Our lives are made up of little moments of meaning: from our morning routines to our good-luck charms, we wrap ourselves in a world we construct to feel a degree of control over; but beyond the basic utility of certain practices, we furnish these things with enjoyable gildings to make them feel personal.
The same is true of the inter-personal world – we shape and personalize practices to make them feel as if they are ours, from the celebration of birthdays to the spectacle of weddings and to the observance of the passing of another life, we take occasions that bear no practical relevance to our day-to-day lives and show that they mean something. It is out of these shared expressions that culture emerges, and from culture, community. And central to all this is the use of symbols.

In the course, you will learn about the most common symbols used in end of life care and how a hospice chaplain can use them as part of the therapeutic intervention.