Death Ed with Erin

01/20/2026

Grief is more serious than death, if you know what I mean.

a book by annie kagan
Buy at Amazon http://amzn.to/1nEMWyv

01/19/2026

I have found myself in the righteous anger so many of us feel over the injustices happening near and far. In our own neighborhoods, and all the way around the world, always over the same connected things.

While I very much know better, I have found myself yet, explaining compassion to people who don't value it, looking at profiles to determine if they are bots or really this hateful, and seething with feelings I do not want to identify with.

So I asked myself - how can I participate in a meaningful way without losing myself? How can my help actually be helpful, not just adding another voice to the argument?
Ah, yes. It is by reminding the collective that we are in grief. We are angry because we are grieving.

“I sat with my anger long enough until she told me her real name was grief.” C.S. Lewis

We are sad at the state of our world
We are sad to see so much hate in power
We are sad that so many are suffering
We are sad because we don't know how to change it

There is nothing me or anyone else can say to stop the grief. Grief is a healthy reaction to losing what we love.
What we can do, is treat the big doom-and-gloom as we would any other grief. With care, mothering, and protocol.

First, we understand the way grief moves.
In the beginning we feel shocked. We cannot receive this amount of negative input at once so we "don't believe it”.
Our busy meaning-making minds are doing everything they can to make-it-make-sense. Consuming all the information we can about what happened. It is instinctual, albeit frantic behavior that is looking for a new reality underneath this one. So instead of trying to become a medical examiner overnight, give the mind small tasks that honor the grief.

For example, in the context of death, the task may be for grieving families to collect photos of their loved ones and make a slide show.

But the grief of the world is too big for one person. Some of us light candles. Some of us sing. Some of us hold signs. We find a way to channel pain into progress and to move our bodies or our voices so that the stress doesn't stagnate.

We don't make sense of things yet, we just survive them.

01/15/2026

To face death is to become more tender with life.🖤🥀

01/13/2026

DEATHSCHOOL EVOLVED SCHOLARSHIP APPLICANTS 📣 📣
All scholarship applications have been replied to. Please check your email. All scholarship offers are valid through this Friday, 1/16.
We can't wait to hear from you. 🖤

01/13/2026

The Winter cohort of Deathschool Evolved (Session 20) has sold out, and we could not be more excited to begin walking this path with you.

The next session is scheduled for late spring (April 6 - May 27, 2026). By joining the wait list, you'll be among the first to receive updates and gain access to early bird pricing. The form is fast and simple, linked in comments and bio.

01/11/2026

“Jesus didnt care about politics.”

Bro. Jesus lived under Roman occupation. He didn’t seek office, but his teachings directly challenged systems of power and religious authority that harmed the poor and vulnerable... just like the good people of the world are doing now, while the maggots murder.

The language Jesus used, like “the Kingdom of God,” was understood in his time as a counter-claim to empire.

He consistently centered the poor, the sick, women, and social outcasts, and he openly criticized religious leaders who used faith to maintain control or justify inequality.

That made him threatening enough to the authorities that he was executed by the state using crucifixion, a punishment reserved for political rebels.

So while Jesus wasn’t partisan in a modern sense, his life and death weren’t apolitical either. His teachings centered social justice and anti-power.

Jesus would be arrested and killed all over again in Trumps America.

01/09/2026

When I tell you I was blown away by your 100+ scholarship applications!!! 🤩 🫶🏼🙏🏼

In response to more fabulous people than I *thought* I could could say yes to, Ive rather, found a way to say YES!

More than 10 of you are getting scholarships! 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼

Watch your email this weekend!

01/08/2026

When I began this work, there were only a handful of death educators offering formal training. Today, the field has grown enormously, which is both beautiful and overwhelming. With so many programs available, many people experience choice fatigue and struggle to discern depth, integrity, and experience. I am not the only good teacher in this space. There are many. And there are also programs that are rushed, opportunistic, or lacking care. Deathschool Evolved has been refined and loved over the years, shaped by hundreds of students and lived experience. It is a comprehensive, human-made program with reverence, and with responsibility to the people it serves.

01/07/2026

“If you are even just contemplating the world of death work, just go for it and take this class! Even if your goal isn't becoming a death doula, this class is incredibly informative and applicable to everyone. Erin is a compassionate and patient teacher, and it was easy to ask her questions, especially ones concerning difficult topics. Even in a virtual space, Erin made it engaging and gave us time as a class to have meaningful discussions, problem-solve, and more.”
- Christina, Fall 2025

01/06/2026

Deathschool Evolved returns January 19. Across 16 classes, we study everything from the 11th hour to the afterlife to the practical realities of business. And still, students often tell me that they leave knowing themselves more clearly, too.

Scholarships are open until Jan. 9. Contact me to set up payment plans. Your seat is waiting.

Links in comments and bio

01/06/2026

I love this book 📕
It has a silly name - The Afterlife of Billy Fingers - and I’ll admit the first chapter is a little basic, trying to catch the non-magical thinkers up to speed. But once we’ve reached velocity, this book is powerful, beautiful and comforting. I recommend it to anyone in grief, or longing to make sense of the afterlife.

01/06/2026

This is not a surface-level training. It’s a deep curriculum that brings you into relationship with your own fears, beliefs, and understanding of death.

We begin again on January 19. Payment plans and scholarships available.