Imagine…

Facing death with far fewer fears
A funeral ceremony being held in a home or a private, intimate setting; allowing for a longer and more personal good-bye
Bodies being respectfully cared for by family and friends, not by strangers
Family and friends decorating or building a casket or urn as a healing act of closure
Environmentally conscious final disposition
Children learning that death is a natural part of the lifecycle by participating in a home funeral
Knowing more affordable options compared to conventional methods

Started in 1995, Final Passages was the nation’s first non-profit, educational institute and resource center dedicated to conscious dying, and a holistic, green, compassionate and dignified alternative to conventional funeral and after-death practices. We are also the first nationwide organization to create a death midwifery and home funeral guidance training program.

Celebrating more than 25 Years in Death Doula/Midwifery and Home Funeral Guidance!

Our work serves the needs of community members who come from a variety of cultural, economic, and religious perspectives. Final Passages is an active participant in the National Home Funeral Alliance.

Day of the Dead bags

Shop for these sturdy, flat bottomed shoulder bags and cosmetic bags in a variety of designs.

In the News

Up until last week, it has been a grey area what End of Life Doulas and Home Funeral educators were legally allowed to do. Now a California court case recently decided that End of Life Doulas don’t have to be licensed to help with home funerals. They have the right to educate families about home funerals, and can receive compensation for their guidance. Read an article about this precedent-setting decision at California Can No Longer Require End-of-Life Doulas to Obtain Costly Funeral Director Licenses

While we were in Hawaii to teach at the Death Doula training, I did an interview with Amorah at Gutsy Women Radio. Click here or on the image below to watch the interview on Facebook. (No login required.)

Upcoming Trainings and Events

Level 1 ONLINE training

Conscious Dying, Pre-Planning for End of Life, and End-of-Life Doula Practice

Early 2025 date to be announced – See description.

Level 2 IN PERSON Training

Death Doula/Midwifery Care, Green Burial, Home Funeral Guidance

2025 dates TBA

LEVEL 2 ONLINE Training

Death Doula/Midwifery Care, Green Burial, Home Funeral Guidance

2025 date to be announced – Click here to see description.

Level 3 ONLINE 2024 Training

Becoming a Death Midwife/Doula, Home Funeral Guide and Educator: Reclaiming the Wisdom Traditions and Art of Death Midwifery and Home Funeral Guidance

Sat-Sun, Nov. 16-17, 2024 AND Sat-Sun, Jan. 11-12, 2025 PLUS Half-Day Q and A

2024 Super Special!

Getting Organized with Estate Planning

Thursday, October 17, 2024

from 6:00 – 8:00 PM Pacific Time

Tate Birnie is an Attorney and will provide a general overview on how to avoid pitfalls and common mistakes.

Tate Birnie specializes in trusts and estate planning, probate, trust administration, Wills, elder law, incapacity planning and trust and estate litigation. Her approach to estate planning begins with listening and learning about you, your family and your financial assets. Tate will work with you to make sure that you understand your options so that you can make the choices that match your goals. Proper estate planning can result in tax savings, orderly management of your financial affairs and medical care in the event of incapacity, and a thoughtful and efficient distribution of your assets.

Tate’s practice has a particular emphasis in working with the LGBT community and estate planning with same-sex couples. Tate devotes many hours to continuing study and education with LGBT working groups to keep pace with the rapidly changing legal and tax landscape for same-sex couples in California.

Tate is also actively involved in her community and focuses on issues related to seniors. She served as a Board member of the Sebastopol Area Senior Center for eight year; serving as President of the Board for two years.

Tate is a member of the Sonoma County Bar Association, the Trusts & Estates Section of the Sonoma County Bar, the Bench-Bar Committee of the Probate Court, and the LGBT Section of the Sonoma County Bar as well as the National LGBT Bar Association. Tate has also recently joined the LGBT Family Law Institute, which is a joint venture of the LGBT Bar and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and allows experienced LGBT family law and estate planning practitioners to share collective wisdom and to discuss cutting-edge legal strategies for representing members of the LGBT community.

Once every 2 months on Wednesdays at 7 PM Pacific Time

Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 7 PM Pacific Time

Let’s Talk About Death: Film & Discussion Evening

Postponed until further notice.

“Final Passages’ course work is life-changing. The education is transforming my perspectives on death and the healing that can occur at the end of life. I look forward to sharing, connecting and assisting with my family, friends and community about home funerals.”
— Victoria Joy

Final Passages’ trainings go far far beyond home funerals. I step into more of who truly am every time I come. There’s nowhere and nothing in the world like them. They’re consistently the most transformative trainings and workshops I’ve ever attended.
— Andrea, Santa Cruz

In reflection of the my path with your direction in May 2019, I must let you know how much that experience meant to me and continues to mean to me.

The opportunity to say good bye to my Beloved husband Tom by having his presence close to me for three days as his spirit left his body, continues to be such a healing for me.

Thank-you, so much for nurturing the peace and deep-hearted presence of love which still lives within me today.

I would love to be a part of your dedicated work; if and when there is a path for me to do so.

Please know, how thankful I am for your inspirational work.

Peace, Love and deep Gratitude,
Mathilda Cassidy, Home Funeral Guidance Client

We weren’t ready for how the veil was parted in our lives, but we appreciate all we learned at your course a few years ago. We relied heavily on what we’d just learned to a) share new options (and our wishes) with our adult children, b) advise them to let either us or someone they trusted know their wishes, and c) share with others, encouraging similar things.

We had no idea that in just a very short while, we would host a tender wake at home for our 24-year old daughter, Anlya Grace.

Her tragic death in August 2018 shocked us all – family, childhood friends, and extended community in several cities. Mourners repeated over and over how much it meant to be able to bring their art/poem/quote/peace to enfold and honor Anlya.

Many didn’t know such a thing as her community-decorated cremation casket and home-directed funeral was possible. All were agreed: Anlya’s at-home, earth friendly wake was exactly how she would have wanted her community to gather. An artist, poet, and equal rights activist, she was known for sheltering and feeding temporarily homeless friends, celebrating our beautiful planet, laughing heartily, dancing and galvanizing others to reach beyond indolence, cruelty, and discrimination.

I can hear her in my mind, anxiously watching while her country chooses its path, ferociously urging while she paces.

Thank you, Jerrigrace, for your instruction, hands-on demonstrations, and resource materials provided at the workshop.
Tami Monkman, Level 1 and 2 student

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