Somehow the topic of death has come up in different ways over the last few weeks, and it all came together in this new special online event on Facing Death. Death still is a taboo topic in our Western societies, and in the news, it comes up in the context of war, crime, or recently that of the refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe. In those contexts, death tends to be seen from the perspective of survival, as a loss of life that could have been avoided. And for sure the refugees who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea did so because they wanted to escape suffering and death in their native countries, and their deaths could indeed have been prevented.

I do not mean in any way to belittle the suffering in these situations, and I hold the people affected by them with much compassion. And yet there is a different aspect to death, a different perspective and understanding of it that highlights the preciousness of it as a human experience. Just like birth, it brings us face to face with the mystery of human life. Experiencing death consciously -- the possibility or reality of one's own death or that of others -- can change our life forever. It tends to point us to what is ultimately real and true. This is what this special event is all about. 
 
Joan Ruvinsky, a yoga and spiritual teacher from Montreal, is one of the speakers taking part in this event. She will share her experience of living with terminal cancer and facing death in a very real and imminent way. I will be pre-recording our conversation because her energy levels are by now too unpredictable for her to be able to commit to participating in a live event (the photo of her is taken as she's resting on the sofa). It is rare for people in her situation to be willing to appear and speak in public. I'm very grateful that Joan has agreed to share her experience and insights with us. It feels like a truly special opportunity, and a real gift. So do join me for this event! You'll find more information on the Facing Death event page of the Living from Love website.

I love leading meditation, and I've been offering more meditation recently, including a meditation retreat day in Montreal in September (see last blog post). So I've decided to add a new meditation page to my website. 

On it, you'll find

• all the Montreal meditation events;
  
• a video of a guided meditation on 'Embracing ourselves with Love' from one of the online retreats which people like using; as well as 
• a handout with meditation instructions that I used to give to people during my meditation courses and workshops. It's a bit dated, but people still find it very helpful.

Go check the page out, you'll find it HERE. Or join me for the next meditation evening or retreat day... there's nothing like tasting stillness, love, or deep letting go, when meditating 
with others and being supported by the synergy of hearts and minds united in meditation.

Dear all,  

The meditation retreat day in Montreal at the end of August was a wonderful experience for all of us -- I'm so glad I followed the vision I had of it during a meditation evening this summer! It's always a bit scary to create something new, but it's so worth it when it happens and it turns out to be of benefit for everybody. Here is what two participants reported back about it:

I love sharing meditation, and I'll probably be offering more day retreats in the future. Stay tuned, and who knows, maybe you'll join us next time? (To find out about Montreal area events, sign up for the heart of Love newsletter in the right hand column -->).

Meditation evenings in Montreal continue...  
every Thursday, 7 - 8.30 pm, at the office in Outremont, 1533 Van Horne. I bring my harmonium as people enjoy so much the chanting leading into the meditation (or even replacing the meditation). For more info about the evenings go to the meetup group page.