Honest Conversations about Death and Dying

This six month ONLINE program consists of seven sessions on Monday evenings (AEST/AEDT Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart). This dynamic yet gentle program offers the opportunity for authentic and engaging conversations and deep listening on and around the topic of death and dying. You can hear Wendy (along with Chani Grieve, who has also hosted this program) offer a brief overview of the program in this video.

Date and time

Session dates: Of the seven sessions, six sessions are on the fourth Monday of the month. The session in April will be the fifth Monday. Dates: 29 April, 27 May, 24 June, 22 July, 26 August, 23 September, and 28 October.

Session time: 6:30PM to 9:00PM AEST/AEDT (Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart). (Please note daylight savings time change in October from AEST to AEDT.) Click here to check your time zone.

EXTRA Session: Alumni gathering on Monday 11th November 2024, 7:00PM to 8:30PM AEDT. All past participants of the CTPL program are invited to attend. More details to come!

This program is suitable for those checking in from Australia, Asia and Europe. For a different start time for Australia, New Zealand and USA please see here.

What is this program about?

This is an opportunity to explore the topic of 'death and dying' in a supportive and ongoing group environment. There will be meditations, creative writing practices, engaging practices and conversations. There will also be extra resources and contemplations for in-between sessions if you would like to delve deeper. This is not a death doula or funeral celebrant training. This is about our dying, our living, our celebrating this one precious life.

Who is this program for?

Young and old people; individuals, couples, people with elderly parents, people with children, people who live on their own, people who are healthy or unwell. This is program is designed to create a safe place where we can talk about death and dying in a friendly and relaxed manner. Talking about death doesn’t have to be morbid. It may be awkward or challenging and we get to explore how we can meet those difficulties. You will leave the session with tools, information and ideas about being a great ally to yourself, your friends and family when having these often hard conversations. You will have access to a wealth of resources to inspire and support you.

We will enter into topics that will bring clarity on what you want and what you can let go of. We will traverse through practical concerns such as end of life care, the funeral ceremony, disposing of the corpse, legal documents and also topics that will bring healing and renewal - life review, unfinished business, practices that support mindfulness and connection, releasing and belonging. You will find a greater understanding and knowing of your inner song by listening to yourself and to others.

About your host

Wendy Haynes will be your main guide with guest speakers which will be confirmed during the program.

Wendy has been a family celebrant for 29 years conducting weddings, namings, funerals, pre death ceremonies, memorials, mourning and celebration circles. Since 2003, she has offered professional development, mentoring and resources to celebrants Australiawide and internationally. She is the author of many celebrant related books and resources. In 2013 she completed her first training in Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and has since studied NVC Mediation, Convergent Facilitation and other NVC programs. For the last five years she has participated in and guided the Ongo: Everyday Nonviolence program, authored by Catherine Cadden and Jesse Chu Wiens. Ongo is a blend of mindfulness, nonviolent communication and somatic practices.

As part of her life story, Wendy recovered from major surgery in 2022 after being diagnosed with a malignant Granalosa tumour, a rare form of ovarian cancer. Needless to say, this was a life changer. Wendy's commitment has been to encourage mindful presence, compassionate communication, play, connection and care in her own healing, in ceremonies, circles and in our preparation for death and dying. This program, Celebrating this Precious Life, brings together many areas of her interest and expertise. Come and be inspired!

Cost and more details

Our program is offered on a sliding scale to ensure equity of access. People ask me for guidelines. A suggested sliding scale for the 7 sessions is from $100- $450 however I don't want cost to be a barrier to attending so please offer whatever you can to enable this work to flourish.

This program is open to all who are interested. Over six months (seven sessions) you will make some great friends from all walks of life and from all over the world.

I would like to pay respect to the original inspiration for this project, Stephen and Ondrea Levine's book, A Year to Live. This is an excellent read and preparation for this program. Also respect to my Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teachers, the authors of Ongo: Everyday Nonviolence, Catherine Cadden and Jesse Wiens as well as the many individuals and families who I have had the honour to work with.

Once you register for this call you will receive an email with further information about what to bring and also the Zoom link that will be the same for each meeting.

I am looking forward to meeting you!

With Love, Wendy

My contact: wendy@wendyhaynes.com + 61 422507517 www.wendyhaynes.com

Testimonials...

"There are not enough words to express how special this programme truly is. It is both gentle and powerful. Wendy is a remarkable person, with a soul that seeks to connect - and who succeeds in creating a safe space for others to delve inside themselves, to explore and enrich what living and dying means to them - and to learn what more they can do to connect with the earth - in life and death. I have benefitted greatly, and appreciate it all." Moira Hill End of Life Conversations End of Life Coach & Educator, England.

"I have loved the variety in the programme. The highlight has, however, been focusing my Life Review around the concepts of forgiveness and gratitude ... so powerful on so many levels, both personally and professionally!" Helen Rutledge, Celebrant, New Zealand

"Wendy Haynes is incredible. The challenge of considering ones imminent death is confronting however Wendy encourages openness, compassion, empathy and understanding of an individuals thoughts and beliefs. This program has allowed me to consider death openly, for myself, for my family and for others. Wendy's guidance has allowed me to embrace my passion of assisting others preparing for death. I confidently have the foundations to proceed with End of Life Doula training, thank you Wendy." Heather Hinton, Celebrant, NSW, Australia.

"The program and Wendys presence & guidance have benefited my life, relationships & decisions profoundly! I am 22 years old and I have learned so much about myself and my desires, perceptions and deepened the connection with myself and others. I have already shared and recommended the program to everyone around me. Because I started talking about death, suffering and disconnection with my family, friends & colleagues they got really curious and also inspired. I love the gatherings and practices that brought me back to myself and supported me to speak and listen from my heart: being authentic & present. Talking about death during the sessions, I started feeling during the month more & more alive and intensify my relationships. I could write so much more but i would recommend you to just trust and go on the journey, I promise that the programme will be a huge gift for you. Everyone will have their own unique experience and understanding." (Elisa, Student, Germany)

"Wendy's course is so full and rich. There's so much to learn about the practicals of the life journey, and to uncover the deep learnings that come from within. All in all - a very special uncovering of how it just might feel if you are given an 'end date'. I'm so grateful to be part of this group." Julie Weston - Celebrant, Australia

FAQs for Celebrating This Precious Life

We hope this answers most of your questions. If you don’t see an answer to your question below, feel free to reach out to Wendy.

There are 2 scheduling options for the course

1. Monday evenings 6:30pm - 9pm AEDT Register on this site.

With Wendy Haynes. Best suited to people in Australia, Europe and Asia

Friday mornings 9am - 11:30am AEDT / 11am - 1:30pm NZT Click here to register.

With Wendy Haynes and Chani Grieve commencing Friday March 22nd. Best suited to people in Australia, New Zealand, and the US

Is there flexibility around attending either the morning session or the evening session each month?

We encourage people to choose and register for one time slot, and try to stick to that as much as you can. This is so that the connections, relationships, trust and intimacy within each unique group can build over the 6 months. That said, we understand that life happens! If circumstances change, or you would like to attend the other group on the odd occasion, there is flexibility and you can get in touch with us to discuss.

What if I have to miss a month?

No problem. All the sessions are recorded (except for the breakout room conversations), so you will have access to all the recordings of any sessions you may miss. We do, of course, encourage as much live attendance as possible so that you can reap the most benefit of the connections and conversations within the group itself.

What kinds of practices do you share in this program? Is it very “spiritual”?

This is a secular program and we welcome people from any background, culture or tradition.

The reflections and practices in the program are grounded in compassionate communication, and self-empathy practice, and informed by Wendy’s decades of their own personal meditation practice and enquiry. It is for each of us to explore our own relationship to death and dying in a very open way, and to learn from ourselves and each other in the process. Wendy is trained in and committed to fostering a space that is trauma aware and informed, and creates a sense of safety for people to share in the group.

Are the weekly prompts/home practices compulsory?

No. These are offered freely in the spirit of full choice. It is completely up to you whether you engage with these or not. They are offered as additional inspiration and contemplation to support and deepen your experience of the program and the enquiries it may raise. Those who do engage with them have reported finding them incredibly useful, however many others find simply receiving the weekly prompts is enough to keep them connected to the thread of the program from month to month.

What’s the difference between this program and “A Year to Live” (Stephen Levine)? Do you follow that book?

This book is on our recommended reading list. While we do take a great deal of inspiration and share a few of the key practices in this book, we do not follow it as a “curriculum”. The course material and practices that we share bring together the fruits of Wendy’s career as a funeral celebrant, and many years of personal and professional exploration and expertise as a facilitator.

If I’m wanting to explore grief in a more specific way, is this course the right place for me to do that?

This is not a grief workshop, yet of course we will touch into grief throughout the process. This course offers foundational support practices that help us connect with what we’re each bringing to the course, which may include our own experience of grief. We will share tools and practices that we can apply in our everyday lives to be a genuine support to yourself and others in the experience of grief as it manifests for each person uniquely.

I can’t make the live session times. Is it still worth me participating?

It’s completely up to you. You will still receive all the recordings, the weekly prompts, and have full access to the Facebook Group and WhatsApp group. If you feel that this is sufficient for you then you are welcome to participate and engage with the material in your own way, as your life allows. We would just reiterate that it is the connections and the conversations that take place within each session that are the most rich for people, and will really bring the course to life for you. You just can’t beat being there live!