Conscious Life and Death

10/14/2026

I will be on a death doula panel at this festival on November 1. Dying to see you there! (Pun intended 😂 forgive my bad joke)

Washington Before I Die Festival

If you’re in the Bellingham Washington area, the Before I Die Festival there will take place on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 2026.

"Get ready to dive into life’s big questions and make some unforgettable memories at the 2nd Annual Before I Die Festival 2026.

Before you die… what do you want to do, say, know, or leave behind?

The 2nd Annual Before I Die Festival of Bellingham, Washington is a free community event designed to make conversations about death a little easier—and life a whole lot richer.

Through workshops, presentations, music, poetry, reflection, and conversation, this Before I Die Festival explores what it means to prepare for the end of life while making the most of the life we’re living right now.

You don’t have to be dying to attend.
You don’t have to have all the answers.
You don’t even have to be comfortable talking about death.

Just bring your curiosity.

Come learn something practical. Have a meaningful conversation. Laugh a little. Think deeply. Maybe even check something off your own Before I Die list. View the full schedule and register: https://beforeidiefestivals.com/event/bellingham-washington-before-i-die-festival/

10/12/2026

I love that my profession is getting more publicity!!!

Death doulas are non-medical professionals who help with end-of-life care. And their numbers are growing.

10/07/2026

Supposedly Seattle is willing to talk about death “without clutching her pearls”. It may be true when it comes to amazing an business like Recompose funeral home & the Peoples Memorial. However I still hear more often than not “I am not planning to die anytime soon” as if we had control over it. Also WA was one of only 2 states that did not allow burial on private land until this year when HB 2239 / Title 68 RCW was passed. If you are ready to loosen your grip on your pearls reach out. I can help or refer you to a death worker who is a better match.

The city built an end-of-life industry that actually cares.

08/20/2026

Grief is not linear!

08/15/2026

The Kanyeleng is a beautiful beautiful example of grief, beauty, and resilience collectively expressed by women in my second home, The Gambia.

“ For the Kanyeleng, song allows experiences that can be difficult to articulate in ordinary conversation to be expressed collectively. Through humour and shared rhythm, they turn experiences of loss into moments of connection….. Among the Kanyeleng women, she found people who understood that grief does not end with time…..”What they are doing resembles collective grief work,” she says. “They transform private suffering into a shared emotional experience.”

Known as the Kanyeleng, they have transformed their experience of child loss through a tradition of music.

08/11/2026

Guess what? You dont have to be dying or be the one dying to benefit from death doula services. Want to know more about what death doulas do? Contact me for a free consultation!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1454567053210480&set=a.663354332331760&type=3

Virginia Chang has been seeing Eleanor, a 101-year-old woman, most weeks, since January. Eleanor has been widowed for more than two decades. Nearly all of her friends are dead. She was admitted to hospice, but felt lonely, discarded. When her hospice learned this, they sent Chang. Chang is an end-of-life doula: a trained, nonmedical professional who cares for clients who are dying. End-of-life doulas—or death doulas, a term that some favor—may advocate for their clients’ medical or clinical needs. They may help with shrouding, funeral preparations, or grief support. At heart, they are guides to the unknown.

In the past decade, more than 10,000 people across the globe have trained as death doulas. Some attribute the rise in the profession to the fact that nearly a fifth of Americans are 65 or older; others, to the apparent increase in cancer rates among people under the age of 50, or fears engendered by the COVID pandemic. “In a broader sense, though, the end-of-life-doula movement can be seen as the latest chapter in a societal reconsideration of death that has been under way for more than fifty years,” Alexandra Schwartz writes. Schwartz spends time with the guides who remind us that death may be the end of life, but dying is still a part of living: https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/Tlxx8K

08/06/2026

He was built like steel—
forged by life,
scarred by hard work,
stubborn as an old wrench
that still gets the job done.
She carried wildflowers—
bringing beauty, resiliance, & thorns
celebrating every season,
reminding everyone around her
that joy deserves attention
with her laughter
In spite of all odds
the flower loved the steel
Two souls so different
Found happiness, rest, renewal.
Something worth fighting for…
their person, their union
Not because it was polished,
but because it was dependable.
The steel loved the flowers,
not because they were delicate,
but because they were brave enough
to grow by steel, to bloom in spite of life
Together they prove that the strongest
things in this world are not always hard,
and the most beautiful things
are not always fragile.
Sometimes love looks like wildflowers and steel.
A union of the good, the bad,
the ugly, and the beautiful.

By Aisha Jacqueline
Www.ConsciousLifeandDeath.com

Written for my brother and his new bride! It was such a privilege to officiate their wedding!

08/06/2026

“Each wave is born and is going to die, but the water is free from birth and death.” Thich Nhat Hanh

07/17/2026

“Become kinder with every hour, for every hour takes you closer to your departure.”
Divine Names : The 99 Healing Names of the One Love
by Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi

If you want to prepare for your departure, whether it be through spiritual work to make you kinder or in practical matters, contact me.

07/14/2026

I finally got to visit Wildflower Funeral Concepts in Ferndale, WA! I went with a friend to explore more environmentally friendly alternatives to cremation like Terramation, Aquamation, or green burial for her body. She said, “ I feel inspired” after our meeting with Brian. That is pretty amazing for a conversation about your death and body disposition.

I am so impressed with what Brian Flowers is doing in the world of death care. The funeral industry and most funeral homes are lacking in care and compassion for families, normally functioning like a business that is only concerned for the bottom line. They do things differently at Wildflower. They specialize in earth friendly burial options. They can work with a death doula and family to help facilitate home body care and funerals. They will bring the body to your location should you desire a home funeral or you can have a ceremony at their location. They contract with a company that holds high standards of care and conduct to pick up loved ones after a death. This is one of the times that are often traumatic for families as the funeral home employees are often lacking in compassion and professionalism.

If I die in WA state, and a funeral home is involved, Wildflower Funeral Concepts is my only choice. I want a green burial that is done according to my religious beliefs which would be directly in the ground in a shroud.

Who you chose to care for your family and your body during this sacred transition is so impactful to your experience and even your grief.

“At Wildflower Funeral Concepts, we consider our work to be a sacred trust. Your best interests are at the heart of everything we do. It is our deep privilege to walk alongside you, before, during, and after life’s difficult moments.

Our vision is to heal relationships with death, grief, and nature to create compassionate, sustainable communities intentionally engaged with the work of living.
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Predictability and control are significant indicators of stress. When we can predict and/or control a situation, we can manage stress. The death of someone we love can rip away any sense of predictability and control we have, leaving some feeling like there is no ground beneath them and nothing to hold onto.” Serving Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan counties and beyond.