Ash is a compassionate and intuitive death doula devoted to guiding individuals and their loved ones through the sacred transition of death with reverence, calm, and presence. As a spiritual companion at the threshold, she offers emotional, physical, and practical support to those nearing the end of life — holding space for both the mystery and the humanity of dying.

Rooted in a deep connection to nature, myth, and the cyclical wisdom of life and death, Ash helps others approach this passage not as an ending, but as a transformation — a return to the greater whole. She draws from ancient traditions and ancestral ritual to bring a sense of ceremony and sacredness to the process of dying, weaving together practical care and soulful guidance. Her presence is steady and grounding, a lantern in a time that often feels dark and uncertain.

Ash’s approach is holistic, tending to the body, mind, and spirit. She creates nurturing environments where fear and sorrow can be met with gentleness and honesty. Whether through ritual, breath, silence, or story, she invites those she serves to find meaning and beauty amid impermanence. Families and loved ones are supported to express their grief openly, to connect, and to participate in the unfolding of death as a shared rite of passage.

In addition to her emotional and spiritual work, Ash assists with end-of-life planning, legacy creation, and funeral preparation, helping to ensure that each transition reflects the unique life and values of the person passing. She supports the practical details with the same devotion she brings to the sacred — creating spaces for reflection, forgiveness, and even quiet celebration. Her calm, grounded presence offers comfort and strength to all who walk beside her in these profound moments.

For Ash, this work is not a profession but a calling — an act of service to life itself. She believes that death, like birth, deserves to be honored as a threshold of immense beauty and transformation. With tenderness and unwavering presence, she accompanies others through the great turning of the wheel, helping them meet death with dignity, peace, and grace.

Ash’s path began in the field of Archaeology where she earned her degree, where she first encountered the ancient rituals and material expressions of death and remembrance. She later trained as a Certified End of Life Doula, a Traumatic Loss Support Group Facilitator with the BC Bereavement Helpline, and a Jikiden Reiki Practitioner. Her studies also include Level 2 Tantra Practitioner training with White Lotus Tantra in Vancouver, and Ancestral Healing Practitioner certification under Dr. Daniel Foor.

In 2023, Ash traveled to Gudvangen, Norway — a valley known as the cradle of Norse myth — to participate and present at The Viking Initiation. There, she offered workshops on runes and Norse magic, and hand-poke tattoos as acts of embodied ritual. Today, she continues to teach online courses and mentorships exploring Norse cosmology, ancestral remembrance, and the sacred work of grief.

You can connect with her via Instagram @essence.of.ash or by email at essenceskulls@gmail.com.

Ash also tends to a creative practice rooted in the land — Baba Yaga Fungi @baba.yaga.fungi, a photography project honoring the intelligence and mystery of the fungal world.

In 2024, she founded Audhumla Tallow, a line of grass-fed & finished, handcrafted tallow skincare inspired by Norse mythology and the sacred cycles of nature. Her products are now available online and carried by Kootenay Co-op and Taylor & Mae in Nelson, Evergreen Grocery in Crescent Valley, Choices Market in Kelowna, Rambling Rose in Winlaw, Mountain Valley Station in Slocan, and the Nelson Farmers Market.