Shamanic Guide to Death and Dying

I found this book after reading the author's other one, Pagan Parenting, which we LOVED. I was blown away by the depth of experience and sharing that went into this book. It was truly powerful and made me think about alot of my own beliefs. This book was an important asset when talking about death with our children, When our dog died, it offered a great deal of hope and solace as well as appropriate ritual to use to our entire family.

There are other reviews here that give details about how good this book is. I can only tell you that this book was printed and released at a time when I needed it most. As I read each chapter, I found the information was accurate with my experiences. In a culture that fears death and dying so very much, we are looking for comforting words in books, religious texts and personal lectures ... arenas that can be easily abused or imporperly handled. This book is a keeper. Even if you are not 'into' Shamanism, this book will help you better understand the processes of death and dying.

If you are afraid of dying you've got to read this book If you have recently lost a loved one, you've got to read this book If you know someone who is terminally ill - person or pet - you've got to read this book This book is more than a guide to death and dying it is a guide to living Kristen teaches that death is not an end but a "change of address". Her book is filled with useful meditations on such things as how to contact someone who has died, how to access information about past lives you may have had, how to cope with grief and deal with a society that is at a loss when confronted with others grief and has very little understanding about the spiritual aspects of death. She goes into how to prepare for your own death in a practical, thoughtful way. She even offers suggestions on what to do when your spiritual beliefs differ from those around you. Her writing is concise and easy to follow. Like having a conversation with a friend. Death is something that happens to us all but we are not taught many skills on how to face it in our society. I know there have been times when I have been at a loss on how to talk to someone who is dying or comfort a friend who has just lost a family member. I have always tried to be open in my conversations and talk to the grieving person even if I felt uncomfortable or uncertain of what to say. Having read this book I feel so much more prepared to offer useful comfort instead of clichés. When one of my friends father died suddenly I was able to offer suggestions from Kristen's book as to how my friend could contact his father and make a memorial for him. We talked in depth about how he felt about his father's dying. My friend said he really appreciated being able to talk like that, as most people he had talked to were uncomfortable talking about death and often changed the subject. This book is useful, practical and compassionate.

Ms. Madden is a wonderful writer, combining scientific and shamanic viewpoints and explaining them in terms that are easy to understand. She doesn't write like a superior expert talking down to us, but as another person on the path that wants to share her extraordinary experience to help others.This book showed me that I am not alone in my fears and doubts. It also showed me that much of what I thought was communication from the "other side" probably was. I loved reading the stories of Ms. Madden and the other deathwalkers she knows. These were extremely comforting to me. I have used a number of her exercises and found them to be really powerful,especially the ones on connecting with spirit guides and moving through a fear of death. I have struggled with a fear of death for years. With this book, I feel like I am making some very real progress through that.