JANUARY 14 - MARCH 11, 2025
(9 weeks)
6:00 PM -
8:00 PM
GALLERY NILA
665 LIGHTHOUSE AVE
PACIFIC GROVE, CA
Join Maggie in an intimate, supportive, and inspiring group setting that gives time and space to the exploration of life, death, and everything in between.
Weekly facilitated meetings combine teachings, reflection, meditation, and discussion, with opportunities for self- enrichment between meetings.
Weekly meetings focus on a single topic, building upon the week(s) prior, and include a combination of teaching, meditation, reflection, and discussion, with opportunities for self-enrichment between meetings.
Meetings are facilitated by Maggie Compernolle, palliative care nurse with a background in oncology and hospice; end-of-life coach; death doula; yoga instructor, and end-of-life educator.
Participants are encouraged to share, reflect, and bring their own stories and experiences to the group.
All personal content discussed in the Circle will be confidential.
Optional resources for further learning will be shared, including links to a variety of articles, videos to watch at home, and books.
Bring your curiosity, compassion, and openness as you explore life through the lens of death.
**Please note that this is not group therapy or a support group.
WEEKLY TOPICS
week 1
Death-Denying Culture
Death continues to be taboo in many cultures in the West. Talking about it is considered dark, pessimistic, morbid. Rarely is death a substantial part of the curriculum for physicians, nurses, social workers- clinicians who are well-positioned to support others touched by the process. What happens when we are denied the opportunity to talk about this inevitable part of what it means to be human?
week 4
Letting Go
When we die, we ultimately are invited to let go of all it means to be who we are. Clinging to these parts of us at any point in life can lead to tension and strife, and at the end of life can make the dying transition that much more challenging. How can we hold these parts of us lightly? How can practicing letting go regularly prepare us for the ultimate letting go at death?
week 7
Fear
Fear is a primal human emotion, alerting us to threats of safety. While it has utility, when misplaced, fear also has the potential to be limiting or even harmful. Our fears can tell us a lot about ourselves: what is important to us, what requires more attention in our lives, or what is an opportunity to grow. What are our fears about dying, and what does this tell us about what matters?
week 2
Death is Everywhere
Life and death are everywhere. On a cellular level, parts of us are living, dying, or regenerating at any given moment. Things are dying, ending, and lost all around us. With every change, there is a death- and change is happening all the time. We say goodbye to an old job to make way for a new job or retirement. How can widening our lens of death all around us enhance our appreciation for the life around us as well?
week 5
Reflection
This week we pause to take stock and reflect on insights, lessons, and questions up to this point, with a hands-on activity providing opportunity to process and express. How can we integrate lessons from discussions thus far into our daily lives, in order to live with greater meaning and intention?
week 3
Grief
and Loss
Grief, like death- and joy, and sadness, and anger- is part of the human experience. With death happening all around us, it is important to understand grief: what it is, the universal and profoundly unique elements, the communal and personal, how we experience it in our bodies, and our relationship to it. How can we use our understanding of grief to advocate for our own needs and support others going through the process?
week 6
Forgiveness
Forgiving someone or something when we are wronged can be liberating. But it can also take a lifetime, and even then, we might not fully get there. Imagine waiting until the dying process to forgive, or asking for forgiveness. What does forgiveness entail, how can we practice it now, and why might practicing now prepare us for a better death?
week 8
Regrets
Regret, while painful at times, can propel us towards living of a life of more authenticity, compassion and truth. This week, we look at how common regrets of the dying can guide us towards better action now to mitigate regret later, so we do not have to wait until we are on our deathbeds.
week 9
End of Life Choices
Life is full of choices. In dying and death, we also have choices. Making the right personal choice requires information, reflection, planning, and advocacy. Begin here by learning about and discussing end-of-life choices, including DNR code status (Do Not Resuscitate), VSED (Voluntarily Stopping Eating & Drinking) and MAiD (Medical Aid-in-Dying, or End of Life Option in California). How can we maintain agency, autonomy, and dignity at the end of life?
Who is this course for?
This course is for you if you or someone you love:
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* wants to live more meaningfully, intentionally, and presently while exploring life through the lens of death
* has received a difficult diagnosis and is asking big questions
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* seeks to shine a light on some of the difficult parts of what it means to be human
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* wants to talk about death and end-of-ilfe issues in a safe and supportive environment​
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* is curious about how to live your best final chapter
About Maggie
I am a nurse with experience in oncology, palliative care, and hospice; an end-of-life coach and educator; a death doula; and a yoga instructor.
I have taught yoga workshops for people touched by cancer, led a mindfulness pilot study for people with blood cancers, held hands with patients and friends as they have taken their last breath, and facilitated an online discussion group about end-of-life topics for four years. I have supported people from the day of diagnosis to their last breath.
Many forces, including medicine and culture, limit the opportunity to talk about difficult things, leaving it all to the very end. We glorify optimism, positivity, and ascension; we leave less space for the other "darker" parts of the human experience. We forget that we can hold all of them at once. Regret, unfinished business, forgiveness- why wait to address these? Why not address them now so that we can live as fully, presently, meaningfully and authentically as possible in human form?
I believe that learning about dying is learning about living. I also believe that we have within us innate, unique abilities to support ourselves and each other through difficult times. I believe it all starts with a conversation.
Why wait until the very end to feel ALL of what it means to be alive? It feels like it is too soon until it is too late. Let's start now.
TESTIMONIALS
MICHAEL BLEICH, 72
Maggie is a master facilitator and a creative force. She has the ability to take complex subject matter on end-of-life subjects and make it safe, comfortable, and even uplifting. I have gained key insights from her and the groups she leads that have satisfied my curiosities and questions on best practices during end-of-life. I'm more prepared than I could be on my own accord.
K.C., 70
Sunset Circle offers an opportunity to demystify death by giving it air and normalizing it. Maggie is respectful of all participants and ensures that each person is given the opportunity to share and ask questions or even remain silent if that is their wish. As a facilitator, she is insightful and a keen listener.... I am grateful for the heightened sensitivity towards my own life and that of others that Sunset Circle has afforded me.
GENEVIEVE M., 32
I've experienced a lot of loss in life and it's left me entrenched in my emotions, but feeling a sense of wonder at the same time. Sunset Circle is an outlet for me explore this wonder, which helps me live more present and make space for what's important to me... believe that being curious around topics about end of life leads to deepened personal awareness, relationships, and positive change in our communities.
