Azrael and the Poet: Jennifer Jurlando on Grief, Death Care, and Being Alive

In this deeply moving first half of a two-part conversation, hosts Jennifer Taylor and Tava Baird welcome their dear friend Mystical Musing fan, Jennifer Jurlando. Jurlando is a poet, grief support facilitator, death doula, bonecaster and founder of Thistle Community Death Care. In this rich and tender episode, the conversation explores grief, mortality, ritual, embodiment, and the profound ways that contemplating death can deepen one’s experience of being alive. Azrael — the angel of death, transition, and transformation — and Jurlando’s long relationship with this presence, both personally and through her work with the dying and the bereaved are discussed. Samael shares his unique perspective on Azrael, offering a rare and compelling reflection that many longtime followers of the podcast will not want to miss. Throughout the episode, Jurlando shares several of her own poems, bringing language and tenderness to places that often feel beyond words. Her reflections on loss, the body, grief, ritual, and the sacredness of end-of-life care offer both depth and beauty, while also illuminating the heart behind her work. This conversation includes discussion of stillbirth, grief, death, and end-of-life planning, but it is also filled with warmth, humor, reverence, and a powerful appreciation for life itself.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of grief, stillbirth, death, and end-of-life care.

Resources:

Patreon Link- https://www.patreon.com/c/jenniferjurlando

Thistle Community Death Care: http://www.thistlecommunitydeathcare.com/

Chesterfield Poetry Collective - www.chesterfieldpoetry.com

Full Circle Grief Center www.fullcirclegc.org

Events-

Wilder Grove Workshop, April 4- https://www.wildergrove.com/event-details/reclaiming-death-rites-end-of-life-ritual-planning

Fertile Ground - Ritual in Effigy: Mortality and Transformation, April 30-May 3 https://www.fertilegroundgathering.com/workshops

Chesterfield Library Events - May 14, Death Doula Panel

June 28 Mock Funeral at the Blue Ball Inn https://www.tavabaird.com/event-details/the-darkflower-collective-mock-pagan-funeral

Please remember this podcast is for inspiration, reflection, and entertainment only, and is not medical, psychological, or professional advice.

We are two friends sharing personal experiences and evolving perspectives as we learn and grow. This is not a substitute for your own discernment, inner wisdom, or qualified professional guidance.

Take what resonates, trust your intuition, and seek licensed support when needed, always honoring your own inner knowing and personal truth.

Thank you joining us today, you are a valued member of our tribe! If you are enjoying the podcast, please consider telling your friends and sharing it on social media. We would greatly appreciate your support in helping us reach others and spread our messages of worth, openness and exploration.

Connect with your Hosts!

Tava Baird: tavabaird.com or https://darkflowerbooks.etsy.com.

Jennifer Taylor: Amnivara (previously Willow Ridge Reiki and Healing Arts) https://www.Amnivara.com/

Tava Baird and Jennifer Taylor discuss recent weekends spent receiving guidance: Tava attended the Sacred Space/Between the Worlds Pagan conference in Maryland, praising its advanced classes, rituals, vendors, and community, while Jennifer used a hotel retreat to clarify how Amnivara will be offered. They explore the theme of “falling” as choosing to let responsibilities drop, accept help, and allow others to find their wings, contrasting this with misreading urgency and over-functioning as caretaker. Tava shares the growth of Samael and Lilith's work, and balancing authenticity with scale. Jennifer's channeled music and Samuel’s messages emphasize worthiness of rest, choosing retreat as reorganizing energy, and pilgrimage to one’s inner holy place. They plan personal retreats and invite listeners to do the same.

Thank you joining us today, remember to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to keep up to date with your tribe.

Connect with your Hosts!

Tava Baird: tavabaird.com or https://darkflowerbooks.etsy.com.

Jennifer Taylor: Amnivara (previously Willow Ridge Reiki and Healing Arts) https://www.Amnivara.com/

In this final part of a three-part Mystical Musings Podcast conversation on spirit attachments, the hosts discuss common everyday attachments and energetic “baggage,” how repeated spirit-release clearing helped sharpen discernment, and symptoms such as intrusive judgmental thoughts, resistance to healthy practices, and addiction-related voices. They contrast unconscious energies (residual stories, trauma patterns, and internalized beliefs like purity/perfection) with conscious spirit attachments that may seek attention, company, or energy, emphasizing sovereignty, boundary-setting, and compassionate release rather than fear. They explore thought forms and collective energies that can coalesce from repeated emotions, including examples like fear around a bridge and widespread COVID-era fear. Practical approaches include playing music, smoke cleansing, water immersion, calling in divine help (notably Archangel Michael), and treating spirits ethically while insisting harmful energies move on. The episode closes with a blessing attributed to Samael affirming personal worth and choice.

00:00 Welcome And Clearing Song
04:39 Everyday Attachments Signs
05:34 Reiki Spirit Release Routine
07:37 Addiction Pattern Entities
09:24 Unconscious Energy Stories
14:22 Purity Myth And Sin
16:42 Conscious Attachments Sovereignty
18:54 Boundaries With Spirits
23:57 Thought Forms Collective Fear
29:18 Residual Energy In Places
32:25 Invite Spirits to Move On
35:11 Gates Music and Michael
36:37 Different Work Same Goal
38:05 Love Over Fear Approach
40:27 Doll Shelter Stories
41:44 Holly and the Skittles Sound
44:01 Language and Spirit Types
45:31 Delegating to Higher Help
48:10 Words Remove Fear
50:18 Bells and Final Blessing

Thank you joining us today, remember to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to keep up to date with your tribe.

Connect with your Hosts!

Tava Baird: tavabaird.com or https://darkflowerbooks.etsy.com.

Jennifer Taylor: Amnivara (previously Willow Ridge Reiki and Healing Arts) https://www.Amnivara.com/