Anne Murphy
Celebrant, Death Educator and Home Vigil Guide
Your Guide in Bringing Ceremony to Life
I’m here to help you find strength, balance, and beauty through carefully crated ritual, ceremony, and education. Together, we’ll discover the best way to bring beauty, meaning and connection for all life’s cycles in a genuine way, celebrating moments that matter to you most.
Hello, I’m Anne
This is more than my work. It’s a part of me.
Acknowledging the sacred thresholds of life and death requires deep listening, gentle support and practical information. I carry the lineage of the ordinary yet extraordinary people who, from time immemorial, have tended to all the cycles of life with their gentle, trusting and knowing hands. Everyone has a gift to share with the community. This is mine – allow me to share it with you.
Family Directed After Death Care
Anticipating a death or curious about your choices? I offer guidance and education for a heart-centered approach to after death care through body care, ritual, and ceremony.
Ceremonies
Marking a transition in life? Together we step out of the ordinary and into sacred space by creating personalized ceremonies that span the lifetime.
Death Education
Want to learn more? I offer workshops, personal consults and speaking events that demystify death. Topics include: Ceremony & Ritual, Green Burials, Holding Space, Home Vigils, Returning to European Ancestor Death Care.
I’m Glad You’re Here
Featured In
Thought Starters
Follow Anne’s Latest News, Journeys, and Events
Returning to in-person Ceremonies
May has been a month of ceremony and community. I have been deeply touched to be in person again, to share our deepest joys and sorrows.
Grief is Learned
Grief is a universal and natural response to losing something or someone that we love. It is a sign of our humanity to care so deeply that we become undone by it, enraged by it, frozen from it, thawed by it, and perhaps transformed by it.
Anti Racism Resources
Anti Racism Resources – “The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be an anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.” Ijeoma Oluo
Testimonials
“authenticity and gentle spirit”
Anne showed up with the highest integrity. It was an honor to work as partners, each with our strengths and gifts. She brings deep spirit holding and honoring to her work, as well as song. Her voice is strong as a celebrant as she can hold a family in the deepest of grief in the gentlest of ways. Her authenticity and gentle spirit inhabit all of her communications.
“great wisdom and love”
Thank you for your incredible presence…and lighthearted spirit that carries great wisdom and love!
“beautiful & surreal”
I think we’re all still floating from the wedding and adoption ceremony you created for us. It was so beautiful & surreal!
“incredible help”
Thank you for your incredible help in making the death of my husband into a joyous occasion.
“beautiful & surreal”
I think we’re all still floating from the wedding and adoption ceremony you created for us. It was so beautiful & surreal!
“find my way back”
I arrived holding some mystery to what might unfold and I found delight in the process, the participants and the sacred space that both of you created. I left feeling nourished, like having drunk from a deep well — one I would be able to find my way back to again when needed.
“Cara, home vigil workshop participant”
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and passion for creating beauty, healing and connection at the end of life.
Loving, Living, and Dying During COVID-19
FAQs for companions, families, guides, friends, leaders, and tenders for each other
I’m feeling anxious and overwhelmed. What can I do?
Put your hand over your heart; count to five and inhale and exhale. Take time to quiet yourself and think of five ways that you are safe right now. It’s important to reach out when you feel overwhelmed.
- Therapists and spiritual directors are available through the Minnesota Death Collaborative (MNDC) or reach the Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746.
I’m worried about myself or a family member becoming ill. How can I reduce this anxiety?
Having conversations with your family can reduce anxiety about the unknown. Writing down your wishes and identifying what matters most is a practical way to get some relief.
- The Conversation Project, End in Mind, and Honoring Choices MN offer free resources.
- Advance care planners are available at MNDC.
I know someone who is dying but I can’t be physically present with them. What can I do?
I’ve never been around a dead person. What if they are at home longer than I anticipated?
Death is not an emergency; it’s perfectly OK if a dead person is not taken away immediately. Slow down and be present with them. With guidance, you can also care for your person’s body.
I have experience caring for the dead. Can I still care for the dead during this outbreak?
Yes, you can still care for the dead, but it’s important to take some precautions. Wear a face mask and gloves, disinfect the person’s nose and mouth, and make sure to use a plastic barrier.
- For local home death care guides and educators, contact MNDC.
- See the CDC’s guidance, National Home Funeral Alliance, and Minnesota Threshold Network.
I’ve been told I can’t have a funeral or memorial service right now. What can I do?
Saying goodbye and honoring your loved one is an essential part of grieving. Consider an online service to bring your community together. Alternatively, set aside time each day to reflect, create, or light a candle with your family or community. You can hold a service at a later date, and planning for it can be healing for you and your family.
- Celebrants and funeral directors are available on the MNDC website.
- See the MN Dept. of Health Mortuary Science Section and Funeral Consumers Alliance MN.
I am overwhelmed by grief. Who can help?
Grief is natural and healthy. There is nothing to fix; all you can do is hold your broken heart and express your feelings. Mourn out loud. Find somewhere, something, someone to receive the story of your love. Be gentle with yourself. Give yourself permission to do less and slow down.
- Brighter Days Grief Center offers a variety of free practical and emotional support.
- David Kessler also provides strategies for coping with grief.
I want to get involved and learn more about these topics. What are some local resources?
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