#34 - The Way We Mourn Down Under
EPISODE #34
What does it mean to grieve together — or alone?
In this conversation, an anonymous caller from Perth, Australia, shares how living between two cultures has shaped her understanding of death and connection. In Australia, she says, humor often softens the weight of loss but can leave people mourning in isolation. In Colombia, grief is collective — filled with candles, music, and stories that celebrate life even as they acknowledge its end.
We talk about faith, spirituality, and the beauty of finding personal truth within tradition. Her path moves from Catholicism to paganism to a blended form of Christianity grounded in compassion — a belief that God and the universe work together through love and energy. She imagines an afterlife that meets each person where they are, whether in heaven, reincarnation, or something we can’t yet name.
The image she leaves us with lingers: when we die, we return to the universe like stardust — scattered, but still ourselves in the people and patterns we’ve touched.
Book Recommendations: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; The Werewolf by Angela Carter (I believe “The Werewolf” is part of Angela Carter’s book of stories, The Bloody Chamber.)
If you’d like to watch this conversation instead of just listening, you can find the video version on YouTube.
Listen to the full episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.