About the Palliative Care Circle

Who are we?

As an integrative palliative care circle our mission is to deliver holistic Anthroposophical palliative care and education that encompasses the body, soul and spiritual aspects of the human being. We are a collective of human beings who have our spiritual home in the path of Anthroposophy*, and who work in various professional modalities at the threshold of death. This circle forms a source from which we draw, and to which we contribute in order to support each other and our work, and deepen and refine our understanding of care of the threshold of death.

What We Do

Members of the Anthroposophical Palliative Care Circle work variously, as individuals and as part of initiatives, professionally and voluntarily in Australia. Currently this includes doctors, nurses, priests, counsellors, death doulas, art and massage therapists for home death care. We are working towards forming hospice facilities. What we have in common is an Anthroposophical* understanding of the threshold of death, and this is what informs how we work, though this work can be received by any human being, of any creed, that is, respectful and inclusive of all people of all faiths, beliefs and backgrounds.

What Is Anthroposophy?

Anthroposophy is a spiritual path that can lead us towards becoming more fully human. It is path of knowledge and shared inquiry through research, about becoming “consciousness of our humanity" at all levels: body, soul and spirit. It is not a belief system but rather an individual path of spiritual development that finds fulfilment in study and community, through social, creative and practical initiatives. Thus, Anthroposophy requires an open heart and an enquiring mind. Rudolf Steiner gave clear insights and guidance for all kinds of human activity, inspiring creative work in many fields including agriculture, medicine, education and the arts.

Goals

Our current and on-going goal are delivery of our education workshops on body, soul and spiritual aspects of dying and death care. Please see the Education page for flyer, program and presenters as a sample of our work we delivered in 2023.

We are developing a six-month curriculum for training volunteer carers to support families caring for their loved ones at the end-of-life at home or in residential aged care facilities.

Our long-term goal is to establish four-bedroom home hospice facilities staffed by professionals who carry an awareness of the sacredness of this threshold and an understanding of the preparation needed for such a significant event on body, soul and spiritual levels.

Our weekend workshop program and the biographies of the practitioners from the Palliative Care Circle who presented can be found on the Education page. Our 2023 workshop was entitled:

Practical and spiritual aspects of dying and death care - a holistic palliative care workshop.

This workshop considers death from a deeper aspect than is the norm today. The inner life of soul and spirit are explained in their role in this transition and in addition, the nursing care of the physical body is considered prior to and after death. We look also in a healthy way, at the possibility of accompanying the human being during this process while full consciousness is carried around the sacredness of this mysterious threshold. Our aim is to empower families and communities to take death care back into their own hands, highlighting the three-day, post-death care vigil in the home.

Please Contact Us to express interest in education for your community.

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