Near or at the time of death, we give comfort and compassion in a Rite of Passing. Beloveds gather to say goodbye, and to send the spirit out through the Circle. We ask that they be blessed with peace, a time of rest, and then a new journey, a new birth. After death, we remember them with a gathering called awake. This is a farewell party where we share treasured memories and stories. A funeral may follow, in which a few chosen speakers may deliver a eulogy(“good words”)—speaking of the impact of the departed person’s life on theirs, and on the world.A time of death is a sad time, but also one filled with hope and joy, for Death is part of Life, and just as the seasons turn, so we also will be reborn and continue. It is a time to let go and move on. Perhaps we may even have inherited a guardian angel in our lives. The Great Cycle, the Spiral leading ever forward,continues, one within the other: the moments of a day, the seasons of our lives, our lives themselves,generations, planets, stars, galaxies, and universes, all turn in the great Circle of Life—one of which we are proud to be a part, because fun, adventure, and growth are among the greatest of treasures!