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Halva for the Heart: Dying and Grieving in Diaspora

Halva for the Heart: Dying and Grieving in Diaspora

By: Misha | Hafez Death Care
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About this listen

 Halva for the Heart is for both the collective in general, and for those of us living in diaspora specifically. Here we will explore topics of grief tending and death care as a way to build the liberated future we envision for our world, as well as what is means to be dying and grieving while living in diaspora, especially for those of us who have roots in the SWANA region. All are welcome here - befarmāid.Copyright Misha Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • Mehregan: The Iranian Holiday of Harvest and Justice

    Mehregan: The Iranian Holiday of Harvest and Justice
    Oct 7 2025
    In this episode of Halva for the Heart, I invite you into the ancient Iranian holiday of Mehregan - a celebration of light, justice, truth, and friendship.

    I share the mythic story of Kaveh the Blacksmith and Fereydoon’s uprising against the tyrant Zahhak as told in the Shahnameh, and reflect on what these ancestral teachings offer us today: how we resist tyranny, anchor ourselves in community, and transform our grief into courage.

    I also speak about the upcoming Palestine Grief Circle on October 10th, a virtual space I’m co-facilitating with my friend Shivani (listen to my interview with them in episode 8). This donation-based offering is a way to honor our shared grief and fight for collective liberation, and to remember Mithra as the honored god of Mehregan and the guardian of truth and justice, and allow him to guide us in standing for what is sacred.
    👉 Join the Palestine Grief Circle

    Throughout the episode, I share ways you can celebrate Mehregan from wherever you are: creating a sofreh or altar, honoring the changing light, and tending the threads that bind justice, grief, and love.

    In this episode, I reflect on:
    • The mythology of Mithra, Kaveh, Fereydoon, and Zahhak
    • How Mehregan invites us to act for justice and truth
    • The connection between grief work and liberation
    • Simple seasonal and altar practices for Mehregan
    If you'd like to go deeper with the themes of Mehregan, I invite you to download the Mehregan Guidebook or join us in Dard-e Del.
    👉 Note: The Mehregan Guidebook is free for Dard-e Del members

    If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
    • Leave me a 90 second voice note
    • Message me on Instagram
    • Send me an email
    Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

    🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân
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    37 mins
  • An Interview with Woman Life Freedom

    An Interview with Woman Life Freedom
    Sep 18 2025
    Three years have passed since the Woman Life Freedom uprising erupted in Iran with the death of Jina (Mahsa) Amini. As an Iranian in diaspora, this movement changed me—it filled me with so much hope, and it also left me with heavy grief that I still carry today.

    In my work as a death doula, I guide people at the end of their lives through a process called a Life Review: reflecting on unfinished business, regrets, accomplishments, and hopes for what comes next. In this episode, I bring that same practice to a cultural scale, sitting with the Woman Life Freedom movement as if she were a dying person—asking her the questions I would ask someone nearing the end of their life and imagining how she might respond.

    This episode is both reflection and an invitation to honor the grief and legacy of Woman Life Freedom, and to consider how we carry her memory forward in Iran, in diaspora, and in ongoing movements for liberation around the world.

    If you're Iranian in diaspora and looking for community, joi us in Dard-e Del ❤️‍🩹

    📸 Cover image by Laura Acquaviva

    If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
    • Leave me a 90 second voice note
    • Message me on Instagram
    • Send me an email
    Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

    🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Longing for Homeland

    Longing for Homeland
    Sep 5 2025
    In this episode of Halva for the Heart, I share some tender reflections about home, homeland, and the grief of not quite belonging anywhere. After nearly ten years in Korea, I’ve realized I will always be a guest here—and that realization has stirred up so many questions for me: If not here, then where? What does it mean to feel at home in my body? What does it mean to be a settler on Turtle Island? And can I still call Iran my homeland if I’ve never truly known its land?

    Throught the episode, I read from Stephen Jenkinson’s Die Wise and talk about how his words opened up new ways of thinking about home, land, and obligation. I also share stories from grief circles and community conversations, where we explore how food, seeds, and even longing itself can be ways of being in relationship with the land we come from.

    If you’ve ever wrestled with homesickness, with the ache of displacement, or with the question of how to pass something on to the next generation—you’re not alone. This episode is me sitting with all of that, out loud.

    Mentioned in this episode:
    • Interview with Sama of Reyhan Herb Farm
    • Interview with Mina Sharif and her book Your War, Our Lives
    • Dard-e Del: a online support space for Iranians in Diaspora ❤️‍🩹
    • Die Wise by Stephen Jenkinson
    • Nine Keys from Narinder Bazen


    If you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...
    • Leave me a 90 second voice note
    • Message me on Instagram
    • Send me an email
    Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

    🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân
    Show More Show Less
    43 mins
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