The Unquiet Dead
Practices of Psychopomp Across Cultures
6 Months + Six Teachers + Six Cultural Perspectives
for Accompanying the Dead
There are many ways human beings have understood the passage between life and death. There are also many reasons the dead may remain close to the living. Across cultures, people have developed practices for meeting these moments with attention, discernment, and care.
The Unquiet Dead brings together six teachers from different cultural and spiritual perspectives to explore the practice of psychopomp.
This is an opportunity to encounter the work through more than one doorway.
Each month, a different presenter will share teachings rooted in their own cultural context, lineage, and experience.
The series does not attempt to create a single system of psychopomp practice. The differences matter. Each tradition carries its own understanding of death, spirit, relationship, responsibility, and passage.
We will listen across those differences.
Together, we will:
Explore ...
Different cultural understandings of the unquiet dead and their passage between worlds
Learn ...
Culturally rooted practices for assisting the dead who linger and remain unsettled
Encounter ...
Diverse cosmologies, ancestral understandings and approaches to death and the afterlife.
Examine ...
The role of ritual, relationship, and spiritual discernment in psychopomp work
Companion ...
Supportive spirits, healed ancestors, and other spiritual allies in ritual repair and healing of the lamented.
Through six cultural perspectives, you will deepen your capacity to meet the dead as you walk between worlds.
At the end of this series, you will step forward with a cross cultural understanding of working with the dead, ritual practices, spiritual tools and ways of listening and discerning that can be woven into your work with the unquiet dead.
Called to this threshold?
Schedule
- October 30th, 2026 / 11am-1pm PT / Shannon Willis ~ The Unquiet Dead: The Art of Tending at the Threshold Between Worlds: Contemporary Animism
- November 27th, 2026 / 11am-1pm PT / Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue ~ Plants, Ancestors, and the Otherworld: Irish Herbalism
- December 18th, 2026 / 11am-1pm PT / Dr Mary McLaughlin PhD ~ From Ancient Roots to New Shoots; Irish Keening
- January 29th, 2027 / 11am-1pm PT / Fotoula Adrimi ~ Into the Pyramid of Unas: Exploring the Mysteries of Double Death: Egyptian Mysticism
- February 26th, 2027 / 11am-1pm PT / Eileen Budd ~ Aither an Ither (Two Worlds): Scottish Folk Traditions
- March 24th, 2027 / 11am-1pm PT/ Bhola Banstola ~ Ancestral Offerings: Ritual in Nepali Dhami–Jhankri Shamanism: Nepalese Jhanki Shamanism
~ Presenters ~
October: Shannon Willis
The Unquiet Dead: The Art of Tending at the Threshold Between Worlds/Contemporary Animism
Across cultures and generations, people have tended the thresholds between the living and the dead, tending to those who linger, those who are lost, and those who have yet to find their way home. Psychopomp work is the practice of accompanying the dead through these crossings, drawing upon ritual, spiritual discernment, ancestral relationships, and the ways of knowing that arise through our encounters with the unseen. In this introductory presentation, Shannon Willis of Red Earth Healing will explore the foundations of psychopomp work, the many reasons the dead may remain among the living, and the responsibilities that come with answering their call.
Shannon Willis is an animist practitioner, ritualist, and founder of Red Earth Healing. For over thirty years, she has tended the thresholds between the living and the dead through ritual, ancestral reverence, and spiritual practice. She is the author of the upcoming book Soft Rebellion: A Book for These Times, a collection of writings on power, ecology, and the art of staying human. She lives on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, on the ancestral lands of the Twana-Skokomish people.
November: Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue
Plants, Ancestors, and the Otherworld/ Irish Herbalism
In the Irish tradition, and in the traditions of many cultures in the northern part of the world, the dark of the year is the time when the ancestors, both human and other-than-human are close at hand. They dwell in the Otherworld, below. It is also the time when plants send their energy down into the ground and take part in the dreaming of the Earth. We will explore plants from both sides of the Atlantic that have a connection with this Otherworld and how we can weave together with them in connecting with ancestors.
Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue is an herbalist, a poet, and a priest in the Feri and Crossroads traditions. He works to help connect people with the living world and with their animist ancestors for personal, cultural, and ecological healing. He is the author of The Silver Branch and the Otherworld and Courting the Wild Queen and a columnist for Plant Healer Quarterly. He lives in Western Maine.
December: Dr Mary McLaughlin PhD
From Ancient Roots to New Shoots/ Irish Keening
Mary will offer an overview of the ancient Irish Keen. What is the ‘Keen”, where did it come from and where is it going! In this class, she will use a combination of academic knowledge, lived experience and Irish tradition to help unravel this mysterious and mystical Irish ritual which has been used as a rite of passage for millennia. The Keen is the Irish lament for the dead and it encapsulates the sorrow and mystery experienced by the bereaved. The Keen tradition in Ireland is both about saying goodbye and helping the soul to move on. It is the pinnacle of the ‘Wake’, a set of rituals which aids this movement. The Keen has been forced underground at many points over the centuries but always seems to re-seed itself and arise again – once more it is rising and re-shaping itself so it can offer comfort to the bereaved through ritual and singing.
Mary McLaughlin, PhD specializes in the Irish Keen and Irish Otherworld Song and is also a well-regarded Irish music artist. She has walked the path between academic worlds and shamanic paths, mentored by Irish scholars and also teachers of spiritual traditions and practice. Her ability as an academic and sound shaman, make her understanding of the Irish Keen unique in the world – as the Keeners were foremost spiritual practitioners of song magic. Mary was born in Northern Ireland and she studied Irish music and Gaelic language from the age of 11. She lived her teenage years through the ‘Troubles’ and aged 18 moved to London University to major in English Literature. In the late 1990s she travelled to California where her music career took off, and then returned to Ireland to research and teach the Irish Keen traditions. She now lives in the UK with her husband and teaches internationally on Irish song and tradition.
January: Fotoula Adrimi
Into the Pyramid of Unas: Exploring the Mysteries of Double Death /Egyptian Mysticism
We enter the ancient necropolis of Saqqara and the Pyramid of Unas, where the walls still hold the sacred utterances of those who understood death as a passage, an initiation, and a return to the greater mystery. Through the Pyramid Texts, the celestial pathways of Osiris, Isis, Orion, and Sirius, and the mystery of Double Death, we explore the dying of the physical form and the deeper dying of identity, the self that must loosen its hold so that something more enduring may be remembered. Through shamanic journey, ceremony, and direct experience, this workshop invites us to approach death not as an abstraction, but as a teacher and threshold, a way of entering more consciously into the mystery of transformation, rebirth, and Spirit.
Fotoula Adrimi, BA(Hons), MSc, is an author, spiritual teacher and shamanic practitioner whose work explores the ancient Egyptian Mysteries as a living path of spiritual awakening and initiation.
Her connection with ancient Egypt is rooted in direct spiritual experience and her lifelong relationship with the Goddess Isis (Iset). In 2006, she began receiving the Living Light teachings, a body of mystical teachings and initiations that became the foundation of the Ancient Egyptian Mystery School she teaches today. Her work combines study of the ancient Egyptian sacred texts and traditions with ceremony, meditation and direct spiritual experience. Fotoula is also an experienced shamanic teacher and practitioner. She trained with Sandra Ingerman and is a member of her international network of shamanic teachers. She has studied Himalayan Shamanism for many years and is a member of the Shaman’s Directory. She is the author of The Golden Book of Wisdom and Sacred Mysticism of Egypt, with her third book, Discovering Shamanism, forthcoming in October 2026.
February: Eileen Budd
Aither an Ither (Two Worlds)/Scottish Folk Traditions
There is a midwife who lives between the moon and the horizon; there is a creature older than death with toes reaching into the earth and hair billowing with stars and there is a hideous beast woman who can help, hinder or charm anything, living or dead, with a song. These are just a few of a myriad of characters from our traditional Scottish folk tales, who live where our world and the otherworld meet. These creatures and spirits have the power to escort souls into the otherworld or envelope them back into this one. Traditional storyteller, Eileen Budd will be sharing some of these stories with you as well as discussing how they link into our older animist folk beliefs around life and death.
Eileen is a Scottish author, artist and storyteller with TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) and Scottish Book Trust. Raised in Perthshire in a family with a strong tradition of maintaining oral storytelling practises, she specialises in traditional Scottish folklore, folk objects, folk beliefs, origin stories and ancient Scottish legends. Compelled to maintain her family’s storytelling tradition she now travels all over Scotland sharing the stories, using song, illustration and historic object handling to help bring Scottish tales from history and folklore to life for audiences of all ages.
March: Bhola Nath Banstola
Ancestral Offerings: Ritual in Nepali Dhami–Jhankri Shamanism/ Nepalese Jhanki Shamanism
In this two-hour experiential workshop, Bhola brings us into the ancestral heart of Nepali Dhami–Jhankri shamanism through ritual, sacred song, mantra, and rhythmic drumming. We will explore the ways ancestors and lineage are tended through practice, learning how ritual creates a living relationship between the worlds of the ancestors, the living, and the natural world. Bhola will share lineage teachings and guide participants through practices for honoring ancestors, seeking their blessings, and opening ourselves to the wisdom and spiritual support carried through our ancestral lines. This presentation will also introduce Shoraah Shraddha, or Pitri Paksha, the sacred Ancestors’ Fortnight, when offerings and rituals are made to support the spiritual journey of those who have died. We will explore the practices of Tarpana and Shraddha and the understanding that remembrance is an act of relationship and reciprocity.
Bhola Nath Banstola is a globally respected, 27th-generation Nepalese Jhankri (Himalayan shaman), author, and the founding president of the Nepal Shaman Association. Born into a family lineage of traditional healers in eastern Nepal, Bhola was called by the spirits at a very young age and formally trained by his grandfather. He is the author of The Nepalese Shamanic Path and Working with the Elemental Spirits. His experiential teaching style focuses on practical rituals, sacred sound, and helping contemporary students safely navigate and connect with the spiritual dimensions of nature.
Investment
WE’RE HAPPY TO OFFER 3 PRICING OPTIONS IN CONSIDERATION OF THOSE WHO ARE IN FINANCIAL NEED.
Generating: For those folks with comfortable financial means to contribute more, we are deeply appreciative of your generosity which assists in making this accessible for those who may otherwise not be able to attend.
Sustaining: This is the actual cost for us to offer this program and sustain what we do. We are grateful if you are able to enroll at this rate.
Supported: We invite folks with leaner financial means to enjoy programs at a reduced cost and are delighted you are here.
If you need a reduction beyond what is provided or a payment plan, please reach out directly to shannon@redearthhealing.org
Generating
For those who are able to support othersSustaining
For those with modest meansSupported
For those facing Economic HardshipFrequently Asked Questions
Is this course for me?
This series is intended for practitioners and students who already have some relationship with animist, spiritual, ritual, ancestral, dream, or psychopomp work. It may also speak to those who accompany the dying or find themselves increasingly aware of the presence of the dead.
You do not need to share the cosmology of every teacher.
You do need curiosity, respect, and a willingness to listen.
When does the course start and finish?
Each month, a presenter will offer a two-hour presentation beginning in October of 2026 and going through March of 2027. These calls are typically on the last Friday of each month with the exception of Bhola’s which will be on the 4th Wednesday in March.
All sessions run from 11 am to 1 pm Pacific Time.
How long do I have access to the course?
Each presentation recording will be available in the course portal for 30 days, until the next presentation is added.
What if I can’t make the live Zoom calls?
All Zoom calls will be recorded and made available within 48 hours in the course portal.
