Stars Beyond Our Skin, a beacon for end of life community support

Stars Beyond Our Skin, a beacon for end of life community support End of life doula, companion, guide & resource supporting community in matters of end of life & grief I'm Melissa & I'm based in West Cork / South Kerry.

"๐‘พ๐’†'๐’“๐’† ๐’Ž๐’‚๐’…๐’† ๐’๐’‡ ๐’”๐’•๐’‚๐’“ ๐’”๐’•๐’–๐’‡๐’‡. ๐‘พ๐’† ๐’‚๐’“๐’† ๐’‚ ๐’˜๐’‚๐’š ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’„๐’๐’”๐’Ž๐’๐’” ๐’•๐’ ๐’Œ๐’๐’๐’˜ ๐’Š๐’•๐’”๐’†๐’๐’‡."
-๐‘ช๐’‚๐’“๐’ ๐‘บ๐’‚๐’ˆ๐’‚๐’, ๐’‚๐’”๐’•๐’“๐’๐’๐’๐’Ž๐’†๐’“


"๐‘พ๐’† ๐’‚๐’“๐’† ๐’”๐’•๐’‚๐’“๐’…๐’–๐’”๐’•
๐‘ฉ๐’Š๐’๐’๐’Š๐’๐’ ๐’š๐’†๐’‚๐’“ ๐’๐’๐’… ๐’„๐’‚๐’“๐’ƒ๐’๐’
๐‘พ๐’† ๐’‚๐’“๐’† ๐’ˆ๐’๐’๐’…๐’†๐’..."
-๐‘ฑ๐’๐’๐’Š ๐‘ด๐’Š๐’•๐’„๐’‰๐’†๐’๐’, ๐’”๐’๐’๐’ˆ๐’˜๐’“๐’Š๐’•๐’†๐’“


"๐‘ต๐’†๐’‚๐’“๐’๐’š ๐’‚๐’๐’ ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’†๐’๐’†๐’Ž๐’†๐’๐’•๐’” ๐’Š๐’ ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’‰๐’–๐’Ž๐’‚๐’ ๐’ƒ๐’๐’…๐’š ๐’˜๐’†๐’“๐’† ๐’Ž๐’‚๐’…๐’† ๐’Š๐’ ๐’‚ ๐’”๐’•๐’‚๐’“ ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐’Ž๐’‚๐’๐’š ๐’‰๐’‚๐’—๐’† ๐’„๐’๐’Ž๐’† ๐’•๐’‰๐’“๐’๐’–๐’ˆ๐’‰ ๐’”๐’†๐’—๐’†๐’“๐’‚๐’ ๐’”๐’–๐’‘๐’†๐’“๐’๐’๐’—๐’‚๐’”"
-๐‘ซ๐’“. ๐‘จ๐’”๐’‰๐’๐’†๐’š ๐‘ฒ๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ, ๐’‘๐’๐’‚๐’๐’†๐’•๐’‚๐’“๐’š ๐’”๐’„๐’Š๐’†๐’๐’•๐’Š๐’”๐’•


Welcome. This page is a culmination & vision to further support our community here in the SW of Ireland in all matters of life and death. It's also been a re- birthing process for me as a social worker previously serving those with chronic illness & end of life care through hospice. This was the most meaningful work of my lifetime and yet, I simultaneously wished I'd had the opportunity to spend far more creative, individualized time with my fellow humans. I envisioned being able to support people as they saw fit, and to more deeply accompany them throughout their entire journey: from the early days of coming to terms with a life changing prognosis, during the sacred passage through dying, to holding space with loved ones afterwards during their time of grieving- all of this dependent upon the individual or the wishes of their collective. This was simply not possible within my role or the model of the work at that time. As an end of life companion and guide, I envision walking side by side with you in preparation for this chapter- revered as all others. I welcome and applaud connecting at any stage of life- always as a partnership between myself and those I accompany. I also hold great respect & appreciation for hospice, home health & other professionals having worked as a team in various healthcare settings throughout my career. I support the work they do and believe collaboration can only enhance the circle of care. I believe my role can also relieve carers as well by filling in gaps of time that must be spent elsewhere. My biggest wish would be to support people long before there is any preoccupation with time limitations or when death is on the doorstep. Thank you for visiting Stars Beyond Our Skin.

*I will improve the the way you view death through honest conversations, education, & companionship.

*I am a resource supporting the advocacy of people to be much more involved in their own end of life planning & to re-imagine what is most meaningful for them.

๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’ซ
11/11/2025

๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’ซ



๐˜Œ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ง๐˜ฆ ๐˜”๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด in the November 2025 issue of West Cork People explores themes of loss and the richness of this symb...
08/11/2025

๐˜Œ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ง๐˜ฆ ๐˜”๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด in the November 2025 issue of West Cork People explores themes of loss and the richness of this symbolic season.๐Ÿ
For more, see page 40 via the link:

https://online.flippingbook.com/view/428783480/40/ =true

Thank you for reading ๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿ’Œ

๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿ’Œ c/o The Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death
05/11/2025

๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป๐Ÿซถ

๐Ÿ’Œ c/o The Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death



๐“๐ž๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐š ๐ข๐ฌ ๐š ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ž, ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ž ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐–๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ, ๐œ๐จ. ๐Œ๐š๐ฒ๐จ ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐š ๐Ÿ’–
05/11/2025

๐“๐ž๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐š ๐ข๐ฌ ๐š ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ž, ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ž ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐–๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ, ๐œ๐จ. ๐Œ๐š๐ฒ๐จ ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐š ๐Ÿ’–



Please feel free to share with anyone who might benefit from this workshop. Thank you.

๐Ÿ•ฏ๐Ÿต๐Ÿชพโค๏ธโ€๐Ÿฉน๐Ÿ’ซ
03/11/2025

๐Ÿ•ฏ๐Ÿต๐Ÿชพโค๏ธโ€๐Ÿฉน๐Ÿ’ซ

We are entering into a trio of days that I have loved for a long time: Halloween, the Feast of All Saints, and the Feast of All Souls, that thin place in the yearโ€”also known as a thin timeโ€”that acknowledges how close the worlds are, even when they seem horribly far apart.

I am thinking especially of those who have lost beloved ones since this time last year, and whose grief is new and raw. And I am thinking always of those who have carried their grief for a long time.

These days invite us into memory and hopeโ€”and sorrow and joy and, most of all, love. In everything we carry, may we keep figuring out what it means to live fully and wholeheartedly here and now, in this world and in this life. Wherever these days find you, may they hold solace and mysterious grace. This blessing is for you.

ATTENDED

We are attended.
We are accompanied.

We are asked to open
our eyes, our hearts,
to the grace of it,

that we might bear witness
not only to the fall of the sparrow
but also to what follows it:

the aching mystery that
comes to sing in our bones,
the presence that releases us
into this living and into this world

but also,
with wondrous strangeness,
goes with us still,
making a nest in us
and helping us
find our way
home.

โ€”Jan Richardson
from Sparrow: A Book of Life and Death and Life
janrichardson.com/books

Image: โ€œA Gathering of Spiritsโ€œ
ยฉ Jan Richardson

๐ŸŒ ๐Ÿ•ฏ๐Ÿ’ซโค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ”ฅ
01/11/2025

๐ŸŒ ๐Ÿ•ฏ๐Ÿ’ซโค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ”ฅ

๐Ÿ’ซโณ๏ธ๐Ÿฅ€๐ŸŒ€โ™ป๏ธ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป
30/10/2025

๐Ÿ’ซโณ๏ธ๐Ÿฅ€๐ŸŒ€โ™ป๏ธ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป



Life and death are not opposites.
They are mirrors.

We live in the tension of beginnings and endings. Life is vibrant, messy, fleeting, and sacred. Death is not something to fear, but a chance to give thanks for what has been and remember the beauty in now.

Really, isnโ€™t that what this season asks of us? To hold life and death in our hands at the same time, not as opposites, but as part of a whole?

Life is laughter in the kitchen, firelight on the porch, the pulse of your favorite song. Death is not the end; itโ€™s โ€œa note unsaid,โ€ as Langston Hughes wrote. The memory of the departed lingers, guiding us to love more fully while we can.

I like to think of my ancestors not as gone, but as energy moving softly through me. This time of year, I light candles, burn herbs, and speak names aloud. I remember that every life lived is a thread in the great web of our story, and how we carry it forward.

Life is for the living.
Death is for the honoring.
And in between is up to you.

How do you honor this eternal cycle?

๐€ ๐›๐ž๐š๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐š๐ซ๐ค ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐’๐š๐ฆ๐ก๐š๐ข๐ง ๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐Ÿฆโ€โฌ›๐Ÿฅ€๏ธ๏ธ๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿ‚๐Ž๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ž๐ž๐ค๐ž๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐–๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐‚๐จ๐ซ๐ค; ๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐ง ๐›...
29/10/2025

๐€ ๐›๐ž๐š๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐š๐ซ๐ค ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐’๐š๐ฆ๐ก๐š๐ข๐ง ๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐Ÿฆโ€โฌ›๐Ÿฅ€๏ธ๏ธ๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿ‚

๐Ž๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ž๐ž๐ค๐ž๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐–๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐‚๐จ๐ซ๐ค; ๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐ง ๐›๐ž๐ก๐š๐ฅ๐Ÿ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐“๐ž๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐š, ๐š ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐œ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ ๐ฎ๐ž ~ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐š๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿปโœจ๏ธ





๏ฝ‰๏ฝŽ๏ฝ„๏ฝ‰๏ฝ‡๏ฝ…๏ฝŽ๏ฝ๏ฝ•๏ฝ“ ๏ฝ—๏ฝ‰๏ฝ“๏ฝ„๏ฝ๏ฝ ๐ŸŒพโœจ๏ธ
27/10/2025

๏ฝ‰๏ฝŽ๏ฝ„๏ฝ‰๏ฝ‡๏ฝ…๏ฝŽ๏ฝ๏ฝ•๏ฝ“ ๏ฝ—๏ฝ‰๏ฝ“๏ฝ„๏ฝ๏ฝ ๐ŸŒพโœจ๏ธ

๐Ÿ’ซ๐ŸŒ€
25/10/2025

๐Ÿ’ซ๐ŸŒ€

๐Ÿ’Œ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป
16/10/2025

๐Ÿ’Œ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป

๐Ÿ’›
14/10/2025

๐Ÿ’›

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Glengarriff

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