An Invitation to the Death Lodge
A ceremony of reflection, release, and renewal
Gathering Details:
Date: November 14, 2026
Time: 1 to 6 p.m.
Location: Laura’s home in Barnardsville, North Carolina
Contribution: $20 to $100
RSVP: Text 509-637-9425
Payment: Venmo @laurarosedoctor
Death and rebirth are happening around us every day. We see these cycles in the grasses beneath our feet, the trees releasing their autumn leaves, and the lives of insects, animals, and humans. Endings are part of life, making room for what comes next. We, too, move through these cycles. Relationships change. Identities fall away. Stories that once helped us survive may eventually limit our ability to live fully. Sometimes we continue carrying what has already ended. The Death Lodge is an invitation to pause, listen, and consider what we are ready to put to rest so that we can meet our lives with greater presence, honesty, and love.
What Is the Death Lodge?
The Death Lodge is a guided ceremony rooted in nature connection and the contemplation of
mortality. It invites us to reflect on our lives through a profound question: If your life were coming to an end, what would remain unfinished, unspoken, or unresolved? What love have we left unexpressed? What grief needs tending? What conversations are waiting to happen? What old stories, identities, or burdens have we carried long enough? Together, we will create space to honor what has shaped us, acknowledge what remains unfinished, and explore what we wish to release. There is room for gratitude alongside grief, for love alongside loss, and for the possibility that an ending may also be a beginning.
What to Expect
Our time together will weave guided contemplation, embodied awareness, nature connection, personal reflection, solitude, storytelling, and symbolic ceremony.
You will be invited to:
• Reflect on the experiences and relationships that have shaped your life.
• Make room for grief, gratitude, love, and unfinished feelings.
• Explore the stories, patterns, or identities you may be ready to lay down.
• Listen for what matters most and what is asking for your attention.
• Consider how you wish to return to everyday life with greater intention.
Everything is invitational. You may choose what to share, which practices to join, and when you need quiet or space. Forgiveness, disclosure, and reconciliation with another person are never requirements. We will hold an intentional, sober space grounded in consent, care, and respect for each person’s experience.
Meet Your Guides:
Laura Doctor
Laura is a ceremonial wilderness guide and shamanic practitioner with more than 25 years of experience in holistic healing. Her path has included study in several countries with a range of shamanic practitioners and teachers, alongside training in ceremonial wilderness guiding, rites of passage, and Vision Quest. Through ceremony, storytelling, song, ancestral practices, and embodied awareness, Laura supports people in navigating transitions, reconnecting with their inner wisdom, and deepening their relationship with the Earth. Her work centers on belonging, honoring our unique gifts, and listening for how we are called to live.
Ben Marchman
Ben is a counselor, Certified Ecotherapist, ceremonialist, and educator whose work brings together mental health, ecology, embodied awareness, and nature connection. With nearly two decades of experience across wilderness therapy, ecology, education, and ceremonial practice, he supports people in exploring life transitions, grief, purpose, and belonging. His approach recognizes the connection between our wellbeing and our relationships with ourselves, one another, and the living world.
Who Is This For?
This gathering is open to adults who feel called to explore their relationship with life, death, change, and what truly matters. You may be moving through a transition, carrying grief, feeling the weight of an old story, or simply longing for time to listen more deeply. No particular spiritual beliefs or previous ceremonial experience are needed. Bring your curiosity, your willingness, and yourself as you are.
Please allow yourself some spaciousness afterward for rest and reflection. This is a ceremonial and personal growth experience, not psychotherapy or grief treatment. Because we will be contemplating mortality and potentially tender experiences, we invite you to consider your readiness and any support you may need. An Invitation to Live Our time here is precious. There are words worth speaking, relationships worth tending, and parts of ourselves waiting to be welcomed home. There are also things we may be ready to lay down. As the trees release their leaves this autumn, we invite you to join us in honoring what has been, listening to what is ending, and making room for the life that is calling. If you feel drawn to this gathering, please reach out to learn more.
With love and care,
Laura Doctor & Ben Marchman