A Year on the frontiers of death.
Death is he most predictable thing that will happen to any of us and one of the few experiences we share with every other human being, yet we hardly give it a thought. Most of us behave as if pretending it didn’t exist gives us a measure of control over it. The traditional supports that used to cradle us in times of need are no longer there.
Acquainted With the Night is the story of Allegra Taylor’s year spent working in a hospice and training to become part of London Lighthouse, the support network for people with AIDS.
Accessible, anecdotal and warmly personal, this is an important book. For it shows us that death is not the enemy; that it is possible to ‘be there’ for someone who is dying or bereaved, to grieve well in the face of death and, when the time comes, to die well ourselves.
"Once, years ago, W.H. Auden wrote that a reviewer should be able to admit about a particular book that it is more important than anything he can say on its behalf and it is into this rare category that this book may be held to fall."
Kindred Spirit
Share this page with friends :)
More Publications...
The surprise only child of quite elderly parents, little Rachmil was adored and indulged.
From her earliest days being constantly on the move as her father's ventures often ended in disarray, Allegra fell in love with travel.
Allegra Taylor has journeyed through the world in a quest to understand how healing works.
Death is the most predictable thing that will happen to any of us and one of the few experiences we share with every other human being, yet we hardly give it a thought.
The oldest profession continues to flourish, on the streets and in brothels, in expensive hotels and suburban semis.
What is healing and how does it work? What does a healer do? Can I heal myself and others? What healing techniques can I use?
In our modern, Western, youth-worshipping culture, getting older has become something to be feared and denied.
In many parts of the world today there is a gathering groundswell of women seeking to reclaim their own direct experience of spiritual vision.
Tal Lives on Kibbutz Erez, in Israel. During the day he lives in a Children’s House with all his friends, so there are always plenty of people to play with.