Sharon Prentice is a psychotherapist, spiritual counselor, and author of the book Becoming Starlight: A Shared Death Journey from Darkness and Light. Her journey includes having lost her daughter, and her husband, and then having a shared death experience with him when he passed away. At the time, she experienced the presence of the divine, and was instilled with a sense that everything (including the passing of two people she loved so much) was just as it should be. I’m thrilled to have her on the podcast to talk about her shared death experience, and how that event shifted so many things in her life.
Inspired by the Immense Love She Felt in a Shared Death Experience
One of the things that Sharon shares in her book and on the show is that at the time of her husband’s passing, she was still incredibly angry and upset with God for the loss of her daughter several years prior. Stephanie was born, and passed away the same day, and Sharon fell into a “newfound love of darkness that I carried with me always. Not as an anchor but a new way of living in the world that I had come to know was cruel and unforgiving and God-less.”
This event was spiritually book ended for her when she lost her husband. In the moment that he passed, Sharon felt herself being transported into what she calls Starlight. Surrounded by love, presence, and divinity beyond words, she sensed she was whole, accepted and loved beyond comprehension by a God that she had turned away from.
“I felt more whole, more forgiven than I’d ever felt before. I now felt nothing except an all-encompassing love and compassion. My heart held no fear, no anger, no grief, no struggle. I was complete just as I was -- I lacked nothing. Deep down, I suppose I had always known this; I had just forgotten it for awhile.” (pg 123)
In our interview, Sharon talks about his even more. What strikes me, and why I find this inspiring is that this love and compassion is something that the Divine holds for each of us. It’s not held for just a few. When I think about this radical acceptance, I wonder what would be possible for myself if I accepted the abundance, love, and compassion that is meant for me?
In this episode Sharon Prentice and I talk about:
-Her early childhood at Cape Cod, dancing and listening to music
-The spiritual nature of the ocean and why it draws us both in
-Sharon’s work with the terminally ill, and why she feels it’s her life’s work
-The spiritual nature, and root of, all therapy work
-Her Shared Death Experience, and how it felt like coming home
-Jesus and my favorite passage in the Bible (Father, Father, Why have you forsaken me?”
-Centering Prayer and meditation
-Her husband Steve’s last breath, and how it provided an entrance into a Shared Death Experience for her
-How to jumpstart your joy: wake up with a smile, tell the people in your life you love them, and focused prayer
Resources
Becoming Starlight: A Shared Death Journey from Darkness to Light by Sharon Prentice on Amazon
Sharon Prentice’s Website
Sharon Prentice PhD’s Facebook page
Other resources for Grief, Death, and Dying:
Episode 168: Jonni Pollard on How to Awaken to The Truth of Who You Are
Episode 127: Julia Samuel on Grief Works, and the Stories of Life, Death, and Surviving
Episode 141: Debbie Augenthaler on Grief, Trauma, and Healing: You Are Not Alone
Here are the top 8 reasons why, if I could choose to be any spaceship in the galaxy, I'd choose to be the Millennium Falcon:
1. The Falcon is a named character in the movies, with personality, and a story arc.
2. The Millennium Falcon is fast, or, is it really just super smart?
3. This ship is part of something much bigger than itself.
5. The Millennium Falcon is a symbol of hope.
6. The Falcon is always waiting for the right people, and it’s a great get away vehicle.
7. The Falcon is a connector between main characters, and they have a connection to it.
8. The Millennium Falcon is a home.
Episode 59: Finding Joy in “Star Wars in the Yard” with Russell Hurst
The Ways the Millennium Falcon Were Different in “Solo: A Star Wars Story”
L3-37's Story Changes Everything We Knew About the Millennium Falcon
Solo: A Star Wars Story on Wikipedia
Solo: A Star Wars Story Has Franchise's First Main Female Droid
There are so many ways that choice (and your mindset on choice) impacts the level of joy in your life. This week on the podcast, I’m exploring the topic of choice with these five great angles:
Resources
Oprah’s interview with Maya Angelou from December, 2000
Michelle Obama on “When they go low, we go high”
Women, Food, and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything by Geneen Roth on Amazon
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo on Amazon
Wayne Dyer on Choosing Love or Fear
Gemma Hartley is the author of” Fed Up: Emotional Labor, Women, and the Way Forward,” and I’m thrilled to have her on the podcast to talk about emotional labor. Defined as “the invisible work women do to keep people around them happy,” emotional labor is a topic that doesn’t get talked about a lot, and often takes a toll on women and relationships. I’m excited that Gemma has opened the door for this discussion by addressing the topic, and offering thoughts on ways to move forward.
Resources
Gemma Hartley’s Website
Gemma Hartley’s original article “Women aren’t Nags, we’re just Fed Up” on Harpers Bazaar
Fed Up: Emotional Labor, Women, and the Way Forward by Gemma Hartley on Amazon