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A New EverAfter

Your Story Unfolding

“How can dying become a conscious act? When the person facing terminal or life-threatening illness chooses to use the dying process as a way toward a more present and loving opportunity for spiritual awakening, that person has entered the path of conscious dying. This choice offers a chance for profound healing not only to the person facing death, but also to the family, loved ones, and caregivers involved.” -Dr. Martha Watson

As a formally-trained Death Midwife, supporting the process of a conscious death is the most profound and fulfilling part of the work that I do

The breadth of my work is rooted in guiding you toward an all-embracing response to a life filled with spiritual vibrancy. I help you live with intention within all aspects of the human experience. Blending mysticism, spiritual discernment, contemplation, and Jungian psychology in spiritual direction, I guide spiritual seekers to discover their place within all of existence. As a death care companion, I support the Death Journeyer and their loved ones as they navigate personal choices and meaningful alternatives within the dying process. I also assist families within the direct experience of the loss of a loved one, orienting and empowering them toward meaningful after-death care. My emphasis on conscious death care is viewed as just one part of living a whole, spiritually vibrant, and all-embracing life.

“Death is not the opposite of life but a part of it.”

“Life is eternal, and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.” -Rossiter Worthington Raymond

Schedule a Call to Find out More

As a Death Midwife, I help to hold the energy within the dying process. It is an honor and privilege to sit in vigil with someone at the threshold of death. I aid the dying and their families to create sacredness within this space and provide spiritual support for all those held within this experience. I also assist families in making conscious decisions for after-life care. Additionally, I have been privileged to co-steward a unique conservational burial cemetery in Ohio for many years. The combined efforts of this work feed and sustain me and truly reflect the heart of EverAfter’s mission.

In 2011, my mother suffered a massive stroke that would later prove fatal. I was devastated by the loss of my mom. I grieved her faithful expression in my life and, though I was still serving as a religious professional, I grew increasingly angry and resentful toward God. However, through the Transforming Power of Grace, gentle reminders of my mother’s last week of life would occasionally bubble into my conscious awareness. I began to recall how thin the veil felt while my mother lay in hospice. I occasionally allowed myself to remember the miraculous moment when, though she had previously been completely unresponsive and stricken with paralysis, my mother wrapped her arm around my head as I wept upon her chest.

It is in service to that gift that I began my training and work in end-of-life care.

Read more of my story

My work within this space may include support for comfort and ease, meditations and prayers for forgiveness, life reviews, letting go, and finding peace. I provide rituals around the dying process to elevate the experience to that of Sacred Passing. Gratitude is given a voice and relaxation and breath work facilitate the dying process.

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life.
A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” -Mark Twain

Schedule a Call to Find out More

As a Death Midwife, my primary roles are to provide information on various options throughout the death process (especially those which are alternatives to the cultural norms or less institutionalized), discuss advance planning issues, and file the necessary documents (death certificates, permits, etc.) post-death. Additionally, I support the exploration of options that are most meaningful to the dying and their family and examine how to make the experience as fulfilling as possible.

Serving the needs of Northeast Ohio Residents only

I work as a non-medical holistic companion who guides and supports a dying person in order to facilitate a gentle and tranquil death

I am called to support and recognize the individual needs of the dying person and ensure that they feel loved and supported

I also directly assist families in after-death care

Support and guidance is also given to the family and loved ones in home funeral preparations and implementation. Children and youth are welcomed into the threshold space and families are offered resources for talking to children and young people about death. End-of-life guidance is offered for families directly experiencing loss–whether their choice reflects the home funeral or traditional funerary option. Grief support is available for children, youth and adults through the lens of Spiritual Direction. 

A person has learned much who has learned how to die – German Proverb

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If you wish to further discuss conscious dying, a free call is available to you to find out more

Schedule a Call to Find out More

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Spiritual Direction & Inspirational Mediumship
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a.new.everafter

Bethany Ward | A New EverAfter
So what do *you* believe? Oh gosh, that is such a So what do *you* believe?

Oh gosh, that is such an interesting question for me. 

And I get it all the time.

I tend to refer to myself as a mystic. I believe that we all have the opportunity for direct access to, and union with, the Divine – and that those opportunities appear before us again and again, day after ordinary day. 

For me, the Divine is too expansive for any one expression, though I do have a personal relationship with the Mystery, of which I call God. 

I simply wish to live my life with that God revealing itself to me in new ways day after day. Sometimes that revelation is through Christian prayer, sometimes that is a reverence for nature, sometimes that is Zen Meditation, or attendance at Quaker meeting. Sometimes that revelation is a call toward social activism, and yes, sometimes it is a stir of a pot and a twinkle of my nose. 

When pressed, I might respond that I am a Jungian-influenced modern-day contemplative. 

All these varied practices represent, to me, a naturally resonant and responsible response to the glory of All That Is.

Though I dedicated the first part of my adult life, my academic career, and my profession to Unitarian Universalism, I am compelled to say that I currently do not have a religious affiliation. 
I simply choose to contemplatively and organically live out my spirituality, allowing the Being in All to make itself known in its multidimensional and multifaceted expression.

“ANY GOD I EVER FOUND IN CHURCH, I BROUGHT IN MYSELF.”― ALICE WALKER

Since my background is in Religion and Spiritual Development, I am able to translate diverse religious expressions into a deeply personal mystical experience that fuels my own understanding of the Divine and allows me to live a uniquely principled life tailored to my experience of a knowable yet unknowable God. 

This experience helps you too. I have an intimate understanding of many spiritual cultures and have a vast knowledge of where those traditions diverge and intersect. 

This approach helps you connect to your own beliefs and values as you consciously create your next chapter.

So...what do *you* believe?

#spiritualcompanionship #thisibelieve #faithstatement
It is difficult to describe what I do — in part It is difficult to describe what I do — in part because it is difficult to describe the breadth and scope of spirituality itself.

I often cheekily say, “I am a spiritual person...but not like that. Whatever the word “spiritual” has just conjured up for you...I’m not that.” ☺️

I jest this way because of how we individually and collectively [mis]understand the nature of spirituality itself. As it is largely [mis]understood, “spirituality” is everything from a moniker of the ego, to magical powers, to a flight of fancy.

I’m not that. 

Nor is true, authentic spiritual expression.

So what is authentic spirituality?

Academically speaking, the definition for “spirituality” is an “individual’s personal experience with wonder, awe, mystery, and/or connection to the whole.“. 

Simple as that. 

These are universal human experiences.

And...these universal experiences are in no way separate from the material. 

We are hardwired to connect. It is in our connection to ourselves, others, and All That Is that we find our deepest meaning and our truest fulfillment.

Spirituality encompasses all of what it means to be human. And to access and live from our spiritual sense is to be more fully—and happily—human.

Our innate spirituality asks of us:

“How shall I live my life?”

And...

“What values do I hold that will allow me to consciously create this life?”

In our modern world, we need someplace to go-and someone with whom we feel safe-to explore these big questions for ourselves.

This is the purpose of A New EverAfter —and the work that I do. I offer opportunities for your own deep learning and formative experiences that connect you to the most important aspects of who you truly are.

How do you personally define “spirituality”?

#authenticspirituality #spirituality #spiritualawakening #spiritualdirection #soulcare #spiritualcompanionship #liveconnectedlivewell
You asked: From where did 'A New EverAfter' derive You asked: From where did 'A New EverAfter' derive its name?

Each of us holds hope for our own lives’ unfolding. Yet we often encounter trials that instead leave us feeling disappointed and disillusioned. So many of us have encountered trauma, tragedy, and utter bewilderment and found ourselves saying, “it wasn’t supposed to be like this”.

A New EverAfter believes that we might restore our sense of hope by engaging in discovery and wonder, all the while remaining willing to follow the path toward true wisdom.

A New EverAfter does not promise a future that is nothing but bright nor made entirely of “happily”. However, it does know that trust in the process offers a true and lasting peace that can only come with engaging your spiritual nature.

Your spiritual nature may come to be understood through the intentional exploration of your own sacred story.

My desire is to help you enrich, reframe, and celebrate that narrative. No matter how you choose to explore your story within the varied services of A New EverAfter, together we will examine a new type of EverAfter, one that exalts the process and not the destination.

This EverAfter is not about a perception of a happy ending but about redefining your present and rediscovering who you truly are; mindfully, holistically, and practically. 

#spiritualdirection #spirituality #beginagain #hope #renewal #spiritualgrowth #spiritualjourney #authenticspirituality
I grew up in a fundamentally religious household - I grew up in a fundamentally religious household - as in Evangelical Christian Fundamentalist.

My parents were good, kind, loving, and gentle. ...But the religion I was steeped in was uncompromising, short-sided, and bigoted. 

As a child - with the limited perspective of childhood itself - I simply thought that this was how the world was constructed. 

That is, until I reached the curious age of 12 ....and heard the first chords of my first Indigo Girls’ song.

Instantly, my world expanded.

Where once condemnation, there was love. Where once judgement, now acceptance. Where once self-rejection, now self-understanding.

Those who expand our perspectives are the ones that have the most impact on us. The Indigo Girls invited me into a wider, more connected, and more loving world.

And....

this is exactly what Spiritual Growth does for us. It pushes out the walls of our existing containers and compels us to stretch further into love and compassion. 

Changes of heart facilitate spiritual growth.

Who has changed your heart?

Who has shown you how to push against the walls of your own narrow container? 

Who in your life has demonstrated their intent on making this place better for all people?

#spiritualawakening #spiritualdirection #spiritualgrowth #spiritualcompanionship #indigogirls #amyray #emilysaliers #getahammerandnail #letitbeme #shinemylifelikealight #letitring
The most important thing to me is spiritual growth The most important thing to me is spiritual growth because it gave me the true and lasting serenity I craved.

Learning how to engage intentional spiritual development has brought me out of my turbulent storms of overwhelm, disillusionment, and distrust.

In my darkest hours, bitterness and resentment had overpowered me. Yet, in choosing to get curious about my spiritual self, I found the tools that I needed for emotional repair. 

In time, I would recognize that my life’s circumstances could shape me into someone disconnected and cynical or I could be intentionally formed - through love - into the highest version of myself. 

Intentional spiritual growth has allowed me to reconstruct a solid foundation to finally come ashore to who I truly am.

#spiritualawakening #spiritualdirection #spiritualgrowth
In my years of serving Spiritual Seekers, I have u In my years of serving Spiritual Seekers, I have uncovered 5 foundations of spiritual living that foster deeper presence, lovingkindness, & continued growth. 

In the past weeks, I have been sharing each one individually and today we compile them into one comprehensive framework. 

While your spiritual life is unique to you, these foundations will be found in every person’s journey in some way.

1. Recognize the Promise: When we are in a state of disillusionment, we are disconnected from hope. Recognize that Presence is available to you and simply awaits your engagement.
2. Become the Calm Seer: In order to walk toward fulfillment, you must be willing to see things differently. Learn how to observe life in order to expand your perspective.
3. Know Your Spiritual Fuel: The Divine Spark ignites our souls in unique ways. Notice what aligns your heart and fuels your spiritual passion. Discover how to use your energies in expansive, not depleting, ways.
4. Understand True Worth: Not everything is meant for us. Learn the art of discernment by wisely evaluating the movement of your God-Source in your life. Come to know what is for you and what shall be offered up.
5. Move within the Knowable and Unknowable: Remain fluid in your spiritual growth. Rest in the ways that your God-Source has objectively demonstrated its love, protection, and guidance while remaining open to the wonder of discovery.

#spiritualseekers #spiritualdirection #foundationsofspiritualliving #spiritualformation #aneweverafter
The 5th Foundation of Spiritual Living is learning The 5th Foundation of Spiritual Living is learning how to move within the Knowable and the Unknowable.

Spiritual Direction helps us to remain fluid in our spiritual growth. It encourages us to rest in the ways that our God-Source has objectively demonstrated its love, protection, and guidance while remaining open to the wonder of discovery.

Spiritual maturity rests in faith’s assurance as it simultaneously distances itself from blind acceptance. 

A Spiritual Seeker is comforted by the guarantee of Divine Presence just as they acknowledge that their knowing is without certainty.

We have been implored to “Live the Question now!” by Henri Nouwen. “Do not now seek answers which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything.”

#spiritualdirection #inspirationalmedisumship #aneweverafter
Spiritual Direction helps you to understand the tr Spiritual Direction helps you to understand the true worth of things in order for you to live a meaningful and principled life of greater ease. To expand...

I am returning to a conversation around the Five Foundations of Spiritual Living after of a bit of a self-imposed detour. ☺️

We left off the conversation with the third foundation of Spiritual Living: Know Your Spiritual Fuel. 

Today, we return to it by examining the 4th Foundation of Spiritual Living: Understand True Worth.

Not everything is meant for us. Intentional spiritual growth helps us to learn the art of discernment by wisely evaluating the movement of our God-Source in our lives. 

Through therapeutic listening, you may come to know what is truly for you and what should be offered up. 

How many times have you been caught in a loop of your own thoughts, trying to determine a “right” course of action? A lack of skilled discernment can leave you frustrated and exhausted.

Through the art and practice of Spiritual Direction, A New EverAfter helps you learn how to discern with wisdom and to seek mercy and grace in the process. 

Consider where you might now be in unease in your life. 

Ask:

🍄 What personal value do I hold that I can live into more fully right now?
🍄 Which action brings me into further intimacy with myself? my God? Others?
🍄 Does this decision promote reconciliation rather than division?
🍄 Am I moving with trust?

Contemplating these questions on your own will guide you further on the path to wisdom. Yet, as Henri Nouwen wrote, “the companionship of trusted friends allows us to see how God is at work”. 

Working with a Spiritual Director ensures that you have someone companioning you through your discernment process so that you might move with greater confidence and gentler ease. 

#spiritualdirection #theartofdiscernment #aneweverafter #spiritualcompanionship

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