Rites of Change
Transitions with Courage
Ellen Hufschmidt, MA is a Chaplain, Ritual Artist, Writer, Grief Counselor, and Death Educator dedicated to helping others discover their strengths, let go of fear of the unknown, face the future, and move forward with confidence.
How do we live in and accept our ever changing world with compassion, an open heart, equanimity, peacefulness and wellbeing?
A Gentle Practice for Tough Times: Contemplations for Dying and Living is for any of us that are seeking relief from tough times such as grieving, trauma, being overwhelmed, or facing aging and death. Relief is found in the repetition of simple yet profound contemplations. These words can be used by those who are dying, caring for the dying, grieving, or facing challenging situations.
How do you say a final goodbye?
Chaplain and grief counselor Ellen Hufschmidt has worked with more than a thousand deaths and the families who are left behind. In the dying process, both the dying person and the family take risks to explore their unknown places of unexpressed feelings such as resentment, joy, love, or trauma. These risks are where emotional and spiritual healing, reconnection, and repair take place. This healing happens not by one's turning away from the reality of death but by being present for something new to reveal itself. This booklet presents one way to put yourself in the path of mystery and beauty that can accompany death. These pages provide a step-by-step description of a bedside Body Blessing, along with stories of how this ritual has been used in different settings to bring about meaningful closure.
Why Goddess Poems Now?
I ask myself, why are reflective writings about the Goddesses relevant today? Discovering or rediscovering these stories reminds the world of its feminine and essential roots. It’s the Goddesses’ connection to the land, and to all nature that is important.
Mother Nature is one of the ageless symbols of balance in all things. HerSpirit rings through the ages like mist rising from the sea. Archetypal in all cultures are the stories of the life-giving feminine. We need the Goddesses more than ever to tether us to the cycles of life, to reawaken our past in order to survive climate change, hatred, and fear.
If the Goddesses are forgotten, so is humankind.
About Ellen
Ellen has over twenty five years of experience guiding individuals, families, communities, and organizations to maneuver change.
Ellen brings a Chaplain’s understanding of the heart, a Ritualist’s ability to ease transitions through ceremony, and a Hospice Grief Counselor’s experience to help you discern your own wisdom and forge your own path.
GRIEF by Ellen Hufschmidt
When we let down into your arms,
When we let down into our own arms.,
A thousand deaths of shame, fear, chaos, and burn,
We go limp.
After time for inward silence,
Faith, hope, and a burial
of the corpse.
The Beloved Spirit, stirs within us,
Giving us a cellular
Nudge of new life.
It’s only a tickle
But enough, enough to
Awaken the light of our own hearts.
The light will
Carry us step-by-step
To a freedom unburden
From suffering.
A Blessing for After Death
Thank you for your mind, and
all the thoughts and dreams you had.
Thank you for your eyes for all the beauty and ugliness you witnessed.
Thank you for your ears and all you have heard,
the peaceful and the harsh.
Thank you for the words you spoke, and
those you couldn’t speak but wanted to.
Thank you for the breath that gave you life.
Thank you for your heart that bore your sweetness.
Thank you for your back and shoulders for
bearing the responsibilities you accepted.
Thank you for the love you shared.
Thank you for your hands, for all they held.
Thank you for your legs that carried your humanness.
Thank you for your feet that stood you on the ground.
Thank you for your life that touched us deeply.
You are blessed.
Services
Chaplain, Celebrant, & Ritualist Services
Grief & Loss Counseling
Death Educator & Family-Directed
Funeral Guide