I'm Nora Cedarwind Young, priestess of the Circle of StellaMaris in the Pacific Northwest and an ordained Minister with Circle Sanctuary. I create and facilitate rituals and ceremonies for all of life's passages, from birth through the grave. I am honored to be the first Pagan clergy at my local hospital in Washington State and one of the first chaplains in the nation to specialize in Pagan Hospice needs. I am pleased to present ceremonies such as Weddings, Handfastings, First Moons, Blessingways, Namings, Death Midwifing and Seasonal Celebrations.
I love creating ceremonies of all kinds, but my heart truly lies in the path of the Death Midwife or Deathwalker. My belief system, deeply grounded in the seasons and cycles of nature, has taught me that death is as sacred and as common as birth. Over the last few years I have witnessed an increase in requests for birth rituals, especially Blessingways for pregnant mothers and Naming Ceremonies once the baby arrives. As I watched many of the same children that I helped to deliver in home births twenty years ago now become mothers themselves, it became clear to me that my heart's desire was now to embrace the reclaiming of what we know as the best way to honor our elders and those that are going to pass over to the Summerland. This meant it was up to me to do what I can do to reclaim home death and even home burials, but especially as a steward of the earth, to reclaim and educate myself and others at every opportunity possible on the value and critical need to embrace Green Burials and/or cremation.
Please continue reading more of my story here . . .
About Nora’s Workshops . . .
”I have known Rev. Nora Cedarwind Young for many years through Circle Sanctuary, however, it wasn't until the Pagan Spirit Gathering in 2006 that I fully grasped the real scope and depth of her work. I attended her workshop entitled, Through the Threshold, Sacred Care of the Bodies of Our Beloved Dead. I was very impressed by the range of resources she had assembled on various issues related to Death and Dying, as evidenced by books and binders of information on display. Her expertise in this area seems impressive.
Probably most remarkable, though, were her skills and manner of sharing them regarding preparation of bodies for display and burial. I realize that this isn't exactly the topic that many would choose to learn about on a bright summer day in a forested circle. However, the group assembled that day were very interested. She demonstrated various aspects of body preparation using a live human subject, which at times added a humorous bent to an otherwise serious subject. I could see the depth of her compassion and concern for proper handling and treatment of the deceased. This was such a contrast to what I have been exposed to in terms of the mainstream funeral industry.
She is doing very important work and I think she will be very influential as the baby boomers put their final stamp on how to deal with life passage issues in a more humane, natural, and ecological manner. I look forward to watching her work and this movement unfold and develop over the next years.”
Dennis D. Carpenter, Ph.D., Circle Sanctuary
Watch “The Business of Death” video from www.goodmagazine.com.
Throughout the developed world the business surrounding death has often been an uneasy topic of discussion. Originating in the mid-19th Century, the modern funeral has evolved into an economic and cultural monster, with a vast network of supporting industries and myriad options for your earthly remains. This original GOOD Magazine animation takes you inside the business of death.
