September 13, 2019

Check out my "Write Your Own Obit" workshop on September 16th!  

Dear friend, 

Despite being 93 degrees yesterday, the hustle and bustle of the fall season is here and it is always my busiest time of year. Back-to-school, fall festivals, lots of family birthdays, Halloween...the list goes on. I think of it as a big burst of (mostly fun) things to do and experience before I go into the cold and slowness of winter.

Fall is about transition and change. It's a season ripe for reflection. 

Temperatures change, schedules change, leaves change...it's a good reminder that change is our only constant.

Parts of the natural world will die. Other parts will appear dead, but they will burgeon in the spring because they are alive at the root, underground, rebuilding and nourishing themselves through the colder seasons. That's something to think about.  

The Autumn Equinox, which marks the official start of fall, will be on Sept. 23rd. And the Harvest Moon—the last full moon before the Autumn Equinox—is happening TONIGHT! 

That's right. Tonight we will have a full moon on Friday the 13th. Some sources say this hasn't happened since 2006, and some say we haven't had a full moon on a Friday the 13th since 2000.

Depending on where you are in the U.S., you might see the full moon at its peak right before or right after midnight. It's going to be a micromoon, which means it will be a bit smaller and dimmer than usual.

While it may seem like an extra spooky day, just remember that many people think the number 13 is auspicious. I think it's going to be a magical and promising and powerful moon. Fingers crossed for clear skies. Get outside and take a look, if you can!  

Death Positive DC Events 

• "Write Your Own Obit" workshop on Monday, September 16th, at Rhizome in DC. The workshop is $10 (register here). Email me at sarah@deathpositivedc.com if you want more info. 
• A death cafe at Rhizome on November 18th. 
• I'm participating in Iona Senior Services' inaugural event, the "End of Life Expo: Planning a Good Death" (see flyer) on Nov. 2nd. I'll be offering an abbreviated version of my obit writing workshop and I'll have a Death Positive DC table. The cost is $20 and scholarships are available. Register here. 

Other Events

• Caitlin Doughty will be at Politics and Prose on Friday, Sept. 13th.   
• Check out Ellicott City Haunted Main Street Tours. 
• Check out Congressional Cemetery's fall events. 
• Alma Antiques and Oddities shop is opening in Frederick on Sept. 21st. Follow Alma Antiques on Instagram for details.  
• Check out the Queens of Egypt exhibit (lots of cool stuff about death and the afterlife) at the National Geographic Museum (hurry! ends 9/15). 
• Check out Judy Chicago's exhibit, "The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction," at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (opens 9/19).  
• Check the announcements section of the Death Positive DC Facebook group. I keep a running list of events (organized by month) happening around the DC-area. If you know of any relevant events or activities, please post in the comments section!  

Enjoy the fall and all it has to offer...especially the Harvest Moon tonight. Let's keep in touch...

Warmly, 

Sarah 

Sarah Farr

(she/her/hers)

Founder & Director, Death Positive DC 

www.DeathPositiveDC.com

facebook.com/groups/DeathPositiveDC

Instagram & Twitter: @deathpositivedc 

Promoting conversations about death and connecting people around this topic

through social media and in-person events in the DC-area since 2017. 

Below is a picture of Caitlin Doughty and me in October of 2017.

She did a reading and signing at Politics and Prose in DC for her From Here to Eternity book tour.