44. TELLING THE BEES

Explore and creatively engage with the topics of loss, death and dying in this informative and life-affirming course. Using our heads (print and media resources), hearts (conversation and self-reflective tasks) and hands (simple origami & making) we will gain insight and confidence for living well and dying well.

Over the course we will ask and answer some of the most important questions we have around death, dying and grief; looking in turn at Funerals and Farewelling, Legacy and Lessons, Advance thinking for End-of-Life and Grief with plenty of time to share our experiences.

Thought-provoking, enlightening and practical: sign up for this unique opportunity to explore and creatively engage with the topics of mortality. This class offers a safe, compassionate and confidential space to encourage open conversations about end-of-life topics to empower you to greater awareness, understanding and acceptance. Engaging creative tasks offer an opportunity to reflect and develop your literacy in the topics of death and grief.

Yes, this class is about death, dying and grieving but it is also a class about life, living and joy.

In Celtic mythology ‘telling the bees’ was a custom where the bees in their hives would be quietly told of the important events of people in the household or community, as they were regarded as beings of great wisdom and importance.

A recent example, following the centuries old tradition; Manchán Magan had someone inform his bees he was at end-of-life and also when the Queen died, the royal beekeeper, John Chapple, knocked on the beehives of Buckingham Palace and Clarence House and told the bees of the Queen’s death.

Following the death of a friend and wanting to face the reality of her own death and dying, Siofra embarked on a path fuelled by both fear and curiosity. No-one she knew wanted to discuss death. So she went looking for those that would and found them.

Collaborative engagement and a passionate commitment to sharing and learning through diverse perspectives with her students have been the cornerstones of Siofra’s classroom philosophy for over 30 years.  She very much looks forward to meeting her new cohort and believes even the most difficult subjects can be discussed with compassion, an appreciation of our shared humanity and warm good-humour.

tellingthebees.education@gmail.com