MEMORIALS
MEMORIALS
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Whether it's a funeral, a wake or a celebration of life, a memorial offers those left behind the opportunity to acknowledge and honour the person who has passed on. I believe that ideally, it should also offer friends and family the space to grieve and mourn together.
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There are an enormous array of ways in which different cultures approach death. My approach is to focus on our ancestry: those who came before the person who has died, and those that stay behind and carry on their legacy. I do this by incorporating a lot more ritual and participation from the community attending than we have become accustomed to in western culture. The extent to which I do this depends on what you feel comfortable with.
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Essentially, the message I offer is short. The process that unfolds takes up at least three quarters of the gathering. This would be designed in consultation with you and your family and allow a lot of space for tributes and memories from the group present.
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WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT:
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In Western culture transitional events have lost a lot of the texture and meaning that older cultures may have included. Elements like preparation, participation, ritual etc. offer another level of depth and beauty to the impact of the occasion.
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It could have a unique structure and shape that will set it apart from other similar celebrations. My goal is always to weave something together that feels appropriate and poetic to you and your family specifically.
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WHY ME:
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I have been a performer all my life, and studied acting at the University of Cape Town.
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In 2017 I joined Toastmasters and in 2018 won the Toastmasters Western Cape Finals for Prepared Speaking.
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In 2001 I was initiated as a traditional doctor in Botswana and was consequently trained as a ritualist.
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In 2019 I graduated as a Family Constellations facilitator. This therapeutic methodology focuses on healing family systems and has given me a range of skills that I can draw on to to enhance the depth of your celebratory experience.
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My focus is on being inclusive of all your family members: those that have passed on, the living, and those that are still coming.
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ARE WE A FIT?
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You are probably concerned with some or all of the following:
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you value human connection; you value the natural world and feel concerned about the ecological crisis we find ourselves in; you're interested in preserving the sacred and mystical dimension of life. You may be involved in the healing arts; animism; shifting towards traditional and indigenous lifeways; a hippie; an artist of some kind. You are open- and liberally-minded. You prefer community over corporations. You want to embrace being a human in an increasingly inhuman world.
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I am based in the southern suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa.
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