Welcome to the show the colorful and incomparable Ms. Funke. She opens the conversation by telling how she starts her day with her Ifà practices, and how she consulted the Yoruba Orisha Ògún before bringing her beloved dog, Cognac, home.

Her fear of death was transformed through Buddhism, Reiki and caring for her parents at the end of their lives. Her parents met when her father was a Tuskegee airmen grounds crew and her mother a USO dancer. The blessing her mother bestowed upon her has carried her throughout her colorful life: "live life on your own terms." And that was her guiding light when she was diagnosed with (and given a clean bill of health from) colon cancer, along with the quality of her life centered.

Ms. Funke speaks about "letting go" as a way to not hold onto grief and connecting with ancestors of good character for guidance (a cherished aunt makes an appearance!). She also explains why she uses the term "transitioned" instead of "died".

She's been initiated as a living ancestor into Ifà, and gives instructions for how we can connect to our ancestors, which is an integral to her wisdom and practice. What's nurtures her? Mother Earth!

Ms. Funke says "my bio is very simple: I am someone that loves life and believes in staying true to one's self" and has graciously shared a prayer for all of us:

A Prayer Connecting to Mother Earth:

I am grounded

My spirit is grounded deep into the earth

I am calm, strong, centered and peaceful

I am able to let go of fear and trust that I am eternally safe

I am worthy of all things beautiful

Àṣẹ

Ifà

LA Times Article with Ms. Funke's father and his childhood friend

Tuskegee Airmen Ground Crew

History of Tuskegee Airmen

Skippers Darling 3

The Tuskegee Airmen Red Tails

Nichiren Buddhism

Reiki

Hospice

What a fun conversation this is with artist and death doula Brianna L. Hernández. Brianna shares a few stories about her mom, Miss Sylvia, including her sense of humor and her complicated relationship with cooking. We actually recorded on Miss Sylvia's birthday, so that was really special. Brianna talks about being a grief-y kid and her multimedia art installations that have been born out of caretaking her mom. She also shares some of the things that have become really important to her, like the artist's role in creating cultural death rituals and death education. See below for links to her art installations, articles and Ma's House Art Studio.

Brianna L. Hernández is a Chicana artist, curator, and death doula guided by socially engaged practices. In the studio, she creates multi-media installations focused on end-of-life care, grief, and mourning rituals based on lived experience, cultural research, and collaborations with peers including death education workshops. She proudly serves as Director of Curation and Board Secretary of Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation, and as Assistant Curator at the Parrish Art Museum in Watermill, New York.

Website

Ma's House Residency and BIPOC Art Studio

Anticipatory|Después
Útiles Curativos
Aquí Descansamos
Going with Grace Death Doula Program

Hypoallergenic article

Instagram

- death education

- emotional public expressions of grief

- burials that are better for the environment

- healing our relationship with death and dying through creativity

- cooking for and caretaking for her mom, Miss Sylvia

- Miss Sylvia's sense of humor

- creating a living cemetery

- the way she approaches making matcha

- no difference between love and grief

- "mix to combine"