Celebrating this precious life.

 

Supporting people to celebrate, mourn, and connect with each other in integrity and with compassion

Wendy’s voice is full of love and laughter, honest and deep, daring to go to places many others avoid. Her voice shares the beauty in nature, people and life in all its imperfection and purity. Her intelligence, wisdom and kindness are revealed with her words, a joy to those blessed to read or hear them. Dr Georgina Gibson

Nurturing curiosity, deep listening, joy and peace especially when it feels like you are walking on the wild side of life!

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Image: Doris Zagdanski and Wendy Haynes

A Space of Safety and Belonging

Mourning and Celebration Circles

A mourning and celebration circle or ceremony is a space to mourn and celebrate with safety, care and a tangible sense of intimacy and presence whether the ceremony is face to face or online.  The intention is to create a safe and confidential space where family and friends can come together to share stories and reflections, mournings and celebrations. Expressions of love and sadness that might not be possible to share in usual circumstances. The mourning and celebration ceremony is for mourning, for connection, ease and getting clarity. A space that is nourishing and supports a sense of belonging and friendship, and holds the tears and laughter.

Wendy provided us with support and guidance after Greg’s sudden death. Part of what she offered was a private ceremony for the direct family. There were 20 of us. The ceremony was totally unplanned from our side apart from a little supper afterwards. Each of us got the opportunity to express what was on our mind in the moment; what we shared wasn’t prepared or curated, so it was very spontaneous, raw and open as it was a close circle. I think it has been an  invaluable experience for many of us taking part. —Sophie Warburton

Click here for more information or call me to have chat

Get Your Affairs in Order—free information to assist you to plan and discuss death and dying. Click here.

Sitting Quietly with Dad’s Body

30 April 2026

Trigger warning: this is a personal story of death, shared with some detail. Please read with care. Dad died here at his home on Easter Sunday. It was a good death in that he wasn’t afraid of dying, and he was so ready to leave his tired 90 year old…

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Finding Peace in Aging: A Blessing for Deliciousness

30 April 2026

As part of our final session, Wisdom and Wonder, from the program, Finding Peace in Aging, that Jeff Joslin and myself hosted online, I invited participants to contribute an offering towards a closing blessing.  Here it is… the wisdom and the wonder. May you have deep and continued connection in…

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Uncoupling Vow as an Opportunity

29 April 2026

Why did you do this to me can be one of the most painful questions in a relationship. Years ago, the first couple who came to me asking for a divorce ceremony brought with them a vow from a book by Hans Jellouschek, a therapist who had spent decades working…

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May You Go Well

28 April 2026

A dedicated group of celebrants gathered online to workshop Divorce and Uncoupling Ceremonies. For the close, I invited everyone to put forward a line for a blessing that may be offered at the close of a divorce or uncoupling ceremony and I offer it here as a compilation. May you…

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Psalm 23 for my Dad

17 April 2026

Over the coming weeks, I’ll share my journey with my dad and his dying and his ceremony. For now, I’ll share this moving rendition of Psalm 23 and the introduction to this song in his ‘falling off the perch’ ceremony. “Mum and Dad attended St Johns Anglican Church for a…

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Finding Peace in Aging: Wisdom and Wonder (Online Australia Wed 29.4.26)

17 April 2026

Last month, in our second Finding Peace in Aging session, Jeff and I sat with people from around the world as they shared stories of aging: identity shifts, uncertainty, grief, loss, and also moments of joy. What unfolded was a space where people felt safe, heard, and deeply connected. Together,…

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Dad’s Fallen Off the Perch

14 April 2026

My dad, David, died peacefully at home here in Emerald Beach on Easter Sunday. As his 90-year-old body finally caught up with him, he was ready, in his words, to “drop off the perch.” There were so many people who helped him stay safe, connected, and able to enjoy this…

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Divorce Ceremonies and Conscious Uncoupling

4 April 2026

Online Workshop for Celebrants and those wanting to plan their own divorce or conscious uncoupling ceremony. Hosted by The Celebrant School, Te Wananga Korowai Aroha (New Zealand) When a couple marry, ceremony gathers community to witness and honour the joining of two lives. But when a relationship ends, there is…

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Ceremony for a Stillborn Baby

13 March 2026

Earlier this week a celebrant reached out to me after being asked to conduct a short funeral ceremony for a family whose baby was stillborn, while the twin survived. She shared that she had never conducted a ceremony for a stillborn or infant before and felt deeply aware of how…

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Questions for Writing a Memoir or Eulogy

9 March 2026

A friend was wanting to help his mum record some of her life stories and asked me what questions I asked when helping people write a memoir or write their own eulogy. Over these last few years I have been helping an elderly friend write her memoir. I found the…

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