Stories at the Threshold: An Hour with Mary Lane and Plant Medicine for End-of-Life Care

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About the Conversation

Long before there were pharmacies, there were gardens, and people kept watch at the bedside with the plants that grew around them. In this installment of Stories at the Threshold, our monthly online author series, Emberlight founder Dr. Aditi Sethi sits down with Mary Lane, author of Plant Medicine for End-of-Life Care, for an hour on how the plant world offers its wisdom, healing, comfort, steadiness, and companionship through life's final passage, and through the many transitions that come before it.

At Emberlight, curiosity is one of our core values, and at its heart is a willingness to embrace the unknown. Many families come to the bedside hoping for gentle, natural ways to ease the way for someone they love. Mary brings a deep relationship with plant allies to that longing, and this conversation is an invitation to listen closely to what the natural world offers those who are dying and those who sit beside them.

What to Expect

Our hour together unfolds as a conversation. Mary will read a short passage from the book, she and Aditi will explore it together, and the second half of our time opens for live questions from the circle. This gathering is hosted online via Zoom and is open to anyone, wherever you are. It will be recorded and shared with everyone who registers, so if you cannot join us live, we invite you to register and receive the recording afterward.

The Book

You can purchase a copy of Plant Medicine for End-of-Life Care online here. We encourage you to read ahead and come with questions. Mary has generously arranged for proceeds from sales of the book to support Emberlight, so every copy carries this work forward.

About Mary Lane

Mary Lane is the author of Plant Medicine for End-of-Life Care and teaches about plant allies for end-of-life care, including as part of death doula trainings. Her forthcoming book is Death-Walking with Spirit. You can learn more about her work at divinenourishment.net.

Continue Learning with Mary

If this conversation stirs something in you, we invite you to continue learning with Mary in person at Emberlight on Thursday, November 5, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. There, she will take her work with plant medicine deeper in an embodied, experiential way, guiding participants on a journey to meet the spirit of Grandmother Oak here on our land. After, we'll open into the wisdom the plant kingdom offers us, both at the end of life and throughout life. Details are coming soon, so we invite you to keep an eye on our events page for announcements.

Mary's six-week online course, Plant Medicine for End-of-Life Care, also begins October 26. In it, she dives deeper into our relationship with the natural world and the practical use of plant medicine in end-of-life care, along with a rich discussion drawn from her upcoming book, Death-Walking with Spirit. You can learn more and enroll here.

Where: Online via Zoom. Your link to join arrives in your registration confirmation. Can't make it live? This conversation is recorded, and the recording is shared with everyone who registers.

Registration

This is a Pay What You Can event, and all proceeds support Emberlight. The care we offer is free to every resident and family who comes to us, and it stays free because this community holds it up. Your ticket goes directly into that work. We invite you to give what feels right for you, and for those able to give more, that generosity is what keeps a bed open and a hand held for the next person who needs one. We would love to welcome you into this circle whatever the amount.

Please note that all event tickets are non-refundable, except in the case that Emberlight cancels the event.

Please contact events@emberlightway.org with any questions.