How can our own death and the death of those we love be faced with courage and awareness? Does consciousness survive death and, if so, what might we expect? How can we best prepare? How can we develop more enlightened and compassionate care for the dying even in our environment of technological medicine? How can death become much less frightening, both for us, as well as our loved ones? How does our relationship to death transform our experience of life?

The Art of Dying is the 5th installment of a conference that brings together important innovators, researchers and authors in the fields of death and dying, including practitioners in the areas of palliative and hospice care. Many are trained in modern medicine and work directly with the dying or bereaved. Others speak from the wisdom of traditional teachings, while still others share with us their own deeply personal accounts.

This conference presents a unique opportunity for all those seeking to better understand, acknowledge and ultimately embrace their own mortality, their fears of non-existence, and their relationship to their own death. It is suitable for anyone who:

• is professionally engaged with the subject of death.
• is coping with the loss of a family member, close friend or colleague.
• is facing the immanency of death in him/herself or through the life of a loved one.
• is struggling with feelings of death anxiety, fear of dying or any debilitating angst surrounding loss.
• is deeply curious about and interested in exploring the mystery of death in an open and embracing environment.

The Open Center is offering an Early Bird rate of $545 for those who register on or before February 28th. Anyone registering between March 1st and April 3rd will receive the General Admission rate of $595, and anyone who wishes to register after these dates will be charged a Final Admission price of $675.