Spring is all about the "resurrection" of life in the natural world. Plants come alive, animals give birth, and everything awakens to the light after the darkness of winter. This month the Christian world will celebrate Easter, so I thought I'd share a few fun Easter facts:

. The word "Easter" is derived from the name of a Norse goddess called Eastre or Ostara

. Eggs, rabbits and pastel colors (the colors of spring flowers) are symbols of fertility.

. Eggs were sacred to many ancient civilizations. Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples, and used as amulets for fertility and prosperity. Today, many in the Eastern Orthodox Church dye eggs red to represent the blood of the sacrificed Christ.

. The Easter sunrise service can be traced to the ancient Pagan custom of welcoming the Sun God at the vernal equinox.

. Jewish Passover customs are rooted in ancient agricultural rituals, and include eggs, along with salt to represent the earth and a lamb symbolizing newborn life. The sacrificial lamb eventually became affiliated with Jesus.

This Spring, consider creating a personal rebirth ritual. What would you like to heal, release or create in the coming year? Perhaps you might write these things on a piece paper and bury it in your garden among the emerging plants and seeds, where your intention can grow!

Terri Daniel, CT

Founder, The Death Awareness Institute

and The Afterlife Conference

While We're on the Subject of Easter...

Here at the Death Awareness Institute, we believe it is important for those who study death, bereavement and the afterlife to be familiar with the cultural and religious influences that impact our understanding of death and beyond. This is why theological discourse has become a popular feature at our annual Afterlife Conference, and this year we are honored to have as our keynote speaker, Bishop John Shelby Spong, one of the most outspoken and powerful voices for progressive spirituality in the world today. Here's a brief video of Bishop Spong discussing the historicity of what scholars call "The Easter Experience."

If you'd like to know more (and hear an opposing view) you might also enjoy this debate between Bishop Spong and biblical literalist William Lane Craig.

Dreams of the Dying

For thousands of years, the dreams and visions of the dying have captivated cultures, which imbued them with sacred import. Anthropologists, theologians and sociologists have studied these so-called deathbed phenomena. They appear in medieval writings and Renaissance paintings, in Shakespearean works and set pieces from 19th-century American and British novels...

Now a team of clinicians and researchers led by Dr. Kerr at Hospice Buffalo, an internist who has a doctorate in neurobiology, are seeking to demystify these experiences and understand their role and importance in supporting "a good death" - for the patient and the bereaved. READ MORE

"Hope is not a Plan"

For those of you who work in end-of-life care who missed this when it aired on PBS last year, HERE is another wonderful program from Frontline on facing death. It focuses on Dr. Atul Gawande and the relationship between doctors and patients at the end of life. Heartbreaking and inspiring, this film may be difficult for some of you to watch. But it breaks through the barriers that contribute to the avoidance and denial of death in Western culture.

The 2016 Afterlife Conference

is only 10 weeks away!

Register now to reserve your place!

The Sixth Annual Afterlife Conference

St. Louis, MO. May 12-15, 2016
www.AfterlifeConference.com

New Discounts Available!

We recently received a donation to our scholarship fund that will allow us to offer a $25 discount to ten attendees. Register for the conference before March 20 using the promo code L-25 and you will recieve $25 off general admission. This applies to the general admission ticket only, and not to the separately-priced workshops or post-conference excursion.

JUST ADDED!

A limited number of private and small group sessions

with our mediums and counselors.

Click HERE for details!