A Celtic Book of Dying

Deepen your spiritual understanding of the internal journey of the dying and the adventurous after-death journey to come

• Describes the Celtic rituals of honoring death and dying and offers prayers, meditations, and blessings for the time of transition

• Offers reflective questions and exercises to explore your beliefs, attitudes, and fears around your own death

• Includes the sacred meditation of traveling with the dead as offered by an anam-áire or Celtic soul carer

THE CELTS BELIEVED in the transmigration of the soul, in the magical rhythm of life with a particular order of coming and going for each soul. As they celebrated every new stage of their lives with a ritual, they also honoured the passing of a soul--the death of the physical body.

In her decades of work with the dying, Phyllida Anam-Áire has revived the ancient Celtic tradition of watching with the dying and traveling with the soul after death. Integrating the wisdom of her Celtic ancestors with modern knowledge of the death process, she shows how a peaceful transition for the leaving person is possible and how this process can be consciously supported by relatives or friends.

Reflective exercises and meditations help us become aware of our beliefs and fears around dying and acknowledge our own death as a natural transformation, allowing our essence to move on into love. Once we come to terms with our own mortality, we will find it easier to assist family and friends in their last hours in this life. Rituals, prayers, and blessings in this guide offer compassionate support for the one transitioning and for those left behind. Phyllida also shares the sacred meditation of traveling with the dead as held by a Celtic Anam-Áire, or soul carer. In addition, she addresses many practical questions around the care for the dying and their environment during and after the process, stressing the importance of silence.

A practical yet soulful guidebook, A Celtic Book of Dying deepens our spiritual understanding of the internal journey of the dying and the adventurous afterdeath journey still to embark on. Dying is the most natural step we will ever take.

About the Author

Phyllida Anam-Aire, a former Irish nun, writer, and therapist, who trained with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, has worked extensively with the sick and dying. She offers Conscious Living, Conscious Dying retreats and gives talks to nurses and palliative care workers. The author of The Last Ecstasy of Life, Phyllida lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.