LATE POST: End of Life issues
It has been a rough month.
One of my clients*, who was diagnosed with a fast-moving terminal illness, has had some difficulty working through his acceptance of the end of his life.
Even though I have had numerous trainings in Grief Counseling, Palliative Care, Soul Retrieval, and Psychopomp work, I am struggling with my dual role as his primary counselor and his Universe-Appointed healer.
My overarching goal is to help him die gracefully, in the way that he wants, with any (or no) pomp and circumstance. There have been some close calls at hospitals, and even some near-death moments.
He self-identifies as Roman Catholic, and has slightly increased his spirituality and prayer, as priests have visited his bedside.
With this in mind, I have tried to work within his own religious paradigm for healing. However, my greatest fear is that he will die without preparing his Soul for its Journey.
In working as a shamanic healer, I have spent numerous Journeys doing Psychopomp work for homes, buildings, battlefields, and sites of natural disasters. I have learned that the Dead sometimes need assistance in crossing over fully, or "directions" on where to go, or help with linking to Ancestors, family members, etc. If these types of services aren't provided, then it can affect the passage of the Soul, as well as the energy of the place in a detrimental way.
During a particularly scary hospital stay, my intuition guided me to have a priest perform Last Rites, an effective and beautiful ritual that helps guide the Soul after death. Amazing, he used his considerable willpower to pull through, and continues to work as hard as he can to keep his life as independent as possible.
I know that once he dies, my role as his counselor will end, and my role as shamanic guide will come fully into fruition.
But how do I balance those roles now? What can I do that facilitates healing in a supportive way, within his religious knowledge? What would you do in my situation?
*anonymous and vague details for this blog article only-- all client information is confidential.
One of my clients*, who was diagnosed with a fast-moving terminal illness, has had some difficulty working through his acceptance of the end of his life.
Even though I have had numerous trainings in Grief Counseling, Palliative Care, Soul Retrieval, and Psychopomp work, I am struggling with my dual role as his primary counselor and his Universe-Appointed healer.
My overarching goal is to help him die gracefully, in the way that he wants, with any (or no) pomp and circumstance. There have been some close calls at hospitals, and even some near-death moments.
He self-identifies as Roman Catholic, and has slightly increased his spirituality and prayer, as priests have visited his bedside.
With this in mind, I have tried to work within his own religious paradigm for healing. However, my greatest fear is that he will die without preparing his Soul for its Journey.
In working as a shamanic healer, I have spent numerous Journeys doing Psychopomp work for homes, buildings, battlefields, and sites of natural disasters. I have learned that the Dead sometimes need assistance in crossing over fully, or "directions" on where to go, or help with linking to Ancestors, family members, etc. If these types of services aren't provided, then it can affect the passage of the Soul, as well as the energy of the place in a detrimental way.
During a particularly scary hospital stay, my intuition guided me to have a priest perform Last Rites, an effective and beautiful ritual that helps guide the Soul after death. Amazing, he used his considerable willpower to pull through, and continues to work as hard as he can to keep his life as independent as possible.
I know that once he dies, my role as his counselor will end, and my role as shamanic guide will come fully into fruition.
But how do I balance those roles now? What can I do that facilitates healing in a supportive way, within his religious knowledge? What would you do in my situation?
*anonymous and vague details for this blog article only-- all client information is confidential.
Trust yourself, trust your guides, and trust your instincts.
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