Sacred Dying: Creating Rituals for Embracing the End of Life

Rating:
Summary: As you leave us
Review: Megory Anderson's book 'Sacred Dying' creates a need where none may have existed--the need to plan our own departure from a world we may hate or love but seldom are ready to leave. Unfinished business, the need to say thank you and sorry, accounts, the desire to have one chance to improve, take revenge ... The list is endless. And the need to be able to choose one's hour of departure, in the way one would like needs to be acknowledged and addressed. Megory has certainly addressed some of these needs but perhaps her being located in the Western world has left out those who live in another continent but who nevertheless will be leaving one day or another.
As the Yaksha asked Yudhistir, the eldest of the five Pandavas of the Mahabharat ( in which the Bhagvadgita is found), "What is the greatest miracle?" The wise Yudhishtir's answer satisfied the Yaksha (but that is another story). The answer was, and is "The fact that all of us are mortal and yet we believe we are immortal and spend all our lives accordingly".
I wish that Megory would address the needs and customs of those who belong to other religius persuasions so that we may accordingly benefit.
An excellent book indeed!

Rating:
Summary: Embracing the end of life
Review: Megory seeks to bring meaning to the end of life. She encourages the reader to make dying a sacred event. One way she creates this sacredness is with rituals. Megory includes in her book a wide range of Scripture, Sacred Texts, and Poetry to aid in creating this sacredness of space and participants. This is a good resource to have on the shelf when we have the opportunity to help others embrace the end of life.

Rating:
Summary: Moving and uplifting, with practical advice
Review: Sacred Dying offers that hard to find balance: compassionate advice on a very emotional topic written in a clear, clean and easy to understand style. The stories of patients and families are very moving and uplifting. There are lots of practical guidelines for those of all faiths to make the end of life experience what it should be - beautiful!