending, it is also a beginning of what comes next. A new journey. A most ideal program for anyone who wishes to further understand this rite of passage, both for themselves and for those they may be guiding and supporting through the dying process.
– Wendy Dudley
Daniel Foor
Daniel is a doctor of psychology, experienced ritualist, and the author of Ancestral Medicine: Rituals for Personal and Family Healing. He is an initiate in the Òrìṣà tradition of Yoruba-speaking West Africa and has learned from teachers of Mahayana Buddhism, Islamic Sufism, and the older ways of his English and German ancestors. Daniel is passionate about training aspiring leaders and change makers in the intersections of cultural healing, animist ethics, and applied ritual arts. He lives with his wife and two daughters near Granada, Spain in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Frequently Asked Questions
This course is designed to explore mental health and ritual topics through an animist lens, and participants may find themselves reflecting on tender or vulnerable topics like trauma, bonding, psychosis, and belonging. The course is not a replacement for direct, living support and/or professional medical advice, and enrollment does automatically include access to our Community Forum—an online discussion group of students past and present, including supportive members from Ancestral Medicine’s Practitioner Network and Ancestral Medicine staff. Sharing experiences, reflecting on practices, and making connections in this private online community can provide one form of support.
Ancestral Medicine offerings are rooted in feminist, decolonizing, anti-racist, LGBTQI-friendly, class-aware, international, Earth-honoring ethics and a heart-aware and non-dogmatic spirit that seeks to honor each participant’s unique life experiences and ancestral storylines. Resources included with each lesson favor ancestrally and geographically diverse voices both within and outside the field of psychology, and the online Community Forum includes BIPOC and LGBTQ-only discussion spaces.
All of our lesson videos have auto-generated closed captioning, as well as a full transcript and additional downloadable audio-only versions. If you have needs not met here, please feel free to reach out to us with suggestions at info@ancestralmedicine.org.
If you have general questions about our organization, offerings, or values, you may enjoy our Frequently Asked Questions page. If there’s something else, we’d be happy to help! Reach out to info@ancestralmedicine.org and someone from our team will be in touch, usually within 1-2 business days.
Have a question that’s not answered here?