Personal services
My Last Wishes booklet
A personalised journal to prepare for your end of life journey. The process starts with considering of the legal and material requirements, before helping you to consider your needs during the dying process, in the care of your body after death, and for farewell celebrations. It invites you to create expressions of your care for those you love. You are also invited to reflect upon your present life, to recognise what truly matters to you and how can you live truthfully to allow the light that lives in you to shine.
To order the booklet, please send us an email by clicking the button below. We will arrange the payment and post you your booklet within 2 working days.
Dying at home
Looking after a dying person at home can be demanding and challenging, yet it can also be a profound and enriching experience for the dying person and for family members. Most families who are attracted to this possibility think this task is too big. Yet with the appropriate support from dedicated friends, family members and palliative care nurses most families are able to make this happen.
Please contact us if you or your family is considering setting up such a situation.
After death bodycare
Honouring the body after death with reverence and special care is another way of participating in the final journey of your loved one. Family members may choose to participate in this care and spend precious last moments with their loved ones to prepare the body for the final ceremonies including vigil and/or funeral. In after death body care we use special natural organic and plant based substances to support and honour this transition.
Please contact me to find more about the benefits of such preparation.
A vigil
A vigil is a ceremony where family members and friends gather around the dead person during the three days after death. This time is usually spent in quiet conversations and recollections, and may include reading spiritual materials, playing music, singing songs as well as silence. It is very beneficial not only for adults, but also for children and young people to witness the person they loved who has crossed the threshold of death being surrounded by the love and reverence of family members and friends. Realising that death is a transition, not the end, is very helpful in meeting grief in the weeks following the death.
If you wish to organise a vigil for your loved one, please contact Epilogue.
The funeral ceremony
Funeral ceremony is the last opportunity for family members and friends to acknowledge the person's life and to say their final goodbyes. It can be very potent, uniting and healing if the family members decide to participate in preparation for this ceremony. Some choose to make or decorate a coffin for their loved ones, or to prepare music, poetry or other contributions. Each of us is different and every person deserves a ceremony that reflects their own unique life.
As a qualified Funeral Celebrant I will be privilaged to serve you and your family on this last yourney.
Please contact Epilogue to find out how we can help you create a ceremony that honours the life of your loved one.
Wakes
After the farewell ceremony family members and friends usually meet to joyfully celebrate the life of the person who has died. This is the time to share memories and stories that will nourish those who gather with warmth and love. There are many ways to organise a wake that will allow this gathering to be a memorable time.
Please contact Epilogue to discuss your needs and investigate possibilities.
Combined offers
Personal services can be offered separately or in packets designed to meet the needs of your family situation.
Please contact Epilogue to discuss your needs and how can we meet them.
Other enquiries
Do you have other enquiries? We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Community events and education
All of us know we are going to die, but the majority of us live as though we never will. Our present life does not offer many occasions where we can meet to share our thoughts and feelings about death and dying. To bridge this gap, the following events and gatherings are offered for groups and communities.
Epilogue café
During an Epilogue Café event, community members are welcome to share their thoughts, feelings, concerns and questions about topics related to death and dying. Some people share by bringing a poem, painting or story, while others are comfortable just listening. Any form of respectful participation is welcomed.
The cafés happen monthly in various locations.
The first Epilogue Café event will be hold on the 5 March in Eumundi.
Epilogue dinners
Epilogue dinners provide a space where sharing delicious food is accompanied by a conversation about death and dying in the atmosphere filled with reverence and trust. Community dinners are open to all who are interested in attending, but you may also like to organise a dinner at your home or other location for your family or friends.
Please contact us to talk about options and suggestions. The dinners will happen at various locations, please check below for dates, venues and newsletters.
Workshops
Speakers from various walks of life and spiritual backgrounds share their knowledge and experience around death and dying.
Some of the workshops are dedicated to particular aspects of preparation for death and dying, like addressing the Health Care Directive.
The Threshold of life Workshop was held in October 2019. Similar events will be held in the future at the Sunshine Coast and in Brisbane.
Gathering with Elders
Our ancestors generally had greater familiarity with death and dying. They often knew what to do, and how to be with each other and how to support each other.
There are still many Elders from various cultures who hold this wisdom and are willing to share it with us.
Gatherings with Elders offer a rare opportunity to gather and listen to their wisdom and stories. So, as families and community, we can approach death and dying consciously.
We are working towards holding our first gathering with Elders. More information soon.
Community ceremonies
Many countries in the world hold special celebrations to honour those who have died, such as what is traditionally called All Soul's day on 2nd November. A Community Ceremony to honour our dead provides a time to gather as a community to acknowledge our loved ones and ancestors.
These ceremonies are a beautiful and gentle way for children to witness families and community members showing reverence and respect for each other and for those who have died.
The most recent event was held in Doonan on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in November 2019.
Please download the flyer below for the next gathering, which is happening in November 2020.
Community events
In December 2019 Epilogue attended the Good Life Good Death EXPO.
Upcoming community events can be viewed on our events page.
Please contact us if you would like to organise an event for your community or organisation, or to talk about how we can approach dying and death in a conscious and respectful way.