Walking into that good night: a practice of living and dying

The invitation

Death is the elephant in the room. However physical death is the ultimate rite of passage that we are preparing for on some level throughout our life. Sometimes this “preparing” looks like denial; sometimes sudden illness or life-threats surprise us into looking squarely at the inevitable truth. The more consciously we can turn our attention to our mortality, the more able we are to turn our life’s focus toward that which truly matters to us during this precious lifetime.

In today’s world we carry the challenge and opportunity of making important health decisions with modern medical advances. This changes what our “dying” may look like, and necessitates significant conversations with our loved ones, as well as soul searching within ourselves. Here are some of the questions that may arise. How do these decisions affect my loved ones? What are my biggest fears? My greatest hopes? What is my relationship with chosen death or suicide at a certain point in my dying process? How much am I in control? How does the certainty of my own mortality inform my living and even infuse my life with meaning and beauty?

There is no final answer to these and many more fertile questions, rather an opportunity to deepen our organic, creative relationship with death that matures as we do.

What to expect

We will come together and be in conversation with the land, each other, and ourselves about our mortality, expectations and fears, relationship with mystery and the unknown. We will individually discover what arises from the tension of being life-filled, while inevitably walking toward our death.

Night walks under a darkening sky will be the solo time each day, with one full solo night out. During this time you will explore and cultivate your own personal tools for walking in the darkness. During the week you will also be guided in the ceremonial making and decorating of a Death Mask, which will be initiated in the night.

By whom

Carine Red Roth & Lien De Coster

Carine Roth (she/they) is a Swiss eco spiritual healer, photographer and rites of passage guide. They are founder of Ceux d’ici and co-founder of the Swiss-based organisation Rite de Passage, promoting healthy modern rites of passage in Nature for youth and adults.

Trained with The School of Lost Borders, Carine has been following the lineage of the school for years and has had the privilege to sit in circles and share many ceremonies with founder Meredith Little. She is carrying on with *The practice of Living and Dying, the work Meredith and Scott Eberle started in 2003.

Lien De Coster (she/they) has been holding ritual spaces for more than a decade. They are passionate about blowing life into the big ceremonies that make for a healthy and regenerative culture and to translate them to contemporary times. Their focus is on guiding processes of death and rebirth through grief rituals, rites of passage work with queer teenagers on the way to adulthood and holding sitouts, vision fasts in the northern European tradition, for adults. Lien studied with Dutch shamanic practitioner Linda Wormhoudt, among other the ‘rouwvrouw’ or soul woman training on supporting death and dying.

For more info about Lien, click here.

Read Lien’s interview with Meredith Little about the cycles of living and dying.

Dates

April 12th-April 17th 2026, from Sunday 4:30pm till Friday 2:30pm.

Location & transport

We gather at Kärlingesund Retreat Center which is beautifully situated at the Swedish west coast of Bohuslän province, a couple of hundred steps from the ocean. The center is tucked in the middle of Kärlingesund nature reserve, which is famous for its pastures, the typical ice-pushed boulders, beautiful oak and beech forests and closeness to the meandering waterways of the Nordströmmarna (Northern Streams).

Traveling by car:

Kärlingesund Retreat Center, Kärlingesund 316, 451 97 Uddevalla, Sweden

Traveling by public transport:

From Gothenburg the easiest is to take the Lysekil Express (bus 841 / 845) from Gothenburg central (Nils Ericsson terminal) to Källviken bus stop via a short stop at Torp Terminalen. The trip takes approximately 1.5 hours from Gothenburg. There is a very nice walk on a gravel road to Kärlingesund from the bus stop, approximately 1,4 km. There is a sign “Kursgärd” (course center) by the main road. We can also pick you up at Källviken bus stop if you let us know a day in advance. For detailed local bus schedule visit Västtrafik.

For more info about Kärlingesund Retreat Center, click here.

Costs

Workshop:

*€340/3757 sek (incl. €10 for supported rate)

*€440/4862 sek: support rate

*€240/2652 sek: supported rate

Wondering where you fall on the sliding scale? Take a look here.

Venue:

€145/1600 sek per person/per night

The venue costs include sleeping in a single room plus three vegetarian meals a day.

Info

liendecoster7@gmail.com or 0046(0)724468878

Feel free to reach out with questions through filling out the form underneath.

Registration

Your registration is complete after we have received your registration form and payment.