A Story of Transformation

“A must-read account of dying and the grief process. I would share this as a first stop read for those who have lost a loved one; in fact, it’s the only book about death that has this much feeling, support and insights that I am aware of (and I've reads lots of them).”

Dawn Grace Kelly, Spiritual Teacher

“Raw, moving and inspirational, Rose Diamond presents an evolutionary odyssey - from the personal to the existential grief of death and loss she seamlessly weaves a road map, a tool kit and a reference book to guide us on the sacred journey…

“Maggie Holling, Transitions Guide

“Rose Diamond skilfully and insightfully identifies the depth & complexities of loss in a clearly recognizable way. The eloquence and fullness of her words unlocked my paralysed being as I picked up all the pieces of a shattered life, following the death of my son. She gave life and a voice to the death I feel inside and enabled me to dare to feel hope again.”

Margie Austin, Kinesiologist

“My own experience of grief wasn’t anything like I imagined it would be. I had begun to be concerned that perhaps I had not grieved properly; whatever that means. Rose’s book has put it all in place for me. And looking back on the last five years, I can see more clearly that my path has been a process of transformation in which finally I have learnt to choose life, live in gratitude and be a light in this chaotic world.”

Patricia Cherry, Author

A Story of Transformation began as a way to come to terms with my brother’s sudden death and the stark reality of being the only member of my family still alive. On some days David’s dying felt like a meaningless loss but, as I wrote, I became curious about grief – how we grieve, what happens when we don’t and what motivates one person to undertake the work of conscious healing during their lifetime, while another doesn’t. I have always loved writing and it’s been one of my most valuable vehicles for healing and creativity through many troubled times. Now it gave me the opportunity to make space for grief, to enter into it, walk around in it, feel it deeply, become familiar with it, explore all its contradictions and nuances, and move through it. At the same time, the presence and focus writing requires opened up a space for new possibilities and a chance to go beyond the pain of grief, to find the gifts within it and take my next step towards new life. Just as writing offers a private space in which to delve and feel deeply, it also helped me to bring order and form into the chaotic experience of loss and to find some sort of completion and closure to this difficult passage in my life, and an integration within myself.

Yet, although we humans need closure, so many things in life and death can’t be neatly tidied away. Death calls us out of our comfort zone and invites us to sit with it, naked, eye to eye, to feel its power and presence. Grieving is a form of love, and like love and creative freedom, it is disorderly and won’t be contained in any convenient boxes. As I felt into my brother’s life and death I came to realise just how much our culturally created avoidance of death and grief negatively impacts our individual and collective well-being and diminishes our creative power. My curiosity led me deeper into inquiry and I came to see my brother’s story, although tragic from one point of view, as inspiring. At the age of 71, just before he died, he broke out of a lifetime’s low self-esteem and creative disempowerment caused by an abusive childhood and followed his dream. Although I was devastated by his untimely death, the fact that he found the courage to make this breakthrough made him my hero. This was just the beginning.