In this episode, we open Season Two of The Cave and the Fire with a sacred story of grief, love, and letting go.
Jeffrey Batstone joins host Ned Abenroth to reflect on the passing of his mother—and how her death became a deeply embodied experience of ceremony, beauty, and presence. From washing and anointing her body to laying her in flowers and witnessing her cremation, Jeffrey shares how his family chose to meet death not with distance, but with reverence.
Together, they explore:
• How ritual makes space for grief, presence, and praise
• What it means to honor the body as sacred, even in death
• Why ceremony doesn’t need to be scripted to be holy
• How Illuman’s journey with masculine spirituality opens us to deeper thresholds
There are no lessons in this episode—no analysis or instruction. Just one man’s tender story, told around the fire.
🔸 A story of loss, love, and the quiet beauty of ritual
🔸 An invitation to let your own grief become ceremony
Learn more about Illuman and our work: https://illuman.org
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