What is a Death Salon? It’s a sanctuary for open, thoughtful, and respectful conversations around mortality. In this sacred space, we will gather as a community to discuss one of life’s most profound realities—death. It’s a time to share your thoughts, fears, and reflections about death and, in turn, to deepen your understanding of life itself.

Last year UUC hosted multiple Death Salon sessions. This year we are bringing back two sessions, on Tuesday, January 6, and Tuesday, February 24. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. with a 6:30 start. You are welcome to attend either or both, as your schedule permits. Sign up  here to help with planning, but feel free to come even if you do not sign up in advance.

How a Death Salon works

 

At its core, a Death Salon (or Death Café) is a group-directed discussion where participants are encouraged to talk openly about death. There are no set agendas or experts dictating the conversation. Instead, it is a safe and supportive environment where we can explore how our own beliefs, cultures, and experiences shape our relationship with death. The goal is simple: to increase awareness of death in a way that helps us make the most of our finite lives.

These gatherings are an opportunity for contemplation, where we dare to discuss death not as an end but as part of the sacred cycle of life. Death, like birth, is a transition, and through these conversations, we can demystify it and remove some of the fear that often accompanies it. These gatherings will be facilitated by a trained facilitator and local death doula. 

Themes

Participants’ interests will determine what topics: we explore. Below are just a few of the many possibilities:

 

Below are just a few themes that we may explore:

1. The Art of Dying: Historical and Cultural Perspectives

• How different cultures honor death and what we can learn from them.

2. Grief and Loss

• Understanding the stages of grief and how to support ourselves and others through them.

3. Mortality and Legacy

• What does it mean to leave a legacy, and how do we want to be remembered?

4. Conscious Dying

• Preparing emotionally and spiritually for our own death, as well as the importance of end-of-life care planning.

Invitation to Reflect

We invite you to bring your questions, reflections, or anything you’ve always wanted to discuss about death to our first meeting. Feel free to reach out beforehand. Email UU.Salon@tokeepsilent.me or care@uuchurch.org.

 

This is a space where no question is too small, and no fear is too large. We are here to support one another as we walk this path together.

Love and blessings,

~ UUC’s Care Team