Switzerland. The Forum for the Culture of Dying has been dedicated to the topics of death and dying from an anthroposophical perspective for 14 years. The initiative recently updated the content and aesthetics of its web presence. An interview with Franz Ackermann.
With what intention did you found the websites sterben.ch and mourir.ch?1
The internet presence of sterben.ch was developed in 2007 in response to the emergence of assisted suicide by exit organizations. It wanted to show the public perspectives other than those of materialism. This is what our slogan, “Questions and answers from an anthroposophical perspective”, intended to point to. The French version followed later for French-speaking Switzerland, France, and Canada. The patient organization Anthrosana and the specialist branch of the Anthroposophical Society Working Group for the Culture of Dying2 were key partners in its foundation. We were overdue for a relaunch of our website in 2023, content-wise and regarding the technical components.
What does dying mean from an anthroposophical perspective?
Death is not an end but an opening to a higher life, to further development with other deceased persons and the angelic beings of the hierarchies. The life after death includes the reworking of the past and the release of burdens. But it also includes re-orientation and the equipping of the individual for future life tasks in terms of personal destiny and the destiny of humanity.
What would you like people to take away from visiting the website?
The site would like to encourage people to take a deeper look at things. It would also like to give very practical instructions for dealing with life crises and death. This also includes living with the deceased. The site is intended to offer encouragement. In this way, a modern culture of dying can serve as a conscious training and development path in the age of the conscious soul.
More sterben.ch; mourir.ch
Translation Charles Cross
Photo Franz Ackermann
