Living and Dying

About This Pod

Facing the end of life dispels our sense of solidity to it. As we empty into that uncertainty, can we discern a fuller sense of the infinite? How does our relationship to death influence our way of life?

We invite you to join this seven day pod with a group of kindred spirits around the globe for a virtual learning journey on one of life's most inevitable and evasive experiences -- death and dying.

This week-long peer-learning journey will engage a series of reflections around questions like: Amid loss and grief, how do we tune into a deeper ground of resiliency? What tools can anchor us in a greater wholeness in the face of life's inevitable impermanence? How do we even begin to converse with loved ones on the all-too-often taboo subject of death? How have cultural and faith traditions inspired solace in the ambiguity of what lies beyond one's final breath? How do we sit with and serve those who are dying? How can a greater consciousness of death nurture deeper expressions of life?

How it works: Every day for one week, you'll get an emailed prompt with 'head' content, a 'hands' practice, and 'heart' reflection question to engage. Everyone submits online reflections daily, and then reads and comments on each other's submissions to build on the group wisdom. Our pod will start with a live virtual group orientation call on August 2, 2026, and end with a live virtual closing call on August 9, 2026.

About Maki

Maki Saionji Kawamura is the Managing Director of the Goi Peace Foundation in Japan,  that brings “together people in wisdom, united in their hearts toward the common goal of peace on Earth” with events that have included Nobel Laureates. She is also the Vice Chairperson of Byakko Shinko Kai, a 50-year-old organization that supports prayer as an instrument of social change and brings tens of thousands of people together annually.

Maki is a healer trained in both eastern and western medicine. She worked as a pediatrician and found herself drawn to serving people nearing their transition of life. She co-founded Sachi House, a non-profit that supports cancer patients and their families, and began a hospice to more deeply support people and families in the dying process.  (Listen to Maki share about this work in this video clip; more video clips with Maki are here.)

To join, fill out the form below. Once you are approved by the circle host, you will receive a welcome email with your login information.