Goals

To open the imagination and dissolve fears about death, thereby affecting how we live our life.

To broaden and deepen the understanding of others' afterlife stories and ways of life.

To strengthen the individual's commitment to respect life, honor diversity, and celebrate spirit.

Seminar Course Syllabus

This is a course of study examining afterlife beliefs as contained in folktales and myths from many different cultures and spiritual traditions. There exists a rich collection of stories and myths about what happens to us when we die. These stories, often deceptively simple in form, have enormous consequences for the way in which people live their lives. The principal text is Some Folk Say: Stories of Life, Death, and Beyond. Other sources are included with course material.

In addition to reading and class discussion of selected stories from diverse cultures, students are asked to choose one story (from a culture other than their own), then research and write a paper about the culture from which it comes. (The length and scope of this assignment depends on the resources available and the course length.) This material is shared with the group.

Music, visuals, creative writing, and other kinds of creative expression exercises are also part of the course experience. Some of these exercises are interactive using small groups or pairs; some are individual; some verbal and some silent. The stories are taken from Native American (both North and South), African, Middle Eastern, Asian, Norse, Celtic, European, and Ancient Greek cultures.

This course is flexible as to length and depth. It can be offered in six to twelve sessions depending on the needs, interests, and resources of the sponsoring organization or group.

Each session addresses one or more of the following questions:

• What do we mean by "the afterlife"?
• Where do we get our beliefs? How do they influence our behavior?
• What is my afterlife story? Where did it come from?
• How does my afterlife story influence my life?
• What can I learn from other people's (cultures') afterlife stories?
• Where do we get our beliefs about heaven and hell?
• What about reincarnation?
• What do we mean by the soul?
• How do I handle people whose afterlife beliefs are different from mine?
• Do I want to change my afterlife story?
• What would my new story tell and show me?
• What have I learned from this course?
• How will I apply what I have learned?

Each session introduces two or three stories that illustrate the question(s) under consideration. In addition to the above questions, the course explores the meaning and power of certain symbols used in stories and myths. These would include: rivers, water, mountains, caves, trees, flowers, animals, insects, doorways, bridges, shapes and colors.

The course examines stories from Western, Eastern, and indigenous traditions to discover in what ways they are different, in what ways similar, and how they may have influenced one another.