birthing through dying
A Couples Journey Through the Bardos of Transformation
A JOURNEY through the bardos
Every relationship carries within it patterns that once served but now constrict, ways of being together that have outlived their purpose, old agreements that no longer reflect who you've become. What if, rather than clinging to what is dying, you could consciously honor its death? What if you could journey together through the underworld of your relationship—not to destroy what you've built, but to let die what no longer serves, so that something truer, more vital, more whole can be born?
This eight-part transformational journey for couples invites you into the sacred Bardos—the transitional states between death and rebirth.
Guided by C von Hassett (end-of-life practitioner and 40-year Dzogchen Buddhist practitioner) and Rachel Reid Wilkie (Practitioner of the Shamanic Arts of Healing) you will move together through the four phases of profound relationship renewal:
DYING – DEATH – BIRTHING – BECOMING
Through contemplative discussion and ceremonial practice, you will consciously release what has died, honor its passing, retrieve the wholeness you've lost, and emerge renewed—as individuals and as partners—into a relationship of greater balance, harmony and authentic presence.
dying — Acknowledging What No Longer Serves
Session 1 — Contemplative Discussion
Before anything can be released, it must first be seen—without fear, without flinching. Together, we journey into the shadow of your relationship, exploring fearlessly what is dying or what has already died—the patterns, dynamics, expectations, roles or agreements that no longer serve your highest good. What needs to fall away so that something truer can emerge? This is not about blame or fault. This is about recognition of what has reached its natural end. To look directly at what is dying requires courage to enter the dark without turning away.
Session 2 — Shamanic Ceremony of Clearing & Cord-Cutting
Through sacred shamanic ceremony, we perform the energetic work of release—clearing, cord-cutting, and severance of what you have named together. This ceremonial practice creates space for the death that is coming, releasing the energetic hold of old patterns and making way for the transformation ahead.Explore our range of services designed to help you move forward with confidence, wherever you're headed next.
dEATH — Honoring What Has Passed
Session 3 — Contemplative Discussion
Death, when met with fearless awareness and reverence, becomes a doorway rather than an ending. How do we honor what has died? What are we grieving? What gratitude do we hold for what once was as we release it? This requires the fearless warrior's heart—to face loss directly, to sit with what is uncomfortable, to journey into the underworld of grief without turning away. Together, we create conscious closure, acknowledging both the loss and the liberation that death brings. We prepare for the ceremonial funeral with intention, courage and care.
Session 4 — Shamanic Ceremonial Funeral
In this sacred ceremony, we perform a ritual funeral for what has died in your relationship. Through intentional release, we give proper burial to old patterns, allowing them to return to the earth. This is an act of completion, of honoring the past while consciously choosing not to carry it forward. The funeral creates the necessary death before rebirth can occur.
BIRTHING — Returning to Wholeness
Session 5 — Contemplative Discussion
In the Bardo between death and rebirth, there is space to remember who you are as individuals—whole, complete, sovereign. Before you can truly be together, you must first know yourselves as separate, authentic beings. What parts of yourself have you lost in the relationship? What does it mean to be whole while in partnership? This exploration demands courage to journey into the mind and explore the paradox of intimacy: that true union requires two complete individuals who can stand alone yet choose to walk together.
Session 6 — Shamanic Soul Retrieval & Flower Bath Ritual
Through the profound ceremony of Soul Retrieval, we journey to call back the parts of each of you that were lost, abandoned, or given away in the course of your relationship. As these soul fragments return, you experience yourselves again as integrated and whole. A Flower Bath Purification Ritual (to be performed at home) completes this phase of rebirth, washing away the residue of death and welcoming the return of your essential selves.
BECOMING — Renewal & Harmonization
Session 7 — Contemplative Discussion
You have died. You have been reborn. Now, how do you meet each other anew? This final discussion explores how to honor and respect the "renewed self" within each other—how to see your partner with fresh eyes, unencumbered by old stories, how to create new agreements rooted in who you are now, not who you once were. How do you become together, while remaining whole as individuals? This is the art of conscious partnership—a practice that requires ongoing courage to meet each moment, each version of yourselves, as if for the first time.
Session 8 — Shamanic Ceremony of Balance & Harmonization
We complete the journey with a ceremony to harmonize the Sacred Four Elements—those which sustain all life—within your four Poqpo's (energy centers) and balance the two hemispheres of your physical temple—the divine masculine and divine feminine within each of you. Through ceremony we create a renewed sense of whole self, bringing equilibrium to each of you individually and to the energetic field of your partnership. We anchor the transformation—no longer who you were, but renewed, reborn, balanced within yourselves and in harmony with each other.
MEET YOUR GUIDES
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RACHEL REID WILKIE
Rachel Reid Wilkie is a Practitioner of the Shamanic Arts of Healing who works with individuals by facilitating profound energetic transformation through the indigenous traditions of the Andes and the Amazon. Trained by Shamans and Medicine Carriers in Peru, Brazil and Ecuador, she works in communion with her council of Spirit Guides to activate healing within the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical bodies. Through shamanic ceremonies such La Limpia (clearing and cleansing) Soul Retrieval (calling back fragmented soul parts), and cord-cutting (releasing energetic attachments), Rachel supports her clients in reclaiming their sense of wholeness and liberating what no longer serves.
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C von HASSETT
C von Hassett is a certified end-of-life practitioner and 40-year practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, with sole emphasis on Dzogchen—the peak wisdom practice that points directly to the imperishable, sourceless nature of Mind. He has studied under eminent masters including Namkai Norbu Rinpoche, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and continues his practice under the guidance of Tsoknyi Rinpoche. C von’s work as an end-of-life practitioner centers on helping people look Death square in the eye to find full liberation. The profound experience of living and dying, the concept of life and death, when met with fearless awareness, become opportunities for awakening. He is the author of Awakening in the End and Entering the Mind.
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C VON & RACHEL
Together, after 16 years of marriage and having travelled through the peaks and valleys of their loving relationship, C von and Rachel offer a unique approach to couples transformation—contemplative wisdom meeting shamanic ceremonial healing. C von guides couples through fearless exploration of what's dying and who they're becoming, while Rachel facilitates energetic release and renewal through ceremony. Their combined practice creates a complete container for death, rebirth, and conscious partnership.
WHO IS THIS JOURNEY FOR?
This eight-part Bardo journey is for couples who are ready to transform their relationship at the deepest level.
You may be:
Feeling that something in your relationship has died or is dying, and you want to meet it consciously
Ready to release old patterns, roles, or dynamics that no longer serve
Willing to journey through the underworld together to emerge renewed
Called to honor both death and rebirth as sacred passages
Seeking a deeper, more authentic foundation for your partnership
This work requires courage, fearlessness and a willingness to let die what must die so that new life can be born. If you are ready to walk this path together—through dying, death, birthing and becoming—this journey awaits you and your loved one…
A SACRED INVESTMENT IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP
$2,000
What's Included for $2,000 per couple:
Eight 75-minute sessions for couples, alternating between contemplative discussion and shamanic ceremony ($125/person/session)
Guided integration practices to support your journey through each Bardo
A safe, sacred container held by both practitioners throughout your transformation
Frequency of sessions:
Our time together should be based on your natural energetic rhythm and practical needs fitting seamlessly into your current schedule. You may have time and focus to dedicate yourself to bi-weekly sessions or you may prefer to follow a two-weeks on / two-weeks off rhythm to give yourself a little more integration time. Please keep in mind that we recommend the pairing sessions of each Bardo should be performed within a week of each other.
Session Format:
Our sessions together will be held over Zoom, allowing you to receive this work from wherever you are called to be. Each session can be recorded for you to return to when you need. If you are planning a trip to the Hi-Desert of Joshua Tree where we are based, we welcome the possibility of meeting in person for one of our sessions, should time and space allow.
(Payment Plans are available on request)
BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY INTO THE BARDOS
To explore whether this path is calling to you as a couple, we invite you to reach out and connect. Together, we will discover if this is the right time for your relationship's transformation through the Bardos to begin.