Author Archives: Ellary Allis (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

“Great Gig in the Sky,” Formerly Known as “The Mortality Sequence”

Pink Floyd's meditation on death and dying

According to Roger Waters, when vocalist Clare Torry walked into the studio to record the ethereal wailing on the epic instrumental track “Great Gig In the Sky,” she was told, “There’s no lyrics. It’s about dying – have a bit of a … Continue reading

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Memorializing The Hands of The Dying

Trish Rogers provides plaster casts of the hands of the dying as a unique memorial for families

“Some hands are worn,” says Trish Rogers. “You can tell they’ve been through many things in life. Some hands are smooth because they’re kind of young and innocent.” She’s talking about the hands of the dying. Trish Rogers has studied … Continue reading

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“A Buddhist Grief Observed” by Guy Newland

A long term Buddhist practitioner examines his grief in the wake of his beloved partner's death

  In the tradition of “A Grief Observed,” C.S. Lewis’s famous reflections on grief and loss in the wake of his wife’s death in 1960, Buddhist practitioner Guy Newland delves into an exhaustive examination of his own experience of bereavement … Continue reading

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“To enter fully the day, the hour, the moment whether it appears as life or death, whether we catch it on the inbreath or outbreath, requires only a moment, this moment.”

- Stephen Levine
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The Messenger: Doctors and End-of-Life Conversations

How can healthcare professionals learn to better communicate about end-of-life issues with terminal patients?

How do you tell someone that they’re dying? Telling someone they have a terminal illness is a regular part of the job for some doctors. Yet, the folks behind the Alive Institute initiative believe that many healthcare professionals aren’t adequately … Continue reading

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Mount Eerie’s Phil Elverum Releases “A Crow Looked at Me”

In his most intimate album yet, a singer-songwriter bares all in the wake of his wife's death

“A Crow Looked at Me,” the new album by Mount Eerie, the solo project of Washington based singer-songwriter/producer Phil Elverum, was written in the wake of his late wife’s death, as he processed the tragic loss and began to come … Continue reading

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