SELF-PACED COURSE
Care for the Dead and Dying
Teachings and Practices for Conscious Transitions
with Dr. Daniel Foor
Death is not a singular moment but a rite of passage that unfolds over weeks, months, or even years
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.
Investment
Curriculum
What's Included
What's Included:
- Four recorded lessons, each approximately 90 minutes in duration
- Two guided, experiential practices accompanying each lesson
- Access to a dedicated community forum for those engaged in similar learning
- Responsive and helpful support, if needed, from Ancestral Medicine staff
- Lifetime access to course resources
Lesson One
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
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
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
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
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
About the Instructor
Daniel Foor, PhD
Dr. Foor is a licensed psychotherapist, doctor of psychology, 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 daughters in Western North Carolina, homeland of Cherokee peoples.
Frequently Asked Questions
This course directly addresses the often tender and vulnerable topics of death and dying. The course is not a replacement for direct, living support and/or professional medical advice. Enrollment includes 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, and the online Community Forum includes BIPOC and LGBTQ-only discussion spaces.
All of our lesson videos have 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.
The Winter session of Initiations: A Life of Ritual, the last season in this series, relates to one’s own experiences as we approach the final stages of life, the ritualization of these initiations, ego death, and the far reaches of human potential. Care for the Dead and Dying is intended for those caring for others leading up to, during, and after the dying process so that they may consciously meet these stages and ritually aid the recently deceased. While some themes are related, the courses don’t overlap much.
The Ancestral Lineage Healing course also covers the topics of grief and assisting the recent dead but does so within a wider context of ancestral healing. The focus of that 12-week course is on one’s primary blood lineages as a whole, and mostly on the older layers of well ancestors. Care for the Dead and Dying does not assume or require previous participation with the Ancestral Lineage Healing course.
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.
