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About Pashta -- Pan-death guide for Journeying Beyond
About symbology of Journeying Beyond's logo

About Pashta

Pashta MaryMoon is a mother and grandmother, living in Victoria, B.C. Canada.    She spent her youth as a social activist and non-violence trainer, and teaching music in elementary schools.   Later, she obtained a Honours degree in World Religions (Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), followed by a lay seminary degree (Unity Institute Spiritual Education and Enrichment in Missouri) — as well as training in sexual abuse and general counselling, and working in a Sexual Abuse centre as a volunteer counsellor (where she also dealt with incest and attempted murder cases).    Her interest in a less institutionalized form of dying/death started at age 7.   With a life-long special interest in the dying process, she visited Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's Shanti Nilaya center in the late 1970s; and as part of her university degree, wrote several essays on the effect of modern death practices on our attitudes towards life.

Her interest in a less institutionalized form of dying/death started at age 7.   With a life-long special interest in the dying process, she visited Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's Shanti Nilaya center in the late 1970s; and as part of her university degree, wrote several essays on the effect of modern death practices on our attitudes towards life.

In the 1980s, Pashta worked with Northern Lights (Ontario) — a self-help community for people living with HIV/AIDS — sometimes caring for friends and co-workers who were dying from this disease, as well as officiating at their requiems or memorials.   During the same time period, she was birth-coach for 3 single mothers; and another later on.   One of these cases involved the birth of a fetus who had died in utero: and Pashta stayed with the mother for 36 hours afterwards, supporting the mother's immediate grieving.   As a singer/songwriter, Pashta has long used vocal music as an alternate therapy to support the dying or grieving process.

Pashta's background is primarily in pastoral care in chaplaincies — as visiting clergy for hospital/hospice (10 yrs) and federal prison (20 yrs).   In the late 1990s, she joined the pastoral/spiritual care team at the Royal Jubilee Hospital (Victoria), and became its first non-Christian member.   During one experience with a patient during this service, she became aware of the power of vocal music as a way to reach those who were dying in a state of partial or full dementia — this experience left her wondering how to aid people with dementia and/or dying through music and other support services.

She was one of the co-founders of what eventualy became the Victoria Hospice Bedside Singers (originally called Songs of Passage) and co-lead the regular Bedside Singing program for the Victoria Hospice unit, until she left to create En-chanting Beyond (Bedside Singing for dying patients outside the Hospice unit, birthing mothers, and people with dementia).

Pashta has been a member of the Vancouver Island Monthly Meeting for the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) since 1970.   She has been responsible for setting up Memorials for the Victoria Friends Meeting for several years — as well as having served as clerk for the Vancouver Island Monthly Meeting Ministry & Council committee.    Her personal faith background is Nature-based — including serving as Wiccan priestess/clergy for public temples and/or rituals, hospital and hospice chaplaincy, and personalized 'rites of passage', as well as visiting clergy for Pagans in federal prisons.

Pashta graduated from The Justice Institute as a mediator in 2011.   In the past, she has also been a member of Communica Dialogue and Resolution Services, and volunteer coach for their Compass conflict resolution program.   She also has a certificate in Psychological First Aid from John Hopkins via Coursera and in LGBTQ elder support.   From her experience with Advance Care Planning consulting, she is very aware of how important it is to have one's final affairs in order — especially to ensure that the Death Journeyer's choices will be honoured.    Sometimes however, mediation is required to avoid unnecessary confusion, tension or guilt feelings on the behalf of the family caring for the Death Journeyer throughout the whole of the pan-death process.

She has taken training in various approaches to Advance Care Planning.   Her focus is the emotional/spiritual and practical side of dying; and less on the specifically legal affairs (such as wills) — although she has basic training in 'Aging and the Law'.   She has spent several years researching variations of Advance Directives and Representation Agreements throughout North America (including the new legislation in BC).   As a result, she has developed comprehensive, values-based Advance Directives and Representation Agreements templates for both her Quaker community and non-Quakers clients as well.   She attends a variety of EOL and Advance-care Planning workshops, and to participate in a number of organizations that are addressing EOL/pan-death issues.    She was also a semi-active member of Patients As Partners/Patients Voice Network in B.C. — especially focused on 'end of life' and dementia-care issues; as well as a participant in the Island Health Research '5 days in May' program.

She has trained with Jerrigrace Lyons from Final Passages — one of the grandmothers of Home Funerals movement in U.S.A.   She was also a member of the Victoria Elder Friendly Community Network, and was the former chair of the Disability Advisory Council for Dying with Dignity.   She is also an original member of the End of Life Professionals Collective.

Pashta has over 40 years of experience with developing and leading personalized ceremonies for a variety of different rites of passage — often created entirely out what was meaningful to the person, couple or family.   She also has trained as a trainer for 'Guided Autobiographies' — Wisdom Legacies (personal life stories), and has created legacy videos for clients.   On the other hand, some of these ceremonies included working with clergy/celebrants from other faiths to develop personalized multi-faith/interfaith ceremonies.   She also recognizes the value of combining cultural traditions with personal values, in order to create uniquely meaningful ceremonies — especially as a Funeral Celebrant (for funeral/memorial services), and the various other potential pan-death rites that might be included within the support expected of a Pan-death Guide.

Her focus is on:

		exploring and honouring the values and choices of the Death Journeyer and their families — both before facing death, with comprehensive Advance Care Planning and support for families to discuss the choices made; and pan-death, in fulfilling those values and choices
		offering support/guidance for a more 'hands on' approach for the family — if they choose to care for their loved one after death, as well as before it.    Co-sponsored by CINDEA, she offers a comprehensive workshop on family-led home funerals (post-death care, necessary paperwork, and final disposition arrangements) — "By My Own Heart and Hands" — where participants prepare for the practical elements of doing a home funeral within their own family, group of friends, or communities.
		and while incorporating modern advances, generally returning to the dual role (birth and death) of the pre-20th century midwife — supporting the Death Journeyer and their family/friends, as they journey through all aspects of a death in a pan-death continuum

Throughout her lifetime, Pashta has carried this concern — evolving from studies in the issues around death; through working with people with HIV/AIDS or other terminal illness, and end-stage dementia; to eventually becoming a Practitioner of Death Midwifery with Journeying Beyond.

She is a co-founder of CINDEA, as well as its executive director, web designer and manager.

Please contact Pashta at 250-383-4065 or email us for further information on what she offers — as a Pan-death Guide (see also Death Midwifery) and/or EOL consultant (see also Advance Care Planning).

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About Symbology of Logo

The logo starts with a starry night-sky background — night often symbolizing death; and stars, hope for the future or the afterlife.   In the palms of the hands, rests a glowing ball of light — the Death Journeyer's spirit before death.    The ball of light gradually diffuses into the starry sky — representing the journey out of this world, and into the starry heavens above.   The hands themselves (which are Pashta's hands) represent the hands of the pan-death guide, as well as those of the Death Journeyer's family and friends — all who are physically and/or prayerfully supporting a gentle journey in this final passage.   They are cupped in a cradling position — paralleling the hand-position of a birth midwife as they support the passage of a child into this world — to once again 'cradle' this beloved life-spirit as it prepares to leave this world.

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